Flushed with success? Toilets campaign launched

Date: 10th September 2013
Category: Education, Leisure and Cultural Activities

Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People launched a new campaign, 'Flushed With Success? Setting the Standards for Scotland's school toilets' on 5th September 2013, calling for better standards for school toilets at national, local and school level.

Standards of school toilets for pupils need to improve so that children and young people's right to safe and secure facilities is respected. The campaign aims for the quality of these facilities to be monitored and guaranteed in the same way as it is in workplaces for adults.

The Commissioner said: "Current legislation is nearly 50 years old and doesn't demand that inspectors look at school toilets. There is no process to ensure compliance with even basic standards and no-one systematically challenges the standards of school toilets when they do not come up to scratch.

"While legislation protects standards of toilets both in workplaces for adults and in schools, the standards for school toilets are not being upheld."

The campaign is backed by Sir Harry Burns, Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, and Eileen Prior, Executive Director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council.

The campaign encourages pupil-led evaluation and discussion, and the Commissioner is encouraging teachers and pupils to do their own 'Flushed with Success' Active Enquiry. Pupils can undertake a special 'evaluation' of how well their school toilets measure up to the standards and qualities they deserve.

Schools can then work to either give themselves a Flushed with Success gold star or put together an action plan to make the changes, step by step, to make improvements.

Any teacher or pupil wanting to know more about the active enquiry or take part should get in touch with the Commissioner's Head of Participation, Katie Brown - katie.brown@sccyp.org.uk / Tel. 0131 558 3733.

  • Find out more about the campaign here.