“Supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergy” (DfE, 2026)
The consultation period for the long awaited update to the 2014 statutory guidance has now closed.
Having reviewed the draft March 2026 DfE document, it is heartening to see that bladder and bowel conditions are clearly referenced. It recognises that:
“These conditions can have a devastating impact on a child’s learning, development and wellbeing. Children and young people with continence issues are at high risk of bullying and withdrawing from social situations. Most suffer embarrassment and stigma. Furthermore, continence difficulties may also be associated with behavioural or psychological problems, poor self-image and peer victimisation.”
Bladder and bowel (Continence) conditions are included in a list of ‘common or significant conditions’ from p.45 onwards. The content references the concern that an estimated 1.5 million children in the UK are impacted by continence problems and points out that:
“Children spend a significant proportion of their day at school, college or early years. Education settings need to manage continence issues effectively by supporting and promoting the principles of good bowel and bladder health. This includes providing access to drinks, clean and safe toilets and toileting support.”
I would liked to have seen this final sentence carry much more weight. Schools need clear, specific guidance on what this means in practice.
The new guidance contains a substantial section on "Clean Air", and rightly so. Surely this presents the perfect opportunity to include statutory regulations on the provision of Clean Washroom Facilities. 🚽
Without this, my concern is that governing bodies and Ofsted, whose job it is to ‘consider medical conditions and allergy safety policies and the effectiveness of their implementation as part of the inspection process’, will focus on the headlines not the details. I applaud the first Ofsted inspector who visits a school’s washroom to establish whether they are indeed ‘clean and safe’.
The evidence is clear: clean, safe, and accessible toilet facilities have a profound impact on children's physical health, mental wellbeing, dignity, and ability to learn, however, I am yet to find a regulatory body who actually checks the conditions of these facilities.
Unacceptable Practice
Another small but significant bullet point is made under the ‘Unacceptable Practice’ section. It states that the following would be unacceptable:
‘Preventing children and young people from drinking, eating or taking toilet or other breaks whenever they need to, in order to manage their medical condition effectively;’
Pupils are still facing barriers daily when it comes to being able to take toilet breaks in school. With bladder & bowel conditions believed to be impacting 1 in 9 children, are we expecting every one of those pupils to carry a ‘Toilet Pass’ card which announces their condition to the world. And what about the argument that, if a child is not allowed to take toilet breaks when their body is telling them it is time, it can RESULT in a bladder or bowel condition. It will be very interesting to see how this statement is interpreted by schools as well as those holding them to account.
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