Sample School Toilet Policy

“Every pupil deserves a good toilet and the chance to use it when they need to. Schools teach life skills and how to be responsible. Children and young people should be helped to become more responsible and given the opportunity to show that they can be responsible. If we fail to do so, we are setting up resentment for now and the future.”
Speaker at the World Toilet Summit (held in Belfast 2005)

"School toilets were the first place I would visit. If a school can’t get the toilets right, it can make you wonder how much they care about their pupils and what else is deficient.”
Former Ofsted inspector

Toilets are important. Everybody uses them. Access to decent toilets is a fundamental human right and necessary for good health and well being.

For children and young people to stay healthy, they need to drink water regularly throughout the day. They also need to empty their bladder and bowels regularly and fully when they need to. During term time, time spent at school is the bulk of any child’s day so how much they drink and how often they go to the toilet are important. The extension of the school day and breakfast clubs make this even more critical.

School toilets may languish low on the list of a school’s budget and priorities for improvement. While school toilets may not be high on teachers’ agendas, the state of the school toilets is often the most concerning issue for pupils. As a basic requirement for life, school toilets not only influence health and wellbeing, but also pupils’ attainment, behaviour, morale, and attendance levels.

Horrible toilets and restricted access mean pupils drink less during the day in order to avoid going to the toilet. The resulting dehydration can cause constipation, headaches, fatigue and lack of concentration. When pupils avoid going to the toilet at school or are told they cannot go to the toilet, they are unable to concentrate fully in lessons.

Restricting access to the toilet to set times can cause ‘going just in case’ practices which means the bladder doesn’t get used to holding on until it’s full. Over time, the bladder capacity can reduce, increasing the need to visit the toilet more frequently. At the same time, the amount of fluid a child can drink before needing to go to the toilet is reduced.

School toilet policy

While some teachers may feel a formalised policy is unnecessary, a written school toilet policy is a powerful indication to children and parents that teachers value and respect the welfare of their pupils. A policy enables a school to develop and maintain a shared philosophy and co-ordinated approach to their school toilets and when pupils are allowed to use them. It encourages schools to audit the toilets properly and to take into account the needs of pupils. It also pays dividends to actively involve the pupils in establishing and implementing a policy.

For the policy to be effective, it is advisable that the policy be approved by pupils and governors, communicated to the whole school and reviewed yearly.

Click here to see an example school toilet policy

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