Article for VB – possibly write some advice in an email and put in a resource in VB
just a few of the emails from students where they are asking for help:
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 bump up the toilets, …
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Mark
we have has 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 (Mark, age 13)
Our toilets are disgusting! With doors hanging off, no running hot water and no soap. As a school councillor, 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 (age 13)
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. (age 13)
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 (Kerri, age 14)
At my school nobody likes the toilets. As I am on the student council we are going to try and make them slightly more attractive. Can you suggest any ways which would be suitable? We have tried new mirrors but they get damaged and graffiti covers the walls quicker than the paint dries on them!! (Gemma,age 14)
Oh my word, where can I start. The toilets here at M__ are terrible, the locks are broken and the boys open the doors and look at you. PLEASE publish this so people coming to M__ know what’s ahead of them. PLEASE help. (Bev, age 15)
Our school toilets are horrible. There is poop sitting in the bottom of them. Plus there is graffiti all over the walls. There are no seats on any of the toilets. There is never any loo roll and there is chewing gum all over the place.There are loads of older students in there smoking and they scare me. What can I do about it? (Keon, age 11)
Our school toilets are either unbearable to go into or locked. During lesson time you have to ask permission to use the toilets, which is reasonable, but there is only one toilet open, monitered by a ‘Toilet Lady’. This one is clean, but only because it’s locked most of the time. I purpously don’t drink much, or nothing in school to stop me from going to the toilets, or asking for a permission slip, which is quite embarrassing, wouldn’t you agree? If we spend 6 hours or more a day, five days a week in school then shouldn’t some water be consumed within those 6 hours (which is a long time). I am the Year 10 representative in our school council, and I am determined for the health rules and regulations to be enforced in our school toilets, and that water should be consumed within class time. I have set this goal for myself, which I will achieve, hopefully with your help. Our school NEEDS you, our toilets NEED you! (Victoria, age 14)
Here at ___ Academy in Kent, we have cameras in both the boys and girls toilets. We are unable to use the toilets during lesson times. During break and lunch there are always yobs messing around in there, there are no locks on the doors, there’s usually toilet paper, but the camera makes me feel uneasy when using the toilets. After school the toilets are locked, so you have to wait till you get home. The teachers have their own nice clean toilets, but some teachers use ours, are they allowed to do that? There are two small toilets for the boys in our school, one has the camera in it, and the other is extremely old fashioned, with rotting wood, no door locks and no toilet lid. So I’m always in a dilemma over which toilet to use. Our school has over 1300 students in it, and only 2 boys toilets. I think something should be done. Please help. (Joshua, age 15)
Contact: Nickie Brander
Campaigns Organiser
ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence)
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Mark