Highland Council have released the following statement this afternoon regarding the new toilets at Culloden Academy.
The new S1/S2 and S3/S4 toilets have been completed in line with the programme dates advised to the Stakeholder Group in June and communicated in end-of-term letters to pupils and parents. These improvements are necessary in order to provide additional, fit-for-purpose toilet facilities to address the pressures from the increased school roll.
There are similar facilities in place at Alness Academy, Wick High School, Inverness Royal Academy and Charleston Academy. These are in line with what is happening across Scotland – open plan / unisex facilities are generally being used in new-builds and refurbishments.
The new toilet cubicles and doors are full height and fully enclosed for improved security and privacy for pupils. The handwashing areas are open plan and can be easily supervised from the corridor. This approach provides greater flexibility in how the school makes use of the facility either now or in the future. It is widely considered that this model of toilet facility can contribute to positive pupil behaviour and reduce the potential for vandalism.
An Interim arrangement was put in place at the start of the new session until the S5/S6 toilets are completed, with the new toilet areas being unisex. Following feedback from pupils during the first week, this has been reviewed and the S1/S2 toilets are to be redesignated as boys’ toilets and the S3/S4 toilets as girls’ toilets with effect from Monday morning.
The plan is that these arrangements will continue after all the toilet improvements are complete, and the third new toilet area will be designated as unisex. However, there will be ongoing dialogue with pupils in the coming weeks.
If pupils have any particular concerns about the toilet facilities, they are encouraged to speak to their Guidance Teacher regarding this.