British Toilet Association: Archived News from the British Toilet Association 

Is your child happy to use the school toilets?

Do the washing facilities at school look like this

Nearly half of school toilets don't have toilet paper, most of the stalls can't be locked, and they smell. As a consequence, over 40 percent of kids would prefer to hang on until getting home before doing a number 2 in a school loo. This leads to all kinds of incontinence and constipation in children of school age.

When you go to work, there are laws governing hygiene and cleanliness in the toilet areas.

Not at your child's school.

This astonishing fact is being highlighted by pressure group Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence (ERIC), through its Bog-Standard campaign, to promote the School Toilet Charter.

Lack of cleaning and maintenance in school toilets is leading to a range of health issues among children. Official data shows that about 750,000 five to 16 year olds in the UK – that's one in 12 – experience continence problems (bedwetting, daytime wetting and soiling). However, it's likely that the real number is higher, as people tend to under-report these issues.

A quarter of children attending the Sheffield Children’s Hospital paediatric outpatient clinics had problems relating to constipation. Over a four-week period research showed that over half of all the pupils avoided school toilets, with around a quarter prepared to use them only if desperate.

While not all these issues come as a direct result of poor toilet hygiene, it is clear that there must be a link between children avoiding using toilets and poor health.

Research by the Journal of Public Health showed that in 2002;

• 45 % of children did not have access to toilet paper
• Only 37% of children reported the toilets clean
• Only 25% reporting adequate ventilation
• 52% of children questioned had lack of lockable private facilities
• 40% of children would never open their bowels using the school toilet

Standards have improved a little since then. But even in a study carried out in 2006, 11% of children still did not always have hand washing / drying facilities available after toilet use and 21% of children reported that they do not always have toilet paper available.

Unsurprisingly, over half of school children surveyed said they regularly avoid going to the toilet at school.

But that is not the worst figure: A quarter suffered health problems resulting from failing to use the toilets when needed.

Amazingly, in the light of the size of the problem, an astonishing 75 percent of teachers were unaware of these issues.

Bog-Standard said “Holding on” to stools can result from passing painful stools previously or can be related to toilet phobias or other emotional upset. Sometimes constipation can result from illness and poor diet or low fluid intake. It can also result from not wanting to use school toilets or from being prevented to go when the need arises.

The solution, said Bog-Standard, is to implement the School Toilet Charter, a school toilet policy, cleaning and maintenance checklists, fact sheets and a wealth of other information and guidance for pupils, school staff, health professionals, architects and designers.

By David Shaw

Published by: Families London-Surrey Borders 28/01/2010

Visit the Bog-Standard campaign website www.bog-standard.org