Benefits to Schools

Whether you call them toilets, lavatories, WCs, washrooms, restrooms or bathrooms, good toilets for pupils benefit the whole school community.

How the school may benefit from entering the Award

• Addresses a priority concern of pupils
• Tangible sign that pupils’ welfare is valued and respected
• Projects a positive image of your school
• Helps promote your school to potential parents and pupils
• Parents expect Healthy Schools to have healthy toilets
• Helps alleviate and prevent toilet-related health problems
• Fewer outbreaks of infectious disease
• Fewer illnesses, especially diarrhoea and vomiting and respiratory illness
• Creates a more conducive learning environment
• Raises morale and self-esteem
• Encourages respect for the school environment and reduces anti-social behaviour
• Reduces bullying in toilets
• Improves attendance levels
• Improves relations between staff and pupils
• Recognition for good standards and practice
• Can contribute evidence to Ofsted inspections in meeting the five national outcomes for children stipulated by Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004

Schools that have achieved the Award tell is that improving the toilets can have a positive effect on pupil's willingness and ability to learn, their behaviour, self-esteem, morale and attendance levels.

Helps promote your responsible approach to parents and community.

If you are successful in winning the Award you will receive a certificate for display and logo that can be used on your website and marketing materials. Your local media will also be interested. We have provided a guide to maximising media coverage and a suggested press release template which you can simply fill in and share with the press to help you gain recognition for your efforts and successful Award win.

Helps avoid a lot of lost school days because

• Toilets which are unpleasant, or out of bounds, can cause serious, short-term and long-term, physical and psychological health problems - click here.
• Research has found that as many as 1 in 4 young people suffer from a range of health problems due to poor school toilets - click here.
• In excess of one in 12 (about 750,000) five to 16 year olds in the UK suffer from the stigma of incontinence - wetting and soiling (the involuntary escape or leakage of faeces).
• More than 1 in 10 young people admit to staying at home at times to avoid the school toilets - click here.
• Schools can be closed temporarily when an infectious disease spreads unchecked through a school.

Addresses the concern of pupils and parents

School toilets are frequently pupils' top concern. Parents tell us they think school toilets should be better and are being encouraged to check out school toilets when choosing a school.