More than one in three parents say they have been forced to raise concerns about the toilets at their child’s school, a new survey has suggested.
The poll of 2,000 parents of school-aged children finds that the issues are so widespread that around 10 per cent report that their child has asked to miss school because of their concerns around the facilities.
Around one in six (17 per cent) parents rated the toilets at their child’s school as unclean, according to the survey for charity Parentkind.
One parent reported that their children felt like they were “stepping into a horror movie” when using the toilets, while another mentioned their child had encountered cockroaches in the school facilities.
The Censuswide poll also suggests that 11 per cent of parents stated their child had missed school or asked to stay home because of concerns about the toilets.
In response to these findings, the charity is urging the Government to prioritise funding for the improvement of what they describe as “disgusting” school toilets, as part of broader plans to enhance the school environment.
It comes after the Chancellor announced around £2.3bn per year for fixing “crumbling classrooms” and £2.4bn per year to rebuild 500 schools.
Some surveyed parents suggested their children had wet themselves at school, or suffered constipation, because of avoiding the toilets at their school.
Jason Elsom, chief executive of Parentkind, called for Government funds set out in the spending review to be used to make school toilets “fit for use”.
He said: “With a million children facing humiliation because of the disgusting state of school toilets, we need to shine a light on the health and well-being of our children who are refusing to drink during the day to avoid going to the toilet and the millions of children suffering constipation because their school toilets are so dirty.
“Parents tell us that we need to set aside the cash to clean and upgrade school loos.
“Parents tell us their children have seen ‘cockroaches coming out of the floors’ and toilets ‘covered in poo and urine’.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Schools understand the vital importance of toilets being clean and in good order, work hard to ensure this is the case, and will be dismayed at the findings of this research.
“Many schools are struggling with old and outdated buildings which require a great deal of maintenance because of years of government underfunding, and this may play a role in the perceptions reflected by respondents.
“We urgently need improved investment in upgrading and modernising school buildings.”
