Parents outraged as English school removes wall from girls' bathroom

A school in Merseyside has removed the wall between its girls' bathrooms and the halls, exposing the cubicles to other students and staff.

St Mary's Catholic College in Wallasey knocked down the partition in a bid to prevent bullying and students skipping class.

Parents are now keeping their children from attending school because it makes their daughters feel "scared and unsafe", according to the Independent. The school is open to students aged between 11 and 19. It is not governed by any local authority.

One of the parents, Tara Hodgson Jones, told the Independent that she would be keeping her daughter at home until the bathrooms were repaired. "My sister and neighbours are doing the same with their daughters," Hodgson Jones said. "Apparently they are starting on the boys toilets next week, so I'll be keeping my son off too if they do the same.

"My daughter told me about it on Thursday (18 January) but I thought she was making a big deal over nothing until I saw it for myself. If the problem is bullying, smoking and skipping class they could have approached it in so many other ways. My daughter feels scared and unsafe - it's shocking."

Hodgson Jones' daughter is in Year 11 and her son is in Year 9.

The parent of a Year 10 student told the Liverpool Echo that she was not given any information about the wall being knocked down. "My daughter told me all the girls feel as though they have no privacy and don't feel comfortable to use the toilet during school any more," the parent said.

"I didn't know anything about the new toilets until she came home yesterday - she said she won't use them so if needs be I will say that she needs to go home at lunchtime next week to go to the toilet."

Photos were first revealed on the Wallasey Gossip Facebook group, which is private.