Parents protest over Stoke-on-Trent school 'toilet ban'

Parents who say a school has banned pupils from using toilets during lesson times have been protesting at the site.

About 150 people including children gathered at Discovery Academy in Stoke-on-Trent on Monday, with some holding placards with pleas to use facilities.

One mother told the BBC her son asked twice to go to the toilet on Friday and was "totally refused by the teacher".

The school's trust said it was taking concerns seriously and any child who needed the toilet could use one.

BBC Radio Stoke said a crowd began forming at 09:00 GMT, with some children remaining once lessons began.

Simon French, head of Alpha Academies Trust, added he would be listening to parents and carers' concerns at drop-in sessions and would also be hearing from school leaders.

He said the school had looked at closing some toilets during lessons to keep them in a "good state" for breaktimes, and while the school would prefer toilet visits to be between lessons, there would be toilets accessible throughout the day.

The message, he said, was that any child who needed to "can go to the toilet".

Of the protest, he added: "I went out there and saw some of the placards and that message, with some of our parents, has not got through."

He explained: "I think what the school is doing, and I would support this, is that we do want to encourage children to go to toilet between lesson times or at lunch and break.

"Some children might use the point of going to the toilet as a reason to get out of class and that's having a negative impact on their education and we just want to avoid that."

The trust said it was saddened communication with some parents and carers had broken down and wanted to rebuild it.

"It's important we can speak to parents as partners and move forward together," Mr French explained.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]