Furious parents whose daughters are afraid to use mixed-sex toilets at school have demanded that ministers rebuild separate facilities or face court action

Parents have threatened legal action against ministers, arguing that mixed-sex toilets in schools leave girls without adequate privacy, dignity and safety. They want separate facilities restored, while one father says his 14-year-old daughter began missing school to avoid bullying when using the toilets.

A teacher survey suggests at least a quarter of Britain’s 32,000 schools have some mixed-sex toilets, though only a minority reportedly have no single-sex toilets. The parents’ legal opinion says schools could face claims if they fail to protect pupils; the Department for Education says its guidance requires separate toilets and bars children from facilities designed for the opposite biological sex.