TEACHERS COMPLAIN OF POOR TOILETS, DAMP AND DIRTY BUILDINGS IN UK SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES – ATL SURVEY

18 March 2008

A third of teachers and lecturers complained about poor toilets for pupils in their schools in an Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey.

According to 31% of teachers pupils’ toilets were either poor or abysmal, and 43% rated them only satisfactory.

Staff toilets faired no better with one in four teachers rating them as either poor or abysmal. Teachers commented that there were few toilets, they were not kept clean and had to sometimes be shared with pupils.

Gillian Carroll, a secondary boys’ school teacher from Gloucestershire said: “Appalling facilities for female staff, very few toilets and no female cloakroom.”

Another concern among teachers was the lack of adequate supplies of drinking water. 32% of teachers said that their school did not have sufficient supplies

A primary school teacher from, Omagh, Northern Ireland said: “Drinking water is available by means of a tap in the classroom. However it’s difficult to manage individual drinks.”

Teachers also said wheelchair access was limited - 40% of teachers surveyed said their schools and colleges did not provide good access.

Ventilation in schools also raised concerns among teachers with over 40% saying that their school did not have good ventilation, and 28% said their schools and colleges suffer from damp.

Over half of teachers said the temperature in their schools and colleges was changeable, with less than one third saying it was about right.

A primary school teacher from Birmingham said: “Very difficult to have constant temperature in classrooms - poor heating system does not heat all of the building properly – whole wall of largely south-facing windows in virtually every classroom makes it extremely hot when the sun is out.”

Over half of respondents also felt that class rooms where not a suitable size for teaching – with the major complaint being they were too small. Smaller rooms for monitoring and tutoring also seemed in short supply - 80% of teachers said there were insufficient rooms.

Michelle Quinn from St Teresa’s Roman Catholic primary school, Lancashire said: “The building has absolutely no space for children who are withdrawn from lessons (to receive extra help) to work. They have to do phonics outside the classroom, which is embarrassing for Year 5s, with everyone walking past all the time. When the man comes in to do guitar lessons, he forces them to move and there is nowhere for them to go!”

Noise levels are affecting teaching and learning with over a third of teachers saying it caused problems for lessons.

Susan Willard from Balfour Junior School, Medway, Kent said: “An open plan design means that the daily noise level is stressful, and children are easily distracted by movements outside the classroom.”

ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said:  “Teachers and lecturers strive to give their pupils’ a good education – but to be able to this, the buildings in which they teach must be fit for purpose. We can’t stress enough that in order for teachers and children to teach and learn in an effective manner, school buildings need to be safe, clean, and inspiring. Grotty toilets, damp and dirty buildings are not the right places to make our children feel they and their education matter.”

For further information please contact the ATL press office on 0207 782 1589 or visit our website www.atl.org.uk.