Milton Keynes school explains why it's necessary to have cameras in its unisex toilet block

The cameras were installed recently at Walton High’s Brooklands campus, where the toilets are gender neutral unisex.

The devices are in the area where pupils wash their hands and do not show them in the actual toilet cubicles, which are screened by wall to ceiling panels.

But one parent is still not happy, saying the move should be be necessary and it is still an invasion of pupils’ privacy.

A spokesman for Walton High said the cameras were fitted following a request from students themselves.

“A group of pupils expressed concerns about "silly behaviour" in the unisex toilet area, which is off a corridor in the school,” she said.

The cameras will nip any adverse behaviour in the bud and also act as a deterrent.

No other complaints have been received by either parents or pupils about them, said the spokesman.

Unisex loos in schools are becoming increasing popular up and down the country and are approved by the Department for Education as long as he privacy is ensured by having an adequate cubicle enclosure and a full height door.

Experts say single sex toilets can be a breeding ground for bullying in the school environment.

The unisex toilets were part of the design when Walton High's Brooklands campus was built almost six years ago and later the school’s Walnut Tree campus decided to follow suit. Both schools are part of the Milton Keynes Education Trust (MKET)

Some parents complained about the toilets at the time, claiming their children were avoiding using them all day because they were uncomfortable about sharing with the opposite sex.

MKET Chief Executive Michelle Currie, wrote to one concerned parent saying the loos had proved “very popular” with girls and boys of all ages at the Brooklands campus.

The letter stated: “Students from Walton High who visited the campus were impressed by the layout of the toilets and asked whether something similar could be achieved at the Walton High campus. This was discussed with members of the Student Council, who were involved with the redesign of the toilets and chose the colour scheme.”

The letter dismissed the parent's claim that pupils felt uncomfortable about using the new toilets.