For many pupils, the school day is measured in lessons, friendships, and achievements. For others, it is shaped by anxiety, particularly around something most adults take for granted: using the toilet.
Toilet phobia in schools is a widespread and well‑evidenced issue in the UK, with significant implications for pupil health, wellbeing, and educational outcomes. Despite this, the role of the physical washroom environment is often overlooked. At Dunhams Washrooms, we believe washroom design must form part of any serious conversation about pupil wellbeing.
67 percent of pupils actively avoid using school toilets
York St John University
How Common Is Toilet Avoidance in UK Schools?
Recent UK research paints a stark picture. Studies conducted by York St John University found that 67 percent of pupils actively avoid using school toilets, citing fears about cleanliness, privacy, and safety. Parent surveys connected to the same research showed that 50 percent of parents reported their child avoids drinking at school in order to avoid using the toilets.
Data from ERIC, the Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity, indicates that nearly one in four children are scared to use school toilets, while over a third avoid drinking water during the school day to reduce the need to go. These behaviours are not limited to children with medical conditions. ERIC’s research shows the issue effects the general school population, not just those with diagnosed bladder or bowel conditions.
The Parentkind State of School Toilets Report 2025 further found that 11 percent of children have asked to miss school due to worries about using the toilets, and 42 percent of parents believe poor toilets negatively affect their child’s concentration in class.
What Is Toilet Phobia in a School Context?
In schools, toilet phobia often manifests as fear or avoidance caused by:
- Lack of privacy in cubicles
- Bullying or intimidating behaviour
- Dirty or poorly maintained facilities
- Broken locks or damaged doors
- Overcrowding and unsupervised spaces
- Sensory overload from noise, lighting, or echoes
A 2026 systematic review of international and UK studies found that poor cleanliness, lack of privacy, and perceived lack of safety are the most consistent barriers to school toilet use, with avoidance linked to urinary issues, gastrointestinal problems, dehydration, anxiety, and reduced academic engagement.
The Impact on Health, Wellbeing, and Learning
Toilet avoidance has real and measurable consequences. Research commissioned by Essity and carried out by YouGov found that 22 percent of UK pupils deliberately avoid drinking during school, while 9 percent avoid eating, due to concerns about toilets. Among pupils who restrict intake, over 30 percent report headaches and difficulty concentrating during lessons.
For younger pupils, teachers report children wetting or soiling themselves rather than using school toilets, particularly where privacy is poor or facilities feel unsafe. Over time, these experiences can seriously affect confidence, attendance, and emotional wellbeing.
22 percent of UK pupils deliberately avoid drinking during school, while 9 percent avoid eating, due to concerns about toilets
Essity
Why Washroom Design Matters
From our experience working with schools across the UK, children are acutely sensitive to their environment. In washrooms, small design details can have a disproportionately large impact.
Common design issues that contribute to toilet anxiety include:
- Low or poorly specified cubicle doors
- Gaps at hinges and panels that compromise privacy
- Inadequate sightline control
- Cold, echoing, institutional spaces
- Fixtures that are frequently broken or vandalised
When pupils feel they can be seen, overheard, or interrupted, washrooms stop feeling private. Privacy is fundamental to dignity.
Beyond Compliance
Most schools meet minimum regulatory standards. However, meeting standards is not the same as meeting pupils’ needs.
Evidence from UK qualitative research shows that pupils judge the safety and trustworthiness of washrooms based on signals of care, maintenance, and privacy. Broken locks, damaged doors, or poorly maintained cubicles quickly signal that the space is not protected, and that pupils themselves may not be either.
High‑privacy washroom systems, robust materials, and careful layout design can help reduce fear, minimise misuse, and encourage appropriate use without relying solely on supervision or restrictive policies.
Supporting SEND and Vulnerable Pupils
Toilet anxiety is particularly pronounced among pupils with SEND, including those with autism, anxiety disorders, or sensory sensitivities. Academic research highlights how unpredictable noise, visual exposure, and crowding can act as significant barriers to independent toilet use for these groups.
Design approaches such as:
- Full‑height cubicles
- Reduced visual and auditory stimuli
- Single‑occupancy or quiet-use facilities
- Consistent layouts across school buildings
can make a substantial difference to inclusion and independence.
Washrooms should be viewed as part of a school’s duty of care, not as secondary or purely functional spaces.
Designing for Dignity
UK evidence is clear. Toilet avoidance is widespread, harmful, and often silent. While education, policy, and pastoral support all play important roles, the physical environment must not be ignored.
Thoughtful washroom design can reduce anxiety, support inclusion, and protect dignity. When washrooms feel safe, clean, and private, pupils are far more likely to use them without fear.
What About the Funding Reality Schools Face?
It is important to acknowledge a difficult truth. Most schools know their toilets are part of the problem, but do not have the capital funding to fully replace them.
Washroom improvements often sit in an uncomfortable gap between maintenance budgets, capital bids, and wellbeing priorities. In a sector under sustained financial pressure, toilets can struggle to compete with classroom repairs, staffing needs, or urgent compliance work.
Recognising this reality is essential. The conversation cannot start and end with “schools should invest more”.
Designing for Whole‑Life Value
When budgets are limited, it becomes even more important that any investment lasts. Cheap fixes that fail repeatedly often cost more over time, both financially and emotionally, than more robust solutions specified carefully.
Durable, education‑appropriate washroom systems can help schools reduce:
- Ongoing reactive maintenance
- Repeated closures of facilities
- Gradual decline that leads to renewed avoidance
In constrained financial environments, whole‑life value matters more than lowest upfront cost.
Accepting the Cost of Inaction
Perhaps the hardest point to acknowledge is that doing nothing also has a cost.
Where washrooms are avoided, schools often absorb the impact elsewhere through:
- Pastoral and SEND support
- Behaviour management
- Health complaints
- Attendance challenges
These pressures are real, even if they do not appear on a capital spreadsheet.
Washrooms may not be the easiest spaces to fund. But they remain some of the most important.
At Dunhams, we believe that good washroom design is not just about regulation. It is about creating environments where children feel safe enough to focus on learning.
Good washrooms support wellbeing.
Wellbeing supports education.
Get in touch with our team today to find out who we can help you create a safer washroom space.
