How to make school toilets child-friendly
Liam Mynes, from Tork manufacturer Essity, looks at ways of making the school washroom a more pleasant and welcoming environment for students.
In March 2022, an academy school in Kent was accused of denying pupils ‘basic human rights’ after it locked its toilets to prevent them from being used during lesson times.
Outraged parents claimed their children felt compelled to limit their fluid intake as a result of the move. Similar anger was expressed in April when a school in Yorkshire also restricted the use of toilets to break times to avoid disrupting lessons. Parents claimed the resulting lengthy queues at lunchtimes meant their children were being forced to choose between using the toilet and eating their lunch.
A Hungerford school had different reasons for locking its own toilets during lessons, claiming it was intended to curb vandalism, but a similar angry outcry from pupils and parents ensued.
It’s hard to imagine adults accepting a move to restrict the use of their workplace washrooms to just a few hours a day. Yet school toilets are all too frequently the subject of controversy – even when they remain open.
In April 2022, parents expressed concern when a Northamptonshire school announced that some of its toilets were to become unisex facilities. The idea was to create a shared space where pupils would interact with one another in a respectful way. However, parents and pupils opposed the move, citing concerns over a potential lack of privacy.
Similar fears were expressed when a new school was built in Inverness this year with shared toilets across the whole
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site. The aim was to reduce bullying and other behavioural issues, but parents feared the arrangements could have a detrimental impact on youngsters at a sensitive stage in their development.
So, it seems that many students are unhappy about the availability or configuration of the toilets at their schools. Some are also concerned about the state of the facilities themselves which are often unhygienic, messy, and unwelcoming.
A recent Essity study into secondary school washrooms revealed that 5% of students never used the toilets at school. Their reasons were varied: some felt the facilities were dirty or unsafe, while others complained about a lack of soap or toilet paper. 9% said they regularly refrained from eating or drinking during the school day to avoid having to use the toilets, with a third claiming to suffer from headaches and concentration issues as a result.
The situation was even worse in primary schools where a second survey revealed 44% of pupils routinely avoided using the school washroom, with a quarter describing the hygiene levels of the facilities as being either poor or very poor.
So, what can be done to improve things?
School cleaners have a limited amount of time to carry out washroom maintenance and it’s hard to keep on top of cleaning needs when a constant stream of pupils will be using the toilets. So all dispensers, refills, and systems need
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