Mixed Sex Toilets for Pupils
Dear Bedford Academy,
This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act. Please disclose the following:
Do you have mixed sex (also known as unisex or gender neutral) toilets for pupils? Yes/No
If yes, please:
1. list location of toilet blocks and disclose for each toilet block:
2. number of mixed sex toilets with shared handwashing facilities
3. number of mixed sex toilets with self-contained hand washing in each toilet
4. number of toilets in separate girls toilet blocks
5. number of toilets and number of urinals in separate boys toilet blocks
For stand alone separate single mixed sex (also known as unisex or gender neutral) toilets for student use, please disclose the:
6. number of stand alone accessible toilets on site
7. number of stand alone toilets on site, not fitted out for accessible use
Please provide the following information:
8. current policies or rules on use of toilets
9. documents/reports presented to the governing body on:
1. converting single sex toilets to mixed sex toilets, and
2. discipline problems relating to use of pupil toilets.
10. Have you reported any sexual assaults to the police 2021 to date?
Yes/No
11. If yes, please state year, and location(s) of the alleged sexual assault(s).
12. For new build and converted mixed sex (also known as unisex or gender neutral) toilets in your school, please disclose:
1. Risk assessments
2. equality impact assessments
13. For converted toilets, date(s) of conversion and cost of work
Time limit: You should regard the 20 working day limit for answering FOIs as a ‘long stop’, in other words the latest possible date on which you may issue a response (ICO guidance on time limits in FOIA Section 10).
Excessive costs: If this request needs refining to make it possible for you to comply without incurring excessive costs (FOIA Section 12), consider ways in which you can help me to refine my request so you can answer without exceeding the appropriate limit. Please let me know as soon as possible, so you will be able to make the disclosures promptly, within the Section 10 time limit.
Redactions:
Please ensure that where you deem it necessary under s.40 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to redact personal data or any other information, please redact the minimum necessary (eg redact an individual’s name not their organisation in email addresses) and send me the rest of the material, explaining the legal grounds for each redaction.
Accessibility
If the information is already published, please provide the link to the document and let me know the relevant page number or agenda item.
Please acknowledge receipt of this request.
Many thanks for your assistance.
Yours faithfully,
Pat Kokot
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act. Bedford Academy's responses are:
We only have Accessible Toilets that are not gender specific, these should only be used by staff and students with a requirement to use them due to a temporary or permanent disability.
1. Location of toilet blocks, each block consists of a girl’s toilet block, a boy’s toilet block and 1 Accessible toilet.
Arts & Sports Ground Floor
Arts & Sports 1st Floor
Communications Ground Floor
Communications 1st Floor
Humanities Ground Floor
Humanities 1st Floor
Maths & Computing Ground Floor
Maths & Computing 1st Floor
Science & Technology 2nd Floor
Kitchen – Catering Staff Only single toilet
There are Stand-alone Accessible toilets also located in Science and Technology, Atrium, Drama Corridor, 1 x male and 1 x female in Maths & Computing Ground floor (in addition to the main block) 1 x Wet-room in Arts & Sports Ground floor, 1 x Hygiene Room (locked).
2. None
3. Only Accessible Toilets, these are used by all staff and only students with a temporary or permanent disability.
4. There are four cubicles in each of the girl’s toilet blocks, except in Arts & Sports Ground floor, where there are two cubicles adjacent to the changing rooms.
5. There are four cubicles in each of the boy’s toilet blocks, except in Arts & Sports Ground Floor, where there are two cubicles adjacent to the changing rooms and in Science and Technology, where there ae only three cubicles. There are no urinals in the school.
6. There is a total of 16 Accessible Toilets and the Hygiene Room (however this room is kept locked).
7. There is 1 Stand-alone standard toilet in the kitchen area, that is only used by Catering Staff.
8. None
9. N/A
10. Yes
11. Sexual assaults reported in 2021:
8 incidents were reported, of these 5 were reported to the Police, 1 was reported to other relevant Professionals and 2 chose not to contact the police. 3 incidents occurred in school and 5 happened outside of school
Sexual assaults reported in 2022:
13 incidents were reported, of these, 9 were in school, 4 were outside of school and BA reported 7 to the Police. In cases that were not reported to the police, students and parents were made aware of the option to report the incident themselves or the Education and Diversion Team were offered to see the students
Sexual assaults reported in 2023:
18 incidents were reported. Of these, BA reported 9 to the Police and 1 was reported to the Social worker to explore further and the remining parents were given the option of reporting to the police but spoke to their children and chose not to. It is worth noting that a number of these incidents were considered less severe, such as a student raising they had been patted on their bottom. These incidents were all dealt with in school. Of the 18, 12 of these happened in school and 6 happened in the local community
Sexual Assaults reported in 2024-present:
To the end of May we had 5 incidents of which 4 were reported to the police. 4 took place in school and 1 outside of school.
*Reported to the police may mean reporting via 101 as a criminal offence or referring to the Police Education and Diversion Officers
12. N/A
13. N/A
Kind regards,
Lisa Archer
Chief Operating Officer & Data Protection Officer
HEART Academies Trust
Dear Lisa,
Many thanks for the timely response. This is very helpful.
Could I ask for further detail on question 11 which asks where the assaults took place, and which is referring to the location within the school.
Yours sincerely,
Pat
Good afternoon Pat,
Apologies for the delay but it took a little time to go back through the files.
As requested, please find additional information relating to Question 11
Location of incidents in school:
2024- all 4 took place in lessons.
2023-2 in changing rooms, 5 around the building, 5 were in lessons
2022- 4 in lessons, 2 in corridors, 2 in toilets and one just outside the school gates
2021- 2 in lessons and one in the toilet
Kind regards,
Lisa
Lisa Archer
Chief Operating Officer
Extn: 502
Direct Dial: 01234 674284
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