Poppy Bilderbeck
A school has come under fire from parents over its strict rules on when students can go to the loo.
When a kid's got to wee, a kid's got to wee, yet a school in Plymouth has introduced restrictions on when its students are allowed to visit the bathroom.
And children's right to pee at Marine Academy Plymouth is subsequently having to be bought for a fee by parents.
In order for children to be able to visit the loo during lesson times, they require a doctor's note which can, in turn, get them a 'toilet pass' from the school.
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However, the doctor's note costs £22 and has been reported by parents as still not providing an adequate solution.
Even if a child has a toilet pass, they're still not able to go to the bathroom whenever they please as have to wait for the teacher's permission.
Parents have been left outraged, with one even having branded the school as 'inhumane'.
The policy has been branded as 'inhumane' by parent Carole Courage.
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Courage's 12-year-old daughter has allegedly even developed urinary tract infections (UTIs) as a result of several incidents which saw teachers prevent her from going to the loo.
"It's a human right to go to the toilet," the mother stated.
One parent has claimed their child was given a detention when he went to the loo without permission.
"He said he would have an accident if he didn't go straight away. Also not impressed, the teacher allowed two other girl students to use the toilet and refused my son," they said.
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The parent has since made a formal complaint.
The situation has reportedly got so bad that another 12-year-old student, who also suffers from UTIs, 'doesn't want to go to school'.
"It’s a nightmare because the biggest thing on her mind is not being able to use the toilets while she has the infection," Shepard and Trevor Joyce said.
The parents resolved the rule is 'horrendous' with others echoing similar thoughts on social media.
"How are they meant to concentrate on learning if they are needing the bathroom? Then girls having periods, could leak through underwear and then having to go home to wash and change - this actually happened a few times to my daughter.
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"The rules in Marine Academy are getting worse, it’s like a nazi prison camp and yes I’m speaking as a parent who sent two children there," one parent argued.
Principal of MAP, Leigh Withers, urged that 'as in all schools' the 'welfare and safety of [its] students is always [the school's] first priority'.
She continued: "Students can use the toilet at the start of day, break time, between lesson transition, lunchtime and after school.
"If there is a medical necessity to use the toilet at other times we discuss each case with parents to ensure the best support plan is in place and this may include a toilet pass. Also we do not have unisex toilets."
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The principal went on to note that it's 'a testament to the excellent education and care students receive here at Marine Academy' that the school is about to welcome its 'largest ever cohort of Year 7s'.
She concluded: "As a school we have had to expand our allowed number of entries to fit the demand of parents who seek a school with high expectations, an academic focus and the clarity of vision which at its heart, states that every child who joins Marine Academy should have the opportunity to go to university when they leave.
"This year Marine Academy will see 80 per cent of its Year 13s moving on to University and the school will celebrate its greatest ever GCSE results that are likely to see it as one of the highest performing schools in the entire South West."
LADbible has contacted Marine Academy Plymouth for comment.