Press release 13 February 2009
UK’s best school toilet opens in Havering | A recently renovated toilet block at Bower Park School in Romford, East London is the first of its kind in the UK to be completed under a new set of national guidelines for school toilets.
Hailed as the best school toilets in the UK at its opening today, the cutting edge pilot design by architects Walters and Cohen brings an innovative approach to the design of school toilets and aims to bring a positive influence on pupils’ welfare, attendance, behaviour and morale.
The government’s Standard Specifications, Layouts and Dimensions on toilet design were launched in March 2007. The guidance was informed by recommendations from the Bog Standard campaign which worked alongside key organisations, designers and members of the construction industry and followed extensive consultation among pupils and schools.
The pupils at the Bower Park secondary school chose the finishes and colours and are keen to be fully involved in the daily monitoring and management of the new toilets.
Armitage Shanks, major sponsors of the Bog Standard campaign, provided the sanitaryware and fittings for Bower Park School. “We are committed to improving the standards of school toilets. Our research shows that children are concerned about the quality of fixtures and fittings and the environment of their washroom”, says Tony Rheinberg, Marketing Manager of Armitage Shanks. “Bower Park School follows the guidelines from the Government and is a good framework for other schools to follow”
Features of the new toilets include:
• the toilets are designed and fitted out to a high standard of quality and aesthetic to encourage pupil respect and pride in the toilets
• hand wash area open to circulation space to facilitate supervision and make pupils feel safer
• clear view from the hand wash area to area directly outside the toilet cubicles to help deter anti-social behaviour
• open spaces within the toilets are kept to a minimum in an effort to limit possible anti social behaviour or bullying and careful attention in the design has gone into protecting pupils’ privacy.
• the cubicles are a new design of top to bottom doors allowing complete privacy and urinals are set within cubicles to maximise privacy
• easy to clean interiors
• wall-hung toilet bowls to avoid the build-up of germs and dirt around the base.
• sensor-operated taps which discourage the spread of bacteria and minimise wastage of water
• cartridge type liquid soap dispensers to avoid cross-contamination
On behalf of the Government, the Bog Standard campaign will be monitoring the new toilets over the first year to see whether the commonsense assumptions - that well designed and high quality toilets benefit pupils - are borne out. Only the boys will experience the benefits of the new toilets, however, much to the consternation of the girls. The school is planning to create new toilets for the girls.
Notes to editors
The guidance ‘Toilets in Schools’ 2007 can be downloaded from www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=12420
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