Planning to refurbish your school toilets is not like re-doing any other kind of bathroom. Children and young people have different needs and requirements. There are a range of guidelines and regulations that schools need to abide by to stay compliant. However, there are also a number of other considerations you need to make. School toilets need to take into account hygiene, privacy, comfort, and more.
How you decide to set up primary school toilets is dependent on all the factors above and more. However, it is important to ensure that the school washroom is safe to use for everyone and yet it is aesthetically pleasing. Thus you may need to go beyond low-quality and often cheap toilet cubicle fittings.
Make the most of your school toilet refurbishment with Cubicle Warehouse’s handy guide to styles, regulations, and more.
Toilet Cubicles and Facilities
The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is the UK Government’s plan for the standards of future school facilities. It takes into account the best practice guidelines for the new standard specifications, layouts, and dimensions to which newly constructed school buildings need to adhere to.
The BSF initiative is a good standard to stick to for both new and refurbished bathrooms – taking into account features such as how many toilet cubicles are needed in particular spaces – and for particular age groups. A good basic guideline is:
Age No. of Toilets No. of Washbasins
Under 5 1 for every 10 pupils 1 per toilet
5-11 1 for every 20 pupils 1 per toilet
11+ 1 for every 20 pupils 1 per toilet,
To learn more about this, check out our ‘How to Plan School Toilets’ blog post.
Planning and Configuring
The layout of toilet cubicles within a school bathroom can help to change behaviours, and to improve comfort and accessibility. Rather than long central blocks, toilet cubicles should be laid out in multiple smaller blocks. This helps to:
- Discourage negative behaviour
- Decrease the amount of time pupils spend in toilets
- Reduce cleaning and maintenance disruption.
Anti-social behaviour and bullying are more likely when larger groups of children are able to congregate unsupervised. Changing the design of school toilets can make it easier to maintain order and promote better behaviour.
In addition, cubicles made from durable materials such as stainless steel ensures that the hardware can stand up to the daily abuse it may be put through. Stainless steel brackets, coupled with aluminium and other materials, ensure that the cubicles you install last for years.
When Should I refurbish School Toilets?
Traditionally, schools have used the lengthy summer holidays to refurbish their school toilets. This may seem as if it is the perfect time. After all, there is much lower footfall, and it may be easier for fitters and staff to get around the school. However, this is not the only time of year that is appropriate to refurbish school bathrooms. Skilled fitters can complete a refurbishment throughout the year, meaning if it is inconvenient to use the summer holidays, we can still complete a refurb.
How Often do I Need to Refurbish my School’s Toilets?
Schools need to replace and refit their bathrooms and toilet cubicles on a periodic basis. How often this is done depends on your school – particularly the number of pupils who regularly use the bathroom. However, a good general rule is 10-15 years between refurbishments.
It is worth noting that cubicles that use metal parts such as satin anodised aluminium tend to last longer and look better. However, equally important is that the fitting is done correctly.
What Trends in School Toilet Design Should I Know About?
Schools do not tend to be as driven by trends as, for example, domestic interior design is. However, that does not mean that schools are immune from trends in design and layout. One of these trends is for unisex school toilets. Unisex toilets need to prioritise privacy and safety. This particularly means that toilet cubicles need to be full height and fully enclosed.
School toilet cubicles can also be much more colourful than they have been in the past.
Cubicle Warehouse offers a range of brightly coloured cubicles which are perfect for schools. Our modesty screens also come in a variety of colours to match.
