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Adults Area

School Management - Combating school toilet abuse and vandalism

"The problems (in school toilets) are symptomatic of how connected students feel to their schools. The higher the degree of anonymity, the higher is the degree of vandalism or disregard for their surroundings. Atmosphere, too, is important. Have administrators and teachers installed a sense of pride and involvement?
Equally significant is 'tolerance'. If someone scribbles on the wall, how long does it take the school to wipe it off? If kids see graffiti left on the wall for a long time, that's permission."
Associate director, Child Guidance Center, USA

Pupils' toilets project an image of a school - good or bad - and have an effect on pupil morale and behaviour. The worst toilets often become a magnet for bad behaviour which turns them into a no-go area for other pupils.

Some schools have a big problem with pupils vandalising the toilets. There are many ways to tackle this – ranging from the low-cost to the highly sophisticated. Some of the more expensive solutions could pay for themselves in the long run, by minimising repairs.

  1. Raise awareness of toilet matters (such as respecting each other’s privacy, leaving the toilets clean and tidy, not hanging around in the toilets) in class registration time, PSHE and Citizenship lessons and in pupil forums (such as the school council). Some pupils join in with bad behaviour in the toilets without thinking about the effects on others. Encourage pupils to come up with their own ideas for avoiding and tackling any problems. Encourage them to communicate some of these to fellow pupils, perhaps in assemblies.
  2. Introduce a widely-communicated school toilet management policy. It should involve pupils, staff, parents and governors. See an example School Toilet Policy.
  3. Maintain high quality toilets, which have good décor, cleanliness, fixtures and fittings, etc. Given the high volume of users in school toilets, most need to be cleaned at least twice a day. People tend to drop less litter in clean places and graffiti is reduced if removed immediately.
  4. Make budget allocation a priority for toilet repairs, maintenance and cleaning. If toilets are already in a bad state, it is not much of a deterrent to vandalism.
  5. Make the toilets high on the list of priorities. Ensure the issue of toilet standards and management is on school meeting agendas – whether it's the school council, the PTA and/or governors. Include the issue in newsletters and governor reports. Use the daily, monthly and annual toilet management checklists.
  6. Have a pupil-managed toilet-monitoring rota and involve pupils in managing the school toilets and budget. It increases feelings of ownership. Or members of the school council can each adopt a set of toilets which they check at the end of break and lunch time and immediately report any deficiencies. See the case studies page for schools where this has been successful.
  7. Allow a more humane policy on toilet visits (from our postbag, we see that restricted practices upset and anger pupils - which encourages antisocial behaviour).
  8. Make the best-maintained toilets the first to get a refurbishment. Introduce on-going recognition and/or prizes for the best-maintained toilets. Cultivate pride in school toilets.
  9. Introduce a pupils’ toilet comments/complaints procedure. This could be anonymous, to encourage feedback
  10. Play classical music (can calm and deter lingering).
  11. Install recorded entry systems.
  12. Install vandal-resistant fixtures and fittings. Surfaces (walls, partitions etc) should be easy to maintain and clean. See the Designers and architects pages for ideas.
  13. Consider installing CCTV in communal washing areas or at entrances/exits as a deterrent, in full consultation with pupils and parents, provided privacy is maintained.
  14. Install smoke alarms - wired to the school office.
  15. Where toilet blocks are still used, a toilet attendant/cleaner could supervise a set of adjoining toilets. Or a washroom could be unisex with separate cubicle areas for girls and boys. See case studies.
  16. It's important for schools to keep on top of maintenance. Once a toilet becomes run down, you're going to get copycat behaviour.
  17. Ensure pupils know that toilet abuse will not be tolerated and action will be taken against those who break the rules.
  18. When new toilets are built, create small sets of toilets or individual toilets instead of large toilet blocks. It discourages pupils from hanging around in them, and treating the toilet area as a social gathering place. With toilets attached to or near classrooms, teachers would have closer supervision and pupils have less opportunity to miss class time. Smaller sets of toilets also cultivate ownership and pride, which in turn cuts down on vandalism.
  19. Encourage better toilet design – such as, avoiding corners to lurk in; mirrors at sinks so that pupils can see if anyone is behind them; concealed pipes and systems
  20. Provide indoor social areas.
  21. Investigate the root causes. It’s easy to blame the pupils, but misuse of toilets may be symptomatic of poor toilets or even of wider issues within a school. Communicating with the pupils (perhaps initially via questionnaires) may help reduce toilet problems.

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