‘Whole Life’ Approach Helps Children Realise Their Fullest Potential

A ‘whole life’ approach is delivering a best practice solution to helping meet the educational needs of individual children as they transition through childhood.

East Dunbartonshire Council’s Education Service has tasked its build partners to ensure that children with special needs at two of their new-build schools will be able to go to school feeling comfortable- right through to going to the toilet. As a result, a primary