Bog Standard LogoPromoting better toilets for pupils

Adults Area

What parents can do

This information is also available in a printable factsheet.

There are lots of things that parents can do to help improve pupils' toilets. Bear in mind that schools have limited resources. They may not be aware of the problems, or of the long-term health effects of poor toilets and inadequate access. A friendly approach, working together and offering solutions will be much more effective than criticism and conflict.

Have a look at the factsheet Background information for parents which may answer some of the questions you may have about your child’s school toilets.

Involving your child

  • Ask your child about their toilets, so you can be sure of your facts. When are pupils allowed access to the toilets? What sort of state are the toilets in? Is there enough privacy?
  • Your child could do a survey to find out what other pupils think about the toilets. They can use our printable survey form.
  • What does s/he think should be done about the toilets? Does s/he have any suggestions or ideas?
  • If your school has a school council, encourage your child to ask his or her representative to speak at the next meeting (and all subsequent meetings).
  • If s/he wants to, your child can organise a petition amongst pupils. They can make their own form, or use this petition template.

In school

  • Schools are most sensitive to comments when you're a prospective parent so always ask to be shown the pupils' toilets when you make a visit - and comment on what you find. Schools will be keen to show you their IT suite (that pupils may use only once a week) but be sure to show them that the toilets (that pupils should be using several times a day) are high on your list of priorities. Don't just visit the toilets on Open Day when you would expect to find clean toilets, but also try to visit them during a normal working day.
  • Ask prospective schools when children are allowed to visit the toilets. Ask several pupils too.
  • Regularly take a look at the pupils' toilets when you're in school/picking your child up. It's a good idea to ask permission from a teacher and have them escort you into the toilets. Being escorted protects you from a possible misinterpretation of your motives - and serves to make staff aware that you are interested in the state of the toilets.
  • Ask if school staff go into the pupils' toilets regularly to check them and/or supervise during breaks. We sympathize that staff may not want this added to their already long list of duties, and supervision of toilets is a contentious issue - some staff argue that it is not their role to go into pupils' toilets. However, if staff do not go into the toilets then these can deteriorate into an adult-free zone where intimidation, bullying and vandalism can occur.
  • Don't forget to check out the drinking water facilities too and pupils access to these. See the Water is Cool in School website for more information.
  • Would you be happy to use the pupils' toilets?

Talking to teachers, the head and governors

  • If access to toilets is restricted, raise the issue of access with your child's teacher and follow this up with a letter, copied to the headteacher and/or governors.
  • Raise the issue of pupil toilets calmly and politely with the headteacher and school governors (ask them to visit the pupils' toilets - some governors may never have done so).
  • Contact the school nurse to ask if s/he can talk to the school about this issue (the school office can give you contact details).
  • Talk to other parents - what do their children think?
  • Tell your school about the Bog Standard campaign and/or this website.
  • Put up a poster/flyer/leaflet with the headteacher's permission. Get a poster to print off here.
  • The government is providing record funding for improving and building new secondary and primary schools over the next few years. Now is the chance to focus on toilet design. In primary schools, encourage the school to consider providing toilets (single toilet or two toilets – one for girls and another for boys) with each classroom (or classroom cluster) so that access would be from the classroom and under supervision. In secondary schools, encourage the school to consider smaller groups of toilets and to look at our page for Designers and Architects.

Working with pupils, teachers and other parents

  • Find out what your PTA is doing about the pupils' toilets.
  • Suggest the PTA fundraises to improve the toilets.
  • Seek permission to form a working party with pupils to paint the toilets, put up colourful tiles, create a mural - cosmetic changes can help raise morale and encourage pupils to look after toilets.
  • Tap into the skills and contacts of parents and governors to make greater improvements.

Ofsted inspections

  • About every three years an inspection team from Ofsted inspects your child’s school. The school will know this about two to three days before the inspection.
  • As a parent of a child at the school, you will be given a questionnaire to fill in. This is an ideal opportunity to mention the school toilets and raise your concerns.
  • You can also mention any concerns with drinking water provision and access.
  • Now included in Ofsted inspections is “the extent to which the provision contributes to the learners’ capacity to stay safe and healthy”.
  • You can write directly to the chief inspector, whose name and contact details should be provided by the school.
  • The more parents mention the toilets, the more the toilets will be taken seriously.

Funding

  • Appeal for sponsorship to fund refurbishments from local businesses through an open letter to readers in your local paper or approach businesses directly.
  • Invite sponsorship of a full-time toilet supervisor/cleaner. Write an open letter to readers in your local paper or approach businesses directly.
  • Talk to the headteacher about any funding opportunities available through the LEA or from the government.
  • Discuss the issues of funding for the toilets with the headteacher and then with his/her backing get the governors to inspect the toilets and make improving them a priority in the next year's budget.

  • If you have any disabled pupils, schools now have to have the correct facilities. This could mean getting a refurbishment carried out by your local LEA.
  • Open a printable factsheet about fundraising.

Petitions and letters

  • If, having done all this, or having failed to get the staff on side, you consider that the school is not taking toilets (the state of them or issues of access) seriously enough, why not start a petition, or encourage the pupils to do so?
  • Write to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills at Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BT. He or she has the power to direct schools to meet regulations.
  • Encourage your child to write to their regional Children’s Commissioner.
  • Send a lobby letter to
    • the school's headteacher

    • school governors
    • your local MP
    • your Local Education Authority
    • the Department for Education and Skills (DfES)

    • the Department of Health (DH)
    You can get letter templates from the Bog Standard website and can adapt them to cover the precise issues that affect your school. There are also letter writing tips and how to contact people
  • Write to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to ask them to bring the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 in line with The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (1992). This is also the place to write to for complaints about schools not meeting the standards - which for pupils is limited merely to the number of toilets and washrooms per pupil. The address is: School Premises Team, DfES, Caxton House, Room 762, 6-12 Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NF. Email Premises.School@dfes.gov.uk. For more information about the law on toilet provision for adults and for pupils, look at the legislation factsheet on the Information section of the website.
  • Write to your local paper.

Talk to us

  • Give us your feedback - we post some of the comments that we receive unless you ask us not to.
  • Contact us by email, phone or post. It would be useful if you could send us a copy of any replies you receive from your lobby letters. Contact us by email or post.
  • The more people that talk to us, the more support we will have for the campaign.

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