EXCLUSIVE – A Cambridgeshire school reacted to a protest being planned on Monday by students angry that they have been banned from going to the toilet during lessons.
Student protest organisers circulated via social media precise details of their demonstration at the Neale Wade Academy, March.
“Monday, after form at 9.20am will all meet in the atrium,” says the message obtained by CambsNews.
It then goes on to invite students to walk throughout the school with the hope that “more and more people will join.
“We’ll only stop once they get the point that we have human rights, and we deserve to go the toilet when we need to.”
The message ended: “Good luck and share quickly”.
Principal Gary Horn sent out an urgent email today urging parents and carers “to take the time to discuss the issues with your children and look at ideas that can be put into action soon”.
Mr Horn said Neale-Wade students were influenced by a “social media trend that is encouraging school-based protests”. He knew of several protests at other Cambridgeshire schools on Friday.
He said toilet access and safety toilets was a “shared concern and has been discussed regularly by leaders.
Neale-Wade to spend £100,000 upgrade on toilets
“We have refurbished toilets and have planned further work at Easter to ensure all toilets are in an acceptable condition.
“This comes at great cost and the planned work will amount to more than £100,000.”
Mr Horn said: “Currently we allow students to access toilets at all times of the day” (A claim refuted by some parents and students).
He added: “During lessons this is done by asking permission from teachers. Students can then access individual toilets during this time. The main concern is accessing larger school toilets throughout the day.”
Mr Horn said the school had trailed opened these toilets for longer hours but “sadly on Friday, significant damage was done to the refurbished toilets. This damage was in the cubicle and therefore cannot be observed.”
He said: “We share students concerns.”
The school was planning a series of activities tomorrow (Monday) to diffuse the situation.
These will include each year group being able to access an assembly and student forum on the subject.
Questionnaires will follow together with a “problem-solving group to discover the way forward”.
Mr Horn pledged: “We will open all the toilets tomorrow because of their views.”
He said protests on Friday elsewhere “were not always orderly and were disruptive. “Neale-Wade Academy is ‘our’ school and there having strong views and opinions is welcomed to enable us to improve.
“I would ask, though, that when discussing these issues, to get a positive outcome, sensible and coherent conversations are held. With structures in place, I hope you will take the time to discuss the issues with your children”.
However, many parents feel the school has already broken its promise to keep toilets open.
One parent said: “There is a student led protest planned for tomorrow at Neale-Wade Academy.
“This is all to do with the dictatorship style of leadership within the school and the ridiculous restrictions that have been issued towards use of the toilets during the school day.
“These kids/young adults have a legal right to use of a clean and sanitary bathroom, at all times.
“Instead, the leadership team have now made it almost entirely impossible for anyone to access the toilets.”
Personal needs and urine infections
The parent added: “What happens when girls of a certain age need to tend to their personal needs in order to stay clean and hygienic?
“Some kids are experiencing urine tract infections as they aren’t allowed to relieve themselves.
“The whole situation is disgusting and I for one, fully support all that choose to participate in tomorrow’s peaceful protest.”
One student described the principal’s letter as “a complete lie”.
“We have been told that our toilets are closed in the morning by our head of years and the toilets are not open for an hour during break and lunch,” he said.
“Since our break is only 25 minutes and our lunch is 35 minutes that would mean it goes into our lesson time.
“Our teachers have obviously heard that everyone knows how they have treated us and tried to cover it up, but it’s all lies and no they do not let us go during lessons since nearly every time I ask to go, I get told no I can’t go since it’s the school rule.”
Another parent said: “My daughter is never allowed to use the toilet during lesson times: even when she is on her period which is very heavy and often results in ‘accidents’ if she is unable to get to a toilet.
Basic human right challenge
“It is ridiculous that the school doesn’t allow access to toilets: a basic human right which every workplace respects: so why can’t schools!
“I bet the teachers can use the toilet whenever they need to.”
One other parent said: “My daughter was refused to go to the toilet during lesson.
“I’ve always told her if she’s really desperate to go then just go so she did (she also had explained to the teacher that she really needed to go but still wasn’t allowed) she returned from the toilet to be removed from that teacher’s class and given a C4 (after school detention) for it.”
Plenty of other parents have sided with their children.
“They refused my daughter despite a letter from consultant,” said the mum. “She had over six weeks in hospital and for recovery. There are no human rights at Neale-Wade!”
“Personally, I don’t think none of the students should need to ask permission. I think it should be a simple ‘I’m going to the toilet’ and then give them 5/10 minutes.”
One mum said: “I think they need to come up with a solution, the toilets should be open all day.
“I know a lot of kids skip class to go vape in there, this is why they get locked, so they need to find a way to make sure kids are allowed to use the toilet if needed and not to just go vape in there.”
She added: “I have also emailed the school several times about toilet use, you should be allowed to use the loos whenever you need to. The school needs to get the vandalism and vaping under control and banning toilet use is not the way to go about that.”
Another parent added: “My daughter has been refused to go to the toilet in lessons on many occasions, they don’t care about if kids have anxiety issues or that they try not to drink or eat too much while at school because of how they feel.
“Seems there is also the same groups of girls that just like to hang out in the loos making others uncomfortable to use them especially when the loos have no lock.”
