Campaigners call for minimum standards for school toilets
Michael Glenister
Thursday, March 1, 2012
A mum-of-three wearing a Michael Gove mask dragged a toilet to the Department for Education on Tuesday as part of a stunt designed to raise publicity for the Bog Standard Campaign.
Organised by Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence (ERIC), the campaign is opposed to Government plans to eradicate existing regulations which force schools to provide at least one toilet for every 20 children.
Bog Standard also presented a petition, in the form of a giant toilet-roll, signed by over 1000 teachers, parents and children, to MPs at the Houses of Parliament.
‘It’s shocking that there are no minimum standards for pupils’ toilet facilities and no regulations to force state schools to even provide soap or toilet paper, ‘said ERIC director Jenny Perez.
‘Now the Government wants to cut the one regulation there is.’
The Bog Standard campaign group has labeled education secretary Mr Gove the ‘toilet snatcher’ and argues that if regulations concerning toilet provision are removed they could result in an increase in hygiene issues, bullying and continence problems.
Research carried out by ERIC and Netmums found that a quarter of pupils in England’s schools avoid using toilets because they are dirty. A further 31 per cent reported having toilets with broken locks and more than nine in ten parents felt toilets should be cleaned at least twice a day.
A group of MPs has also expressed their opposition to Government plans to de-regulate provision of toilet facilities in schools. Early Day Motion 2561 ‘calls on the Government to revise the School Premises Regulations to include clear standards for pupil facilities, rather than removing the few provisions that do exist’ and currently has 28 signatures.
Bog Standard also presented a petition, in the form of a giant toilet-roll, signed by over 1000 teachers, parents and children, to MPs at the Houses of Parliament.
‘It’s shocking that there are no minimum standards for pupils’ toilet facilities and no regulations to force state schools to even provide soap or toilet paper, ‘said ERIC director Jenny Perez.
‘Now the Government wants to cut the one regulation there is.’
The Bog Standard campaign group has labeled education secretary Mr Gove the ‘toilet snatcher’ and argues that if regulations concerning toilet provision are removed they could result in an increase in hygiene issues, bullying and continence problems.
Research carried out by ERIC and Netmums found that a quarter of pupils in England’s schools avoid using toilets because they are dirty. A further 31 per cent reported having toilets with broken locks and more than nine in ten parents felt toilets should be cleaned at least twice a day.
A group of MPs has also expressed their opposition to Government plans to de-regulate provision of toilet facilities in schools. Early Day Motion 2561 ‘calls on the Government to revise the School Premises Regulations to include clear standards for pupil facilities, rather than removing the few provisions that do exist’ and currently has 28 signatures.
