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If there are no comments below, none have been submitted, why not tell us your thoughts.
| 26/04/2008 | Kathleen, aged 16, from Vale of Glamorgan in Wales wrote:
The toilets at my school aren't as bad as most, which the school takes pride in, but they still aren't up to the standard expected in teacher's toilets, for example.
I don't think the school should take so much pride in them, because, while I can't comment on the boys' toilets, the girls' locks are broken in almost every cubicle; meaning a friend has to hold the door with their foot while their friend uses the toilet; hardly the best option.
Our soup dispensers are never filled; we have small bars of soap but they are useless as most end up crushed in the plughole where no one would like to put their fingers.
Sanitary bins are rarely emptied and difficult to open because they are so tightly filled. On the plus side, at least we have bins in each toilet.
Many students take toilet paper from cubicles and roll it up, wet it, and throw at the ceiling. leaving missing ceiling tiles.
The hand-dryers are ineffective as they are so weak; you have to spend at least 5 minutes simply drying your hands.
What annoys me most is that when a minority of pupils deface toilets, the whole school gets punished. Most of the time, teachers lock the doors to the toilets as "punishment", then the toilets are left for months. This means that pupils can potentially have to walk from one end of the school to the other, if toilets are locked. Also, teachers often tell you not to roam the school at break and lunch, so if you want to use the toilet at break or lunch, you have to get involved in a verbal battle while time ticks away and the bell rings, when the teacher then tells you to get to class.
A short while ago we had someone in to fix toilets in the English block, but today a chance meeting with a friend of my mum's revealed to us why - the toilets are going to be inspected soon! My mum's friend told me about this site. I worry that the school is going to try to up standards for the next few weeks while they're inspected, then once they've gone, they will let everything slip back to their old ways. I think inspections are near-useless because standards are acceptable for a fortnight while inspections are undergone, then return to how they were. Toilets should be of a high standard constantly, not for a fortnight every now and then.
Bog Standard response:
Thank you for your thoughtful comments.
It sounds like the school council or a group of pupils needs to form a working group to improve the toilets and to improve pupils’ behaviour. It could make an action plan to present politely to the head and chair of governors - outline the problems: such as missing or broken locks for doors and make suggestions such as the school finding better locks and holding spares that can quickly be fitted; suggest ways the toilets could be made to look more attractive, such as pupils' art work framed and displayed or an art club painting or mural on a wall or they could paint the cubicle doors; tell the school that the sanitary bins need emptying more often as they are probably unaware of the problem.
But equally important tell the school what the students are going to do to try and improve behaviour! If you show the school that the pupils will help take responsibility and will invest time and energy, it will be hard to turn down your requests!
You can tell them that a working group could:-
• Involve students in improving the toilets to increase a feeling of ownership and pride in the toilets
• Conduct a survey (perhaps survey just some students from each year to make it easier) click here for an example to help you write your own questions
• Use our toilet checklists so that pupils take some responsibility and the toilets are maintained better use these on this page
• Write an article in the school’s newsletter and present the survey results and a suggested action plan in an assembly which pupils can vote on
• Raise funds to improve the toilets, such as each pupil pays a pound to go without uniform for a day. The money could, for example, contribute to wall-hung soap dispensers or replacing the useless hand dryers with the new type of high velocity hand dryers that dry your hands in just a few seconds. They’re noisy when you put your hands under them (it’s the force of the air that creates the noise) but the noise helps to provide a few seconds of privacy to anyone sitting on the loo!
It also sounds that access to the toilets is restricted to break and lunch time. Thet could be part of the problem. Treat students like irresponsible kids and you can be sure they'll behave that way!
Once there are improvements in the toilets and behaviour, we would urge your school to take a leap of faith and encourage a whole-school humane policy on open toilet visits (restricted practices upset and anger pupils and encourage antisocial behaviour). They should allow students to quietly sign in and out of class to use the toilet. They need to recognise that toilet needs are highly individual and do not conform to regimental timetables. Having regular and frequent enough toilet breaks (45 – 60 minutes at secondary school level) will cut down on the need for pupils to leave lessons. It needs to be reconised, however, that some pupils only feel comfortable going to the toilet when others are not around - and they need to understand we all have emergencies!
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| 10/01/2008 | Giles, aged 44, from Somerset in England wrote:
As an architect, this is a great site for us to find out what our 'real clients' needs are when we are designing schools.
I would re-assure all the contributors to the site that this aspect of school design is being taken very seriously by the profession when refurbishing existing schools or building new ones. As a profession, we should aim to improve facilities at every school in the country!
Bog Standard response:
Thank you for such a nice message! | |
| 30/11/2007 | Mark, aged 13, from North Yorkshire in England wrote:
hi, i am on the year 9 council and also on the overall school council (there are only 10 of us on the school council) we have decided to try and improve the toilets, we have had loads of complaints about the state of them but we need advice on doing that, my thought is that it is a waste of money, they will just get trashed again. we need advice, Help
Bog Standard response:
There is no magic wand for improving the toilets overnight. It can take a lot of hard work - and money. and has to involve the pupils. We want to encourage school councils and pupils to work on improving their toilets (and behaviour) but we do urge a partnership of adults and students. Students can't do it alone.
