Post by Jodi A. on Aug 12, 2011 16:41:49 GMT -6
PARENTS are alarmed that children at a primary school in Melbourne's east began wetting themselves after the school tested an approach that discouraged them from going to the toilet in class time.
In the Kew Primary School trial, which parents said was conducted without their knowledge, the entire class would go to the toilet if one child needed to go during a lesson.
One mother, who asked not to be named, said she first became aware of the trial when her child wet herself at the front door. ''I said, 'What happened? She said, 'I'm holding on, I didn't want the whole class to have to come with me to the toilet.' At first when she told me the rule I disbelieved her.''
Another mother took her high-achieving child to the doctor after she wet herself twice at home.
''She hasn't done this since she was three,'' the mother said. ''There was a kind of ripple effect where parents slowly became aware of changes in their children. Children were complaining of headaches, they were constipated, they weren't drinking water and were coming home with full drink bottles.''
A group of parents wrote to Kew Primary principal Kim Dray, expressing their concern about the trial and citing medical research about the impact of constipation on children.
In an email, obtained by The Age, Dr Dray said the ''whole class'' method of toilet break supervision was ''used successfully by some other schools'' and was being tested by some classes.
''Team leaders met at the end of last week to discuss the trialled approaches, and although you may find this surprising, some commented on a decrease in disruption to class lessons, especially in senior and specialist classes,'' she wrote.
The email said an ''unexpected and welcome consequence'' of the trials, had been a decrease in the ''long term and persistent problem of deliberate toilet vandalism''.
''Can I also relay something I cannot write in the publicly available newsletter: that this is the first week since I arrived at Kew Primary School that the assistant principal, teachers and I have not had to deal with … graffiti, toilets blocked with clothing, food or toilet paper rolls or faeces smeared on the walls or floor … as well as on door handles or used to write graffiti.''
Dr Dray wrote that she hoped this would ''signal the arrival of a new level of respect for the toilets in the school''.
Some parents became so concerned they wrote letters of complaint to Education Minister Martin Dixon and Education Department regional director Michael De'Ath.
They did not receive a response but last week were told by the school that it had decided to adopt an option where children went to the toilet in threes.
One parent said that while she was relieved the policy had changed, her child still said he only wanted to go to the toilet at home. ''It's such a psychological barrier; I don't know how long it takes for these things to be undone,'' she said. ''They are not acknowledging they have made a massive mistake that has terrorised our children.''
Child psychologist Louise Porter said the whole-class toilet trial was one of the most ludicrous things she had heard.
''I'm horrified by the lack of trust of children and the intrusion into their personal body functions,'' Dr Porter said. ''It's completely predictable it would lead to children refusing to go to the toilet and it would be disruptive to have 25 children wandering around the school.''
Dr Dray told The Age Kew Primary was a caring school and she would never implement a policy that distressed students. ''It's our priority … to ensure that students are supervised at all times as we exercise our duty of care,'' she said.
''As a result of a few students leaving the toilets in an untidy manner, staff decided to review the way students were supervised while visiting the toilet during class. We trialled three options with different classes over two weeks. One of those involved … a whole-of-class break for stretching as well as an opportunity for children to go to the toilet.''
Dr Dray said she had checked with teachers and was not aware of any child in the whole-class trial who was ''caught short or distressed''.
''Parents were kept informed during and after the trialling of various new arrangements in our newsletter, and feedback from staff, parents and students was fully considered.''
Dr Dray wrote that she hoped this would ''signal the arrival of a new level of respect for the toilets in the school''.
Some parents became so concerned they wrote letters of complaint to Education Minister Martin Dixon and Education Department regional director Michael De'Ath.
They did not receive a response but last week were told by the school that it had decided to adopt an option where children went to the toilet in threes.
One parent said that while she was relieved the policy had changed, her child still said he only wanted to go to the toilet at home. ''It's such a psychological barrier; I don't know how long it takes for these things to be undone,'' she said. ''They are not acknowledging they have made a massive mistake that has terrorised our children.''
Child psychologist Louise Porter said the whole-class toilet trial was one of the most ludicrous things she had heard.
''I'm horrified by the lack of trust of children and the intrusion into their personal body functions,'' Dr Porter said. ''It's completely predictable it would lead to children refusing to go to the toilet and it would be disruptive to have 25 children wandering around the school.''
Dr Dray told The Age Kew Primary was a caring school and she would never implement a policy that distressed students. ''It's our priority … to ensure that students are supervised at all times as we exercise our duty of care,'' she said.
''As a result of a few students leaving the toilets in an untidy manner, staff decided to review the way students were supervised while visiting the toilet during class. We trialled three options with different classes over two weeks. One of those involved … a whole-of-class break for stretching as well as an opportunity for children to go to the toilet.''
Dr Dray said she had checked with teachers and was not aware of any child in the whole-class trial who was ''caught short or distressed''.
''Parents were kept informed during and after the trialling of various new arrangements in our newsletter, and feedback from staff, parents and students was fully considered.''
www.fairfieldchampion.com.au/news/national/national/education/anger-at-victorian-school-toilet-trial/2256434.aspx?storypage=1
Wow!! What do you think? Admittedly, I have tried to encourage my kids to ensure they try to go to the toilet during standard breaks (lunch and recess), as do the teachers, but there is nothing to stop the kids requesting permission to go at any time if they need to!! Kids will be kids, and will often *forget* to go while they are busy playing and not reminded, and then will suddenly need to go once back in class. Is this policy really fair? And do you think it could be counter-productive and even damaging?
