Parents have raised concerns over the new toilet policy at a Welsh school which will see teachers request a chaperone when pupils ask to leave lessons to use the toilet.
A letter sent to parents and carers by Ebbw Fawr Learning Community on October 4 outlined the change, which applies during certain lessons of the day. The school said the move was expected to "significantly reduce lost learning time."
No ban on toilet use
The letter stressed that there would be no ban on pupils using the toilet, with teachers continuing to use their professional judgement during other lessons. It also confirmed that pupils with a medical or toilet pass would be unaffected by the changes and could continue to use their pass as normal.
However, the new rule has prompted concerns among some parents and guardians, with questions raised about how long pupils could have to wait for a member of staff to accompany them and whether this could lead to accidents.
Parent and school responses
One parent expressed their opposition to the policy, saying: "By the time they request and get a chaperone, the child could have had an accident. I don't want anyone chaperoning my child to the toilet."
Ebbw Fawr Learning Community is Wales's first all-through maintained school. It is located in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent and caters to pupils aged three to 16 years old.
The letter also advised parents to contact reception with safeguarding concerns, while appointments should be arranged in advance for other matters.
School explains reasoning
A spokesperson for Ebbw Fawr Learning Community said: "After careful consideration we have introduced new arrangements in the secondary phase only. This is as a result of significant damage which has been caused to the toilet area and excessive time spent in the toilets, which results in students missing valuable learning time. We have four pastoral managers on site who manage the chaperoning of students to the toilet – they do not go into the toilet area."
"These arrangements are only in operation the lesson after break and the lesson after lunch, we encourage all learners to use the toilet before these lessons start. Any learner with documented medical issues has been issued with a pass and can leave the lesson whenever they need to use the toilet."
