Sussex school pupils protest over restricted toilet access

Pupils at two schools have held protests, with another planned at a third school

School pupils have protested over restricted access to toilets.

Protests have been held in Sussex at The Eastbourne Academy and The Hastings Academy, with another planned at Durrington High School.

The mother of a pupil at The Eastbourne Academy said female students have been asked to prove they were on their period in front of the class.

In a letter to parents, the headteacher said every decision had student safeguarding "at its very core".

Similar demonstrations have happened at schools across the UK.

Pupils protested outside The Farnley Academy, Leeds, on Monday

Lucy Winder, whose daughter attends The Eastbourne Academy, said children have been forced to choose between having lunch or going to the toilet.

"If they go to the toilet and then go and get their lunch, there's nothing left. But if they go to lunch and then the toilet, the queue is so long they often don't get to the end of it before the next lesson," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

She also said girls have been asked provide teachers with sanitary products to prove they are on their period.

"That is horrendous," she said, adding: "Girls at that age, you can imagine how embarrassed they are."

All three schools have been approached for comment.

In a letter to parents, The Eastbourne Academy headteacher Dan Wynne Willson said: "Every decision that is made at the school has the students' safeguarding at its very core.

"Some rules are in place due to a number of students who make the school feel unsafe for others and/or cause damage to school property."

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