Welsh School Changes Toilet Chaperone Plan After Pupil Meeting

Ebbw Fawr Learning Community, a school in Blaenau Gwent, has introduced toilet chaperones for its pupils. According to BBC News, the school made the change after it faced costly vandalism and too much time spent out of lessons.

The school said vandalism by a small minority of pupils has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage in recent months. Pupils who spend a long time out of class can also miss learning time, which the school wanted to reduce.

At first, parents were told that all secondary-age pupils who asked to use the toilet during a lesson would be escorted. Molly Fenton, a 24-year-old from Cardiff, is the founder of the Love Your Period campaign, and she said the policy could put students at risk.

After meeting with 50 pupil representatives, the school changed its plan. It said the policy would now only apply to pupils on stage three of the behaviour policy or to persistent late attenders.

The school also said the escort arrangements apply to lessons either side of the lunch break.

The Welsh government said that councils set a school's toilet policies. It also said that toilets must be accessible to all learners throughout the school day.