In the Kew Primary School trial, which parents said was conducted without their knowledge, the entire class would go to the toilet if one child needed to go during a lesson.
One mother, who asked not to be named, said she first became aware of the trial when her child wet herself at the front door. ''I said, 'What happened? She said, 'I'm holding on, I didn't want the whole class to have to come with me to the toilet.' At first when she told me the rule I disbelieved her.''
Another mother took her high-achieving child to the doctor after she wet herself twice at home.
''She hasn't done this since she was three,'' the mother said. ''There was a kind of ripple effect where parents slowly became aware of changes in their children. Children were complaining of headaches, they were constipated, they weren't drinking water and were coming home with full drink bottles.''
A group of parents wrote to Kew Primary principal Kim Dray, expressing their concern about the trial and citing medical research about the impact of constipation on children.
In an email, obtained by The Age, Dr Dray said the ''whole class'' method of toilet break supervision was ''used successfully by some other schools'' and was being tested by some classes.
''Team leaders met at the end of last week to discuss the trialled approaches, and although you may find this surprising, some commented on a decrease in disruption to class lessons, especially in senior and specialist classes,'' she wrote.
The email said an ''unexpected and welcome consequence'' of the trials, had been a decrease in the ''long term and persistent problem of deliberate toilet vandalism''.
''Can I also relay something I cannot write in the publicly available newsletter: that this is the first week since I arrived at Kew Primary School that the assistant principal, teachers and I have not had to deal with … graffiti, toilets blocked with clothing, food or toilet paper rolls or faeces smeared on the walls or floor … as well as on door handles or used to write graffiti.''
Dr Dray wrote that she hoped this would ''signal the arrival of a new level of respect for the toilets in the school''.
Some parents became so concerned they wrote letters of complaint to Education Minister Martin Dixon and Education Department regional director Michael De'Ath.
They did not receive a response but last week were told by the school that it had decided to adopt an option where children went to the toilet in threes.
One parent said that while she was relieved the policy had changed, her child still said he only wanted to go to the toilet at home. ''It's such a psychological barrier; I don't know how long it takes for these things to be undone,'' she said. ''They are not acknowledging they have made a massive mistake that has terrorised our children.''
Child psychologist Louise Porter said the whole-class toilet trial was one of the most ludicrous things she had heard.
''I'm horrified by the lack of trust of children and the intrusion into their personal body functions,'' Dr Porter said. ''It's completely predictable it would lead to children refusing to go to the toilet and it would be disruptive to have 25 children wandering around the school.''
Dr Dray told The Age Kew Primary was a caring school and she would never implement a policy that distressed students. ''It's our priority … to ensure that students are supervised at all times as we exercise our duty of care,'' she said.
''As a result of a few students leaving the toilets in an untidy manner, staff decided to review the way students were supervised while visiting the toilet during class. We trialled three options with different classes over two weeks. One of those involved … a whole-of-class break for stretching as well as an opportunity for children to go to the toilet.''
Dr Dray said she had checked with teachers and was not aware of any child in the whole-class trial who was ''caught short or distressed''.
''Parents were kept informed during and after the trialling of various new arrangements in our newsletter, and feedback from staff, parents and students was fully considered.''
Dr Dray wrote that she hoped this would ''signal the arrival of a new level of respect for the toilets in the school''.
Some parents became so concerned they wrote letters of complaint to Education Minister Martin Dixon and Education Department regional director Michael De'Ath.
They did not receive a response but last week were told by the school that it had decided to adopt an option where children went to the toilet in threes.
One parent said that while she was relieved the policy had changed, her child still said he only wanted to go to the toilet at home. ''It's such a psychological barrier; I don't know how long it takes for these things to be undone,'' she said. ''They are not acknowledging they have made a massive mistake that has terrorised our children.''
Child psychologist Louise Porter said the whole-class toilet trial was one of the most ludicrous things she had heard.
''I'm horrified by the lack of trust of children and the intrusion into their personal body functions,'' Dr Porter said. ''It's completely predictable it would lead to children refusing to go to the toilet and it would be disruptive to have 25 children wandering around the school.''
Dr Dray told The Age Kew Primary was a caring school and she would never implement a policy that distressed students. ''It's our priority … to ensure that students are supervised at all times as we exercise our duty of care,'' she said.
''As a result of a few students leaving the toilets in an untidy manner, staff decided to review the way students were supervised while visiting the toilet during class. We trialled three options with different classes over two weeks. One of those involved … a whole-of-class break for stretching as well as an opportunity for children to go to the toilet.''
Dr Dray said she had checked with teachers and was not aware of any child in the whole-class trial who was ''caught short or distressed''.
''Parents were kept informed during and after the trialling of various new arrangements in our newsletter, and feedback from staff, parents and students was fully considered.''
www.fairfieldchampion.com.au/news/national/national/education/anger-at-victorian-school-toilet-trial/2256434.aspx?storypage=1
Wow!! What do you think? Admittedly, I have tried to encourage my kids to ensure they try to go to the toilet during standard breaks (lunch and recess), as do the teachers, but there is nothing to stop the kids requesting permission to go at any time if they need to!! Kids will be kids, and will often *forget* to go while they are busy playing and not reminded, and then will suddenly need to go once back in class. Is this policy really fair? And do you think it could be counter-productive and even damaging?
