The Bog Standard campaign organisers know all about the problems that young people like you have with the toilets at school! But lots of adults don’t.

Problems that some pupils have with the school toilets are:

• Dirty, smelly toilets
• Broken seats, doors and toilet roll holders
• Graffiti and/or vandalism
• Not enough toilet paper, soap or anywhere to dry your hands
• No privacy:
  • doors that don’t lock
  • cubicles that can other people can peer over or under
  • urinals that can be viewed from outside the toilet area
  • other children who don’t respect your privacy
• Bullies or smokers hanging out in the toilets
• Not being allowed to go to the toilet when you need to
• Not enough time to go to the toilet at break
• Toilets which are too far away

As you might already know, having special needs doesn’t have to mean you’re in a wheelchair. Some pupils are not very well, which can mean they need more privacy and time for the toilet. 1 in 10 children have problems weeing or pooing. It’s really important for these pupils to be able to go to the toilet when they need to and in privacy.

Horrible toilets might mean you don’t drink much during the day. If you drink less, it means you won’t need to go to the toilet as much!

It’s one way of avoiding the toilet, but it’s a really bad idea. If you don’t drink enough, you might feel tired and have headaches. You might not be able to pay much attention in class. You can get constipated (where you don’t poo often enough). If this goes on for a long time, you feel worse and worse!

If you don’t drink enough during the day, you can get dehydrated. Over time, your bladder can’t hold as much wee. It can also make you more likely to have an infection in your wee. If you drink most of your drinks when you get home after school, you might wet the bed.