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The first thing to consider is the waste and drainage of the washroom. Is it up to the task? In many older buildings, where space can be abundant, you may be considering to increase the number of cubicles, urinals and/or sinks. Similarly, you may be adding a small extension or knock-though to increase the capacity of your washroom.
If either is the case, then you will need to ensure that your current drainage is able to handle the inflated volume of water and waste. Alterations don’t always include major works, but they need to be done at the very beginning of the project so that your shiny new features won't be disrupted of damaged – a problem when this step is overlooked.
Shorter toilets for shorter people
School height toilets are essential and come in a number of different styles. They are most often 300-350mm high and allow young students to access the toilets safely. Most often, these are also incorporated with toilet cubicles also of a lower height. For easy maintenance, many schools choose to install a duct panel system.
This is effectively a thin false wall that runs behind the toilet cubicles. Within this small void is housed the cisterns and pipework for your toilets. They are panelled in behind easy clean, wipe-down wall panels which can be removed for maintenance. Duct panel systems not only keep the washroom looking slick, smooth, and smart but protect pipework and cisterns from accidental damage and tampering.
Don’t forget the urinals, sinks and hand dryers
Ordinary urinals can also be fitted at a lower height to suit young students, although urinal troughs are still a popular choice as they offer universal usability. Of course, you’ll need to install wash-basins and hand dryers at a lower height too – you’d be amazed how many old washrooms have overlooked at least one of these.
Wash trough or basin?
The communal wash trough has become incredibly popular in junior school washrooms. The long wash area is much easier to sanitise and clean than conventional washbasins and when combined with wall-mounted sensor taps, as is most often the case, they boost facility hygiene and can actively encourage better personal hygiene in students.
It’s all personal preference, but being easier to install, clean, and maintain, there’s no wonder they are becoming the go-to choice in junior school washrooms throughout the UK and Europe.
Hand dryers or paper towels?
There’s been a lot of press recently on how high powered hand dryers are not as hygienic as paper towels. With young children, sometimes getting them to dry their hands properly can be a battle in itself – too eager to get back outside and play. Paper hand towels are incredibly efficient, but you will need to keep supplies topped up and have an ample waste bin to carry the waste.
Hand dryers can be problematic for autistic children, although dryers like the Biobot can make using the hand dryer more fun and engaging for them. Hand dryers are a lot easier from a maintenance point of view and they also eliminate that classic junior school pastime of throwing wet paper towels on the ceiling - a godsend.
How to improve hygiene
As mentioned above, sensor taps can make a huge improvement in washroom hygiene, and thought should be given to incorporating sensor activity throughout. Automatic light sensors can be installed so that the lights only come on when someone is actually in the washroom, delivering a saving on electricity and removing those grubby hand marks by the light switch.
Sensor activated flush kits can also be installed with both urinals and toilets, meaning young users never need to actually touch the toilet.
Common cubicle and wall materials
Solid Grade Laminate (SGL) is a versatile material used for toilet cubicles, wall cladding, and for making custom vanity units. SGL is completely impervious to water meaning it will never rot, become brittle or soak up moisture. The material also comes in a huge array of colours and finishes and can be made to custom dimensions, meaning you can have them made to measure in your washroom.
We highly recommend SGL across a number of different washroom environments. Our SGL cubicle ranges include:
- Ultra,
- Story-Time, and
- Stature.
We also have the option of Melamine Faced Chipboard (MFC) which has a shorter durable lifespan, and is not water-resistant, and High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) which is a great middle-ground between SGL and MFC. High-Pressure Laminate is very water-resistant and also comes in a variety of colors and can be found in our cubicle ranges Colossal and Future.
Safety measures
As with all commercial washrooms, the temperature of hot water needs to be controlled so that users don’t accidentally scold themselves. This is obviously even more important in the junior school washroom environment. Thermostatic mixer valves regulate the flow of both hot and cold water into one stream of warm water. Some sensor taps come with this integral to the design, others don’t, so you’ll need to ensure one is installed.
You’ll want to put safety measures in place on the ground by installing anti-slip safety flooring. Even when wet, the anti-slip properties come into full effect and prevent many washroom accidents. This kind of flooring is often very similar to lino and has many hygiene benefits over an old fashioned tiled floor. With tiled flooring, bacteria can harbor in the grout, being incredibly stubborn to sanitize effectively. The lino style safety flooring has no join lines and as such, is deep cleaned in a fraction of the time.
School washroom design, installation and refurbishment is an area we specialise in and have extensive experience spanning many, many years. If you have a school washroom refurbishment project coming up and would like to talk, drop us a line and get in touch.
As always, our team is at the end of the telephone for all your queries and questions and has a wealth of knowledge they’re happy to share with you. So if you need some guidance, or would like to talk over your options, you can give them a call on 01202 650900.
