Wiltshire head teacher defends locking school toilets

One head teacher said having pupils asking to go to the toilet within minutes of a lesson starting was "massively disruptive"

A Wiltshire head teacher has defended locking toilets during lesson time.

Anita Ellis said letting pupils go to the toilet within minutes of a lesson starting can be "massively disruptive".

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy is one of many schools across the UK following the practice as it also sees a rise in vandalism and vaping during lessons.

But a charity has called for the government to look again at how schools decide rules around pupils' access to toilets.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wiltshire, Ms Ellis said: "If you can imagine a class of 30, every student after a few minutes asks to go to the toilet then learning is stagnating.

"The learning does stop and so it is massively disruptive."

She said the policy was about "protecting the students".

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And while they do have a right to go to the toilet, in an "ideal world they would be able to go to the toilet whenever they wanted to", she added.

"We do have to consider the safety but also the learning of all children."

The rules mean that pupils are free to use toilets before and after school and during lunch and breaks.

They can still be used during lessons but this is decided on a case-by-case basis and there are some exceptions for students with medical passes.

However, the move has not been universally popular.

Bowel and bladder charity Eric has called for the government to look again at how schools decide rules around access to toilets.

The Department for Education said all schools "should have arrangements in place to allow pupils to use toilet facilities when they need them".

A spokesperson said it also backs head teachers to have rules to manage pupil behaviour.