Fury as pupils told they need chaperone to go to toilet during lessons

Fury as pupils told they need chaperone to go to toilet during lessons A school has brought in toilet chaperones for pupils after claiming youngsters were spending "excessive" amounts of time in the facilities and missing valuable learning time A school has introduced controversial new rules which will see pupils chaperoned to the toilet during certain lessons. Ebbw Fawr Learning Community introduced the measure after claiming youngsters were spending too much time in the toilets, leading to missed learning, while the facilities had also suffered “significant damage”. The new arrangement will only apply during two periods of the school day, the lesson immediately after break and the one following lunch. Pupils who ask to use the toilet during those lessons will have a member of the school’s pastoral team called to accompany them. Staff will not enter the toilets with youngsters but the move has worried some parents, with fears children could be left desperately waiting for someone to become available. One parent expressed their concerns with the policy, saying: “By the time they request and get a chaperone, the child could have had an accident. I don’t want anyone chaperoning my child to the toilet.” The school, based in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, Wales, has confirmed that youngsters are not being banned from using the toilet. Instead, pupils are being encouraged to go during break and lunchtime before returning to class, while teachers can continue to use their professional judgement outside the two affected lessons. Those with documented medical needs will also be exempt from the arrangements and can leave class whenever necessary using their existing pass. The changes were revealed to families in a letter sent on October 4, with the school saying it hoped the measures would “significantly reduce lost learning time”. Ebbw Fawr Learning Community is Wales’s first all-through maintained school, teaching children from the age of three through to 16. However, the new arrangements only apply to its secondary pupils. The letter also advised families to contact reception if they have safeguarding concerns and to arrange appointments in advance for other matters. A spokesperson for Ebbw Fawr Learning Community said: “After careful consideration we have introduced new arrangements in the secondary phase only. This is as a result of significant damage which has been caused to the toilet area and excessive time spent in the toilets, which results in students missing valuable learning time. "We have four pastoral managers on site who manage the chaperoning of students to the toilet – they do not go into the toilet area. “These arrangements are only in operation the lesson after break and the lesson after lunch, we encourage all learners to use the toilet before these lessons start. Any learner with documented medical issues has been issued with a pass and can leave the lesson whenever they need to use the toilet.”