Promoting
better toilets for pupils| |
Designers & Architects
"The very fact that some [toilets] are adequate – or
even fantastic – proves the point that there is really no
excuse for the nasty school loos I so regularly hear about. It's
just a question of taking responsibility, making it a priority and
involving children and young people.” Not surprisingly, children are very interested in how schools are designed. More than 15,000 primary and secondary school pupils told the Education Guardian about the school of their dreams ('The School I'd Like'). The children pointed out that small changes could make a big difference, like having drinking water in every classroom and decent toilets. The issue of toilets was mentioned in nearly every one of the 15,000 competition entries. This section is for people who are involved
in the planning, design and architecture of school toilets. There
are: You can also print off a factsheet about toilet design or read about problems that many pupils currently face. In the Schools for the Future Exemplar Designs: Concepts and Ideas (DfES 2004) the government calls on architects and designers to provide pupils with "high quality modern school buildings, with the latest integrated ICT systems…imaginative and sustainable school buildings, tailored to local needs and aspirations" (page 1). "The school community must be part of the design process and it is beneficial to let pupils express their views.... Pupils have clear ideas about what would make their school, better, focusing on areas that are particularly important to them, including toilets and space to socialise, as well as the colour, shape and even sounds of the school environment" (page 10). Bog Standard considers that the provision of quality and conveniently located toilets and drinking water should come well before the "latest integrated ICT systems". One architectural firm, Walters and Cohen Architects, sought to minimise bullying by locating a shared toilet between each pair of classrooms. Each toilet can be accessed directly from the classroom or via the playground during break time. Around £2 billion a year will be spent on Building Schools for the Future – a DfES programme with the aim of rebuilding and renewing all secondary schools over the next 10 to 15 years. At the same time there will also be substantial new investment in primary school buildings. This offers the real opportunity to transform school toilets and to plan appropriate drinking water facilities in every school. You may find the following resources useful: • Part M of the building regulations
We know that, when it comes to school toilet design, there will be as many opinions as there are architects. We believe that talking to pupils will help to address the specific problems that they’re facing in their schools. Budget is always a consideration, of course, but the knock-on effects on children’s health and wellbeing is also important. We’re aware that some adults (teachers, governors, architects, Private Finance Initiative [PFI] companies etc) will object to some of these ideas as being impractical. We have developed these suggestions and ideas with a view to putting the pupils’ needs first; a view that some adults may have overlooked. 45 Year 9 pupils at Monkseaton High School in Tyneside won top prize and £50,000 in a national design competition for schools. Their brief in the Creative Spaces competition was to design ways to improve the school environment. The school reported that when they entered the competition they asked the pupils which area of the school they least liked, and they said the toilets. The head, Paul Kelley, said, “Some said they'd often wait until they got home to use the toilet, which was a concern because of the potential effects on their health.” After joining forces with an architect, the pupils came up with a plan to design a series of individual toilet pods to replace the traditional blocks of communal toilets. The steel pods are pill-shaped, fitted with smoke detectors and themed: a green one with footballs is on the sports ground, while an aquamarine one is in the foyer by a fish tank. Mr Kelley approves of the pupils’ work and said, “Giving pupils responsibility often leads to better solutions.” The final judging took place in London at the Royal Institute of British Architects, and industry professionals assessed the designs. Designer Wayne Hemingway, who said the pupils had identified an important problem, awarded the prize. “My girls say they don’t use the toilets at school either,” said Mr Hemingway. The pupils get the chance to use the money to transform their design into realilty. If you would like to contact us with ideas for good school toilet design, your own experiences, or any other comments and suggestions, we would love to hear from you. Use our feedback form, e-mail info@bog-standard.org or phone us on: 0117 960 3060. You can also write to us at: ERIC
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