Bog Standard LogoPromoting better toilets for pupils


Your health

This page tells you how horrible toilets and why not being allowed to go to the toilet when you need to can affect your health. If you want to tell an adult about these problems, you can print off a factsheet (written for adults) with this information.

This section talks a lot about the bladder and bowels. The bladder is the bag that holds your wee until you’re ready to go to the toilet.

Healthy Bladder

The bowels are where your poo is stored until you go to the toilet.

Bowel

Click here to open up a new page of tips for keeping you bladder and bowels healthy.

 

Hanging on

‘Hanging on’ is when you don’t go to the toilet when you need to. It might be because the toilets are dirty and smelly. There may be bullies in the toilets. Or your teachers might say you can only go at break.

Constipated

It’s not a good idea to get into the habit of ignoring when you need to wee as you might develop an infection in your bladder. A bladder infection can really hurt. It can also spread to your kidneys (where wee is made).

Also, if you don’t go when you need to, you might wet yourself.

If you don’t have a poo when you need to, you can get constipated (CON-stee-pay-tid). Constipation is when your poo gets hard and you can’t poo when you need to. If you keep having this problem, your bowl can become overstretched which allows poo to leak out from your bottom into your pants or knickers, without you being able to control it.

Image of cartoon character constipated

Back to top

Drinks Bottles

Not drinking enough

Lots of pupils don’t drink enough because they don’t want to have to use the toilet at school. Or they don't drink enough because they aren't allowed to go to the toilet when they need to - they don't want to be hanging on bursting to go.

If you get into the habit of not drinking enough, your bladder gets smaller and can’t hold as much wee. This means you need to wee more often. It’s a good idea to drink plenty to flush out any germs in your wee.


Not drinking enough also means you can get dehydrated (dee-hi-DRAY-ted). This is when there’s not enough water in your body for it to work properly. If you’re dehydrated, you might get tired or get a headache. You might also find it hard to pay attention in your lessons.

Water is the best drink to have between meals. Sugary drinks, like fizzy pop or squash, can damage your teeth. If you really want a sugary drink, it’s best to have it when you’re eating a meal.

Back to top

Sink Plug

Nasty toilets

You might avoid your school toilets for lots of reasons.

  • They might be dirty and smelly.
  • They might not have locks on the cubicles.
  • You might worry about someone hearing you.
  • Someone might look over or under the door at you.
  • There might not be any toilet paper.
  • There might not be any hot water, soap or somewhere to dry your hands.

These nasty toilets mean you don’t want to use them. If you don’t go for a wee, your bladder might start to hurt. If you don’t go for a poo, you can get constipated, and your poo stays inside you for ages. This can be really uncomfortable. It is also very unhealthy.

Back to top

 

Back to pupils' homepage
What you can do
 


Talking Toilets