Headteacher suspends 47 pupils over Tiktok protest against ban on going to the toilet during lessons

A headteacher has suspended 47 students at a school in Chesterfield after they staged a protest against rules stopping them from using the toilet during lessons. 

Dozens of students at Parkside Community School turned out for a mass demonstration on March 3, waving placards and chanting as they marched around the school grounds for an hour and a half. 

Some school entrances were locked shut and pupils not involved in the protest stayed into the school in a bid to prevent the protest from spilling into the building. 

Parents were informed before lunchtime that day the children who took part in the protest had been excluded for five days. 

The rules came into force over a year ago, but the school has said its policy on toilet use has ‘not changed this year.’ 

The protest has been planned for some time, but students only recently agreed on a date. When rumours of the planned demonstration reached teachers, they attempted to soften the situation by hosting assemblies and speaking to pupils. 

Students were pictured waving placards and chanting as they marched around the school grounds for an hour and a half

Dozens of students at Parkside Community School turned out for a mass demonstration on March 3

But last Friday, dozens of students opted not to attend lessons and staged the protest instead. 

One student, who had attended registration before the protest, decided to join in after being denied access to the toilet. 

‘We’ve wanted to do it for quite a while,’ they said. ‘I don’t think it’s right whatsoever for girls to be isolated in the classroom when they’re on their period. 

‘We want to protect future generations because these rules make kids feel uncomfortable and might mean that some people don’t want to attend school.

‘They weren’t listening to us. We don’t think we got enough recognition. It’s really annoyed me and wound me up. Suspending us is pointless. We should be heard.’

Similar protests in schools around the country, allegedly influenced by TikTok videos, have made recently made headlines. Parkside students have said they were not aware of these videos, and their protest was arranged independently of any others. 

Ben Riggott, headteacher at Parkside Community School, said: ‘Last Friday a group of around 40 pupils decided not to attend lessons. They moved around the school site in a way that disrupted learning for the rest of the school. 

‘After around an hour and a half some pupils decided to end their protest and others left the school site. Those involved throughout the protest were suspended.

‘We understand the students were protesting about arrangements for access to toilets while in lessons. Our policy for some time has been that during lesson times students should not leave to use the toilet, unless they have a medical need to use the toilet more often or in an emergency situation.

‘We have had issues over recent years with a small number of pupils constantly wanting to go to the toilet during lessons, which is disruptive for the rest of the class. We have also experienced students ‘hiding’ in toilets and not attending lessons. 

‘Like all schools we have regular breaks so there are plenty of opportunities for students to use the toilet out of lesson times.

‘I was very disappointed by the actions of these individuals last week. We work incredibly hard as a school to support our pupils to be successful and to act as responsible young people.

‘There are plenty of established ways for students to raise issues with the school rather than protest in the way they did. We have achieved considerable success, leading to the vast majority of pupils achieving well beyond expectations and progressing to exciting next steps in their lives after leaving Parkside.’