A UK school has found itself at the centre of a "human rights" storm after banning pupils from going to the bathroom during lessons.
Patchway Community School's draconian methods have left parents enraged, with one mum saying the Bristol facility has "failed” its students in terms of safeguarding.
Morning break, lunchtime or at the end of school are the only time pupils at the school can go to the toilet under the new measures.
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The Sun reported that riled up parents are now demanding a meeting with head teacher Dave Howe.
But the shcool, in the Almondsbury area of Bristol, said in a statement that the "measures have been taken in response to student and parent requests."
Law student Lucy Cox, whose 14-year-old daughter Katy goes to Patchway, told the Sun: “The school is depriving children of a basic human right and there are dozens of parents upset at the changes.
“Where else stops children from going to the toilet when they need to? It’s not only a right but it is also something which is a health concern with the school putting children’s health at risk from urinary tract infections."
An angry dad with a young daughter added that "even in prisons, it's a human right to be able to use the toilets.”
As part of the new arrangements five sets of gender-neutral toilets, with each one designated to a particular year group, have been opened as opposed to separate facilities per gender.
However, students will only be able to use the bathrooms in the allocated timeframe.
Lucy thinks the sheer number of students means that the fact that there are more bathrooms becomes redundant.
“How can a school with over 700 students be expected to use these five allocated bathrooms in that timeline? It is not possible," she said.
The mum-of-five even set up a Facebook page for angry Patchway parents to vent their frustrations at the school.
One message from a parent said: “My child in Year 7 told me last night that he was desperate for the toilet and he was on bursting point, they told him sorry we are not allowed to give out toilet passes at all in lessons.
“I think this is disgusting a child telling them he urgently needed to go and can’t wait and them not allowing him. "
The school pointed out that there are toilets in reception that are open all day "if urgent", but parents still think the other five toilets being locked still causes issues.
"The new measures ensure that toilet areas are safe and clean for all students to use throughout the school day," the school said in a statement.
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