Please sir,may I be excused?
June 1st 2010

The BCC's Peter Carrol gives the lowdown on schools' responses to student toilet satisfactionIn the glossy induction brochures schools use to attract the parents of potential pupils, one would typically find photos of a new IT lounge or sports facilities taking up much of the space. But, according to recent surveys, this does not reflect the priorities of the students, who often have more fundamental things on their mind.

The Responsive College Unit (RCU), which has carried out 800,000 interviews over the past two years to assess student satisfaction, has found that many pupils eschewed the predictable targets of sophisticated teaching methods and specialised learning facilities, instead placing the school's toilet facilities at the top of their lists.

The studies, carried out as part of a government-led drive to improve standards in education, came with a blunt conclusion: If basic facilities are poor, the reputation of the entire establishment goes down with it.

Although revamping the loos will probably never be the top priority for every institution, the results from the RCU have not gone unnoticed in all quarters. Jennifer Corbett, a teacher in an East London secondary school, believes that schools should look beyond the more glamorous projects when considering how to allocate resources:"Building an environment where students feel respected and valued is absolutely crucial. By creating decent toilet facilities that contribute to a pleasant working environment, I think we will see students sense they are of value to the institution." Corbett now hopes that her school will take steps towards improving its facilities so that they are more attuned to student's priorities. Once their facilities have been improved to the required standard, she thinks that the real challenge then,"is to keep them that way, there is no room for complacency and reputations are easy to lose but difficult to recover." Further studies from the RCU throws up an additional problem, its evidence suggesting that about two years after refurbishment student satisfaction figures dip sharply as newcomers take the high-standards for granted.Corbett responds: "Our students deserve the best level of service we are able to provide, both in terms of their education and the school environment. I am sure they would quickly notice if the standard of their facilities slipped, but conversely, they probably would not talk about the toilets even if they think they are excellent. It's an understated, often unspoken priority for many, but I believe it is very important".

At the end of the school day, it all comes down to one simple question that officials must ask themselves."What do our students want?"A good place to start, it would appear, is the toilets.

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