EXCLUSIVE: TOILETGATE! STUDENT LOOS AT THE BAY SECONDARY LOCKED UP TO COMBAT VAPING PROBLEM

Students at Sandown’s The Bay Secondary returned to school earlier this month to find that floor-to-ceiling gates had been installed outside all student toilets, in a bid to combat vandalism and vaping.

Erected over the Summer holidays, the gates are locked throughout lesson times and only are opened at break and lunchtime. However, Island Echo understands that equates to just 1 hour of the 6-or-so-hour school day.

If the toilets need to be accessed during lesson times, students can obtain a purple lanyard from any member of staff which in turn allows them access to the corridors, to then acquire a key from Reception.

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Students are unable to use the facilities before or after school too, meaning those who travel to school on the school bus have to wait several hours before they have easy access to toilet facilities.

In the previous school year, several toilet blocks were refurbished, only to have these new gates installed ahead of this year.

The Bay Secondary has said the decision was made to combat issues of vandalism and vaping – such as an issue that saw 2 children taken ill back in February – that were experienced in the previous academic year.

Staff have also confirmed that parents/carers were contacted before the start of term and told about the changes.

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A spokesperson for The Bay Secondary School has told Island Echo:

“Last academic year saw some students using the toilet areas inappropriately and so we made the decision to proactively try and stop the vandalism and vaping that were causing some of our students some anxiety. Therefore we have had fitted over the summer holidays gates which will be locked during lesson times. This does not mean that children will not be able to use the toilet should they need to during lesson times and this was followed up in start of year assemblies with all children.

“All staff have purple lanyards to give to a student for a reason should they need to leave the lesson. The member of staff issues the student with a lanyard and they will need to go to Reception to collect the key for the toilet. They will need to leave their name at Reception so we can monitor the toilet usage and therefore support any student that needs it.

“The main toilets are opened at break and lunch times and, as per last year, supervised by staff.

“All parents and carers were contacted and informed before the start of term. We would like to note that no concerns have been raised by any parents or students. Should this not be the case we urge parents to continue to contact us as soon as possible to discuss. We also highlight at this time the right of every member of our school community to access toilets when needed”.

Speaking on the matter, Aydin Gumus, Isle of Wight Youth MP and The Bay Secondary student, has said:

“It’s hard to know whether students are in a school or a correctional facility. The idea that access to a toilet is now being framed as a privilege is, frankly, disgraceful. No one of sound mind and body would argue that going to the bathroom is anything other than a fundamental
need.

“And yet, the school insists on restricting this basic necessity, relying on a convoluted system where if students need to use the toilet, they must ask in front of the whole class for a special lanyard, which is given at their teacher’s discretion, take this to reception for a key, to then access a singular cubicle which has been reserved for the job – hardly a workable solution for a cohort of nearly 1,000 students. I mean this is literally the kind of thing you do in an escape room.

“For those with medical conditions, this system is nothing short of cruel, and has made their school lives a humiliating hell. A trek across the school, followed by an inevitable queue at reception, is not just inconvenient – it’s unrealistic and degrading. And let’s not pretend that these gates are putting an end to youth vaping. I have had many students come up to me and laugh, as they have continued to vape in the toilets, they just don’t share cubicles anymore. Students are still puffing away, just in solitude.

“The financial cost of this absurdity is equally baffling. Thousands of pounds were spent last year refurbishing 4 blocks of toilets, of which only half are actually used, and even they are to be locked away behind new, unnecessary gates. This, while many schools on the island struggle for basic funding, on the brink of forced closure.

“Why on Earth is it that a convicted criminal is receiving fairer treatment than your child? It’s time for The Bay to reconsider whether their own bureaucratic convenience should really come before the dignity and welfare of its students.

“But what do you think? Please do get in touch with me on my email, [email protected] I would love to hear your views.”