Nearly half of young people surveyed for a new report said they were not allowed to use the toilet during lessons, while a quarter said they were scared to use the toilets at school.
Access to a toilet is a fundamental human right and yet almost half of young people said they are not allowed this for large portions of the day, according to the report Voices for change: Hearing the voices of young people with bowel and bladder conditions.
The report published by ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity, with the support of Health Innovation West of England, reveals that anti-social behaviour around school toilets is causing many schools to shut them during lesson times. Shame and stigma around toileting are causing over a third of young people (36.65%) to avoid drinking water during the day so they don’t need to go at school.
Currently 1.5 million children and young people in the UK are now living with a bladder or bowel condition. This has a huge impact on their lives and can be devastating. It can affect both physical and mental health, as well as their prospects in life, since it disrupts their day-to-day lives and education.
The embarrassment and shame surrounding continence problems mean that many young people and their families suffer in silence with no one to turn to.
ERIC and Health Innovation West of England commissioned a survey to investigate the issue and open a dialogue with young people, schools, and local authorities to tackle the problems identified.
The research was conducted by ERIC’s Young Champions, a group of young people aged 12 – 19 from across the UK with lived experience of bowel and bladder conditions. They were recruited, trained and supported by Participation People, a team of youth engagement, participation and co-production experts working across the UK.
The key findings were:
- Nearly half (47.7%) said they are not allowed to go to the toilet during lessons
- 51% said school toilets are dirty
- 39% said the toilets are not well maintained (e.g. lack of toilet roll, soaps, locks that work)
- 24% said they felt scared to use the toilets
- 36.7% avoid drinking water so they don’t need the toilet
- 33.6% said they think their teachers should be educated in bowel and bladder conditions
- 15.6% said their school toilets did not have space for them to comfortably use their medical equipment (e.g. fitting a catheter)
- Almost half (46.1%) rely on “Dr Google” to give them answers about their health
- Almost a quarter (23%) are turning to TikTok for health information
- Among those with bladder and bowel conditions, girls were more uncomfortable using their medical equipment in school toilets (28% of girls versus 19% of boys).
Juliette Rayner, CEO of ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity said: “Young people’s voices aren’t often heard on the subject of school toilets. The ERIC Young Champions have done amazingly well to capture such rich and expansive survey data from young people. We have been told, loud and clear, that change is desperately needed.
“Access to toilets is a fundamental human right. All children and young people should have access to facilities that are clean, safe and that they feel comfortable to use – whenever they need to. Banning toilet breaks during lessons, restricting access to the toilets and limiting access to water in the classroom can aggravate or even create continence problems.
“Bladder and bowel conditions such as daytime bladder problems, bedwetting, constipation and soiling can have a devastating impact on a young person’s learning, development and well-being. For many sufferers their continence problem will be ‘chronic’ – meaning it could persist for many years or keep recurring. It’s an issue that will therefore commonly affect not just younger children, but also teenagers.
“A lack of awareness in schools and across education professionals, along with the stigma that still surrounds wee and poo, is affecting many young people’s school experience. This puts them at high risk of bullying and withdrawing from social situations. The school toilets issue needs to be addressed. We know this won’t be easy and the issue can’t be fixed overnight. We urge policymakers, schools, healthcare professionals, and everyone involved in supporting young people to join us on this journey of bringing about positive, transformational change.”
Alex Leach, Deputy Director of Programmes at Health Innovation West of England, said: “It has been such a privilege for us to be able to support this project, which empowered young people with lived experience of bladder and bowel control issues to better understand the needs of other young people and gave them a voice to call for change that can directly improve the lives of many young people across the country.
“An important part of our remit at the Health Innovation Network is to gain direct insights into the needs and challenges of people living with health conditions, allowing us to scan for potential solutions, stimulate innovation and new ways of working to improve outcomes for all.
“We are keen to help share the findings of this important research in the hope that solutions can be found, whether through policy change, additional funding, education and innovation to improve the experiences of young people and enhance dignity, wellbeing and health.”
Posted on February 4, 2025
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