Free factsheet to help reduce bullying in washrooms

1:30pm Thursday 20th November 2008

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This year, November 17 to 21 has been designated as Anti-Bullying Week.

I’m sure that many of your readers will be familiar with the issue of bullying in schools and the impact which it has on victims.

School toilets are recognised as a hotspot for bullies.

I have just written a free factsheet to help reduce bullying and anti-social behaviour in school washrooms.

Schools can improve pupil safety by designing out bullying in schooltoilets.

Among the top tips in the factsheet are: l School toilets should be arranged in small blocks and not in one large central unit; l Toilets should not be put in at the end of dead-end corridors, butopposite classrooms and staff rooms to improve the way they aresupervised; l Visibility in toilets should be improved through the use of blurred glass cubicles; l Hand-washing areas should be unisex and more visible from passing staff and prefects; l When planning toilets, staff and pupils should be involved as much as possible; l Follow the ‘Toilets in Schools’ guidelines issued by the Government agency ‘Partnerships for Schools’; l New toilet facilities should meet the minimum requirements of the ‘Bog Standard Campaign’; l Attractive, but highly durable anti-vandal sanitaryware should be used for all toilets and washrooms to reduce the long-term financial impact of vandalism.

Entitled ‘Reducing the impact of bullying and anti-social behaviour in school toilets and washrooms’, the factsheet can be obtained by e-mailing Wallgate Limited at: schooltoilets@wallgate.com or by writing to: ‘School Toilets’ Factsheet, Wallgate Limited, Crow Lane, Wilton, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP2 0HB.

Jean Donovan Author