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Outcry as schoolgirls' toilet access restricted after 'bad behaviour'
Outcry as schoolgirls' toilet access restricted after 'bad behaviour'
The meeting heard 'bad behaviour' had involved toilets being deliberately blocked with sanitary products
"Many" schools in a Welsh county have been restricting when pupils can use toilets due to issues with vandalism and bad behaviour, councillors were told.
The matter was discussed at a Caerphilly council cabinet meeting amid a proposal for token-operated vending machines to improve access to period products. The scheme is being considered by members of Caerphilly Youth Forum, which also argues pupils should have better access to school toilets and should be trusted to use them safely and responsibly through the school day as a matter of 'dignity'.
The group, which has made the issue its priority for the year, told cabinet members it hopes to meet secondary school head teachers later this year to discuss possible changes to the rules around accessing school toilets.
It stressed that a lack of access can be especially distressing for girls who need to use period products because they are often prohibited from taking bags into the toilets.
Younger pupils making the step up to secondary school can also struggle to understand why their access to toilets is being restricted when primary schools typically have more relaxed rules, the meeting heard.
Youth Forum coordinator Lee Kabza said the group had met with a firm which provides sanitary products in schools to discuss the issue of 'period dignity'.
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The meeting heard some schools elsewhere use a token system which allows pupils to obtain a single period product from a machine.
Mr Kabza suggested such a system could tackle issues around bad behaviour where toilets are deliberately blocked with sanitary products.
The council's deputy leader Jamie Pritchard noted improved school toilet access had been backed by around 800 young people as the Youth Forum's priority issue.
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He said there was 'a groundswell of opinion behind it', adding he hoped schools would take note of the forum's work.
The cabinet members voted unanimously to 'consider how to support the Youth Forum in addressing their priority issue' for the year ahead.