See some of our suggestions in our new Toilet Checklists for Schools which you'll find on our Resources page.
We are going to work on a practical guide for school councils. If anyone has any tips or can tell us what they did, we'd love to hear from you. | |
| 12/06/2007 | Elizabeth, aged 13, from West Yorkshire in England wrote:
The year 7s and year 8s share about 5 toilets (5 for girls and 5 for boys) and then the year 9s and year 10s and year 11s share about 5 toilets again (5 for girls and 5 for boys). The 6th form have a block with 5 toilets in (5 for girls and 5 for boys). The toilets have faulty locks and there is lots of toilet paper on the ceiling. There is also lots of graffiti on the cubicle walls. There is a hot water tap but no hot water comes out and there are soap dispensers but there is never any soap in them. There isn't much toilet roll and the hand dryers give out a tiny bit of cold air. We don't have any sanitary towel dispensers but we do have proper bins to put our tampons and pads in. Bullying often happens in the toilets but smoking doesn't as there are smoke alarms. Lots of people used to try and avoid lessons by hiding in the toilets but now members of staff check them during lesson times. We can't go during lesson times except if we ask but the teachers nearly always say no and how we should have gone at break time. The toilets smell and get very crowded as there is only 10 between each two or three year groups (girls and boys). I really want to improve the standards of the toilets but I don't know who to talk to and I don't want to look stupid.
Bog Standard response:
You don’t tell us how many students there are in your school so we can’t tell whether your school has enough toilets, but it does sound that there is a problem here.
To calculate the numbers of toilets your school must provide by law (The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999’ for England and Wales) you need to know the number of students in your school:
• Pupils over 5 years of age: 1 toilet for every 20 pupils *
• Pupils under the age of 5: 1 toilet for every 10 pupils
• In special schools: 1 toilet for every 10 pupils, regardless of age
The accompanying guidance also states that more toilets may be needed if pupil visits are confined to periods of peak use.
Note that urinals count when calculating numbers.
For more information look, at printable factsheets 'Legislation'
* The requirement in Northern Ireland for pupils over 5 years of age is 1 toilet for every 15 pupils.
You need to count up the toilets and if the number is short, Write a polite letter to the Chair of Governors copying the above legal requirement and asking her/him to look into the matter. You should also say that toilet visits, while in theory allowed during lessons, are in reality in the majority of cases restricted to break and lunchtime, creating a higher demand on the number of toilets.
(a much longer reply was sent directly to Elizabeth)
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| 31/01/2007 | Taz,Lu and Bex, aged 12, from Bedfordshire in England wrote:
Our loos are filthy and one of our loos locks us in, help us! We're going to do the survey around the school. We are so fed up!
Bog Standard response:
Do present the results of your survey to the Chair of Governors and to the headteacher. Do get your school council involved. Perhaps you can make some practical suggestions too? One of the things schools have to do to gain our School Toilet Award is to ensure toilets are cleaned at least twice a day. (The award is being tried out by some Healthy School teams at the moment) but we hope to offer it nationally soon through the government's Healthy Schools Programme. | |
| 12/01/2007 | Matthew, aged 13, from Derbyshire in England wrote:
Our toilets are disgusting! With doors hanging off, no running hot water and no soap. As a school councillior, I am very concerned about the health of the students using the toilets. The toilets do not flush, people smoke in there, and peek over when you are inside a cubical. The flooring is all curled up and there is no toilet paper so basically the toilet is rendered useless!
Please feel free to contact me via email to help sort the mess out
Thank you very much! Matt
Bog Standard response:
We will do! Any (serious!!) person writing to this site who gives us their email address receives a personal reply - and offers of help. | |
| 02/12/2004 | kerri, aged 14, from Clackmannanshire in Scotland wrote:
our toilets are horrible. they smell they don't have enough toilet roll or sanitary bins. our toilets haven't been painted in a long time. our business management class is trying to solve our problems but we need a lot of ideas. please help us
Bog Standard response:
There are some suggestions on the "what you can do" page on the pupil area of the site. It's great that some of the pupils are already involved. | |
| 12/11/2004 | Melita, aged 12, from Wiltshire in England wrote:
The toilets at our school are in a disgusting state. Some don't flush, most don't have locks, many taps don't work and soap, towels and toilet rolls are often left unrefilled. It's in a disgusting state. Yet, if you look at the teacher's toilets, they have toilet roll and soap and locks and everything! | |
| 31/10/2004 | Rachel, aged 10, from Cheshire in England wrote:
My school toliets are yuck! Only one of them lock and flush. I am in Year 6, and the Year 3 and 4 got brand new toliets last term! That is unfair because the elder ones are stuck with the plaster falling off walls and toliets blocked. It is disgraceful! I hate it. Our school said they have been saving 10 years for new toliets. The new ones cost £63,00 apparently.
Bog Standard response:
Hopefully the school toilets for the seniors will be refurbished when the money is made available. Perhaps in the meantime a few low-cost cosmetic touches might help raise morale? | |
| 06/10/2004 | Ashley, aged 13, from Humberside in England wrote:
The school toilets at our school are in a terrible condition and seriously need refurbishing but nothing is ever done. Having to go to the toilets is something you never want to do. | |
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