YOUR CHILD MUST BE POTTY TRAINED AND ABLE TO USE A TOILET BEFORE STARTING SCHOOL. This message, which came across as loud and in caps, puts the fear of failure into me as my children started reception. They were toilet trained, but I was terrified of an accident.
Now they are in high school, I’m being shouted at again; CHILDREN CANNOT GO TO THE TOILET DURING LESSONS. Actually, I get that, it’s a safeguarding issue. Even so, there needs to be some flexibility, for example if your child is SEND or has anxiety or a medical need. I’d also expect sensible implementation of the rule for a child caught short and girls of period starting age.
However in the girls’ high school – where building works have disrupted school life for a decade, and this could be the root of the problem but no one has actually said this – there seems to be only one block of toilets in the whole school. Oh, except for the PE block and one toilet at the medical office. With a one way system in pace (again due to the building works) it can be tricky for a pupil to manage a trip to the loo between lessons. And at break/lunchtime guess what, there are queues.
I’d asked the school about the toilet situation and was brushed off. No problems had been reported, I was told.
Then – independently of me – the issue popped up on the What’s App Parents’ hive mind. I threw in a supportive comment showing interest, sat back and read.
Parents talked of queues, kids holding it in, others being afraid of being late for a class, periods starting, fear of asking to go in class. Sounds stressful.
I start googling toilets in schools. Who knew there was a government standard pupil-toilet ratio to be followed. I decide to email the school again.
Same reply; nothing to see here but PLEASE TEACH YOUR CHILD TO HOLD IT IN DURING LESSONS AND THEN BE QUICK ABOUT IT WHEN THEY GO.
They didn’t write this in caps, but they may as well have done. That’s how it feels.
