Me and my Boys

Hi,

I started a thread yesterday about the fact that my boys' school doesn't provide soap in the toilets (though what's the betting the Teachers toilets have it?)

I named the thread "Anyone's kids go to Port Kennedy Primary? You might wanna read this then!" (Go take a look see if you haven't already!)

Anyhow, I was amazed how many parents commented about other schools that also failed to provide this basic item.

So I started this one not aimed just at Port Kennedy kids in the hope I can reach as many parents as possible. Like I said on other thread, it's surprising how many of us parents ASSUME that soap is provided and as has been proved on other thread, people reading it have questioned their kids and discovered they don't have it in their school either.

So wherever you may be residing in this wonderful country - just take a minute to ask your son/daughter if they have the luxury of washing their hands after a number 2 and warding off those 'worms' !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sara

OzzieNurse

I can understand them not having bars of soap as they can harbor billions of bacteria! Especially if someone has just had a number 2 and left some nasties behind! Thus the reason I wont use soap!
But to not have access to some sort of liquid soap or hand cleanser is totally ridiculous!
Maybe you could give your kids a small amount in a travel size bottle that they can clip onto a belt or something or put in their pockets? At least their hands would be clean.....

Louise M

They dont have soap in my daughters High School either or paper towels and the windows above the loos HAVE to be left open ALL THE TIME even when someone is doing their business.

Lou

Sam

ok

i am going to defend my school

i work in the pre-primary department and we supply either soap bars (not tied up in stockings) or liquid soap (well actually its one of the things the parents have to supply at the start of the school year),

We 1/4 fill the bottles for the pupils, for the pupils that like to play and waste the soap either myself or a collegue supervise the kids whilst washing their hands.

I have not yet known a day where the soap has not been there!

but in the UK, neither of my girls had soap in the loos at their school!

Sammy T

Pretty gross, eh?
But they don't have any at my daughter's school in the UK either, as whenever they refill it, kids just wash it all down the sink, why - god knows
And I have to say that many public loos in the UK are also awful, many are dirty, no soap,and theones that do, I don't see many people ever bothering to wash their hands, yuk!!
On the other hand, apart from a bush toilet (hole in the ground job) we found all toilets to be very clean and well stocked with soap, paper towels etc in Oz when we visited on holiday.
I shall be on the look out when we finally get over and visit schools.

Sammy

freckles1970

I am a teacher in the UK hoping to get out to OZ.

Teachers toilets often don't have soap either and sometimes don't get cleaned for weeks at a time, so I don't think it's just the kiddies that are suffering.

We had to make a big hoo hah about it at work and eventually the school backed down (they said it was saving money)....we then got liquid soaps in pump dispensers but within a week these were pinched!!!!! I now have a little bottle in my bag which i carry with me.

jensteve

This may explain why people here regulary dose their kids on worming meds! I was quite surprised when a parent told me that they get medicated quite often and thats just the way it is.
Jenny

Rob12paws

Enlighten me - where do the worms come into this....I think I must have lost the plot somewhere. I deplore the schools' lack of basic facilities for the kids to observe simple hand-washing, but I'm very puzzled as to how the worms got in on the thread.... (Sorry - no pun intended! )

mbike

We noticed that there was no soap in the toilets at our son's kindy so we bought a bottle of anti-bacterial and gave it to the teacher's assistant. The next class it had not been put out and hasn't appeared since. We have a parent's evening tomorrow so we'll bring it up there. Funny thing is, they sent around a letter saying how easily gastro seemed to be spreading in the school and how we had to make sure our kids remembered to wash their hands!

Mark

Maple Leaf

to it doesn't realy seem to matter if it is the UK Australia..or wherever....there should be soap provided in the toilets....and that is that....b it is odd that they attend pre-school where in my experience hand washing is a big thing and one that they realy push with the kids...then to think all that goes down the drain once they hit infants and primary schools...~and i will ask my SIL if her kids schools in NSW have it aswell!


may i suggest attending .P&C meetings...and try and get the ball rolling with it...even go to local newspapers...members of parlaiment...anything..to get something done about it.

i will be checking with my son when he starts school in about 3 weeks time here in Canada....as i must admit it was something i hadn't realy thought about and just assumed they would provide that in his schools.

one thing i will note here tho is..that i have noticed the standards in the public Facilities here in Canada are much better than many in Australia, nothing is perfect all the time..but at least there is 9/10 liquid soap and plenty of paper towelling etc........which is by far better than those blow air had driers....

jad n rich

OK you did ask Kid poops, wipes bottom, no hand washing facilites so worm eggs get under kids finger nails, goes back to class, joint activity, shares a book, eats lunch........... bingo your child has worms too.

jad n rich

Norovirus does its rounds of the schools time and time again:curse: little wonder with the lack of hand washing going on, it only takes one child to have norovirus and it can infect hundreds in the school, lovely:curse:

camacazi

Hi

i work in a primary school and they had to remove the soap from the toilets because they were messing with it and throwing it down the toilets!

each classroom has sinks and they were given soap and told they had to wash their hands in there after using the loo!!

but can you imagine their hands touching the door, then the stair rail etc etc!!

Stella340

Sorry but I also have to defend the schools (as a Primary Teacher myself).

Unfortunately in a lot of cases it's like the 'blame culture' gone mad again. It only takes a few children with allergies or eczema to have a reaction to the soap used in schools and then schools can be bombarded with complaints about which soap to use. Schools are on tight budgets anyway and things like non-perfumed, non-allergy soaps would be the first thing to go in favour of budget cheap soaps.

As also has been mentioned children can throw soap around (slips or falls as a result) and at my last school we had soap pump dispensers which were often pumped as hard as they could be to make a nice little mound of soap on the floor!

Obviously this doesn't happen in all schools but I thought I'd give you another viewpoint. Oh and the soap in my classroom and the staff toilet was bought by me out of my own pocket!

jad n rich

Soap is availble in shopping centres without any of the above problems, its also used in childcare centres where as far as I am aware its a health dept requirement.

The situation in schools is disgusting and probably yes its a budget (cant afford it) thing, I dont buy the allergy/slip thing at all, if they were worried about slipping running would be banned. I have a wheat allergy, one son does too, school has no problem with him being around sandwhices all day and nor do I, even at age 4 it was never a problem with the school, a child could just as easily be allergic to paint or glue as to soap and they are not banned.

Cost I think is the issue here.