The School Design Guide document SDG 02-06 Sanitary Facilities published by my Department’s Planning & Building Unit provides guidance on the provision of sanitary facilities in all new primary and post-primary schools. It includes the following provisions:
‘All sanitary facilities are to be designed with the physical and emotional safety of pupils in mind, to promote inclusivity and in order to remove the risk of bullying in the school environment. Toilets, corridors, cloakrooms, locker areas, changing rooms and showers may be the location of verbal, psychological and physical bullying. The behaviour of pupils in those areas requires careful monitoring through passive supervision’.
‘The location, design and layout of sanitary facilities must balance the requirement for passive supervision of sanitary facilities from circulation spaces with the dignity and privacy requirements of each user. Well-designed and well-managed sanitary facilities create cleaner, healthier spaces and are capable of being used, cleaned and maintained in a way that ensures safety and dignity of pupils and staff’.
‘The operation of sanitary facilities is a matter for each school authority. As such, early discussion in the design process between the Design Team and the School Authority in relation to the arrangement and layout of sanitary facilities is required’.
The decision in relation to the identification, allocation, wayfinding or signage of the toilet facilities in every school is based on detailed conversations between the school authority and the design team at the earliest stage, and in compliance with the recommendations of SDG-02-06 as well as the requirements of the Building Regulations. The decisions relating to the identification of sanitary facilities will be based on the ethos and values of each individual school, agreed between design teams and the school authority at the outset of the design process. In every case, all options relating to the identification of sanitary facilities, gender specific or not, remain open to each school authority as is specified in legislation.
As such, SDG-02-06 satisfies entirely the requirements of all applicable legislative requirements in relation to the prevention of discrimination in our schools and does so through a spirit of partnership with each school authority.
In addition, Universal Accessible Toilets are provided in schools in accordance with Part M of the Building Regulations and these are individual toilets designed to be self-contained units and therefore can be used by wheelchair users of all genders.
The guidance also includes classroom layouts for toilet facilities in primary schools with two ambulant disabled WCs provided en-suite to each classroom. These sanitary facilities are separated from the teaching space by a full height wall/partition with no gaps to the top or bottom, and a self-closing door. Alternate arrangements for the location of WC facilities in primary schools, such as those accessed directly from circulation areas, may also be considered.
In the case of the specific school referenced in the Deputy’s question, Lismullen National School, Navan. This new primary school project is currently at construction stage and includes the provision of the standard two ambulant disabled WCs en-suite to each classroom.
The guidance for post-primary schools includes suggested room layouts for toilet facilities with the wash hand basins located in an area, directly off and open to the circulation space facilitating better supervision. All cubicle spaces containing WCs are designed as self-contained spaces with robust full-height separating walls and access doors.
Student sanitary facilities in post-primary schools should be arranged in small blocks, not in a large central block. Small blocks increase the opportunity for passive supervision, discourage anti-social behaviour, reduce disruption caused by cleaning and maintenance, and cut down curriculum time lost through pupils visiting sanitary facilities during lessons.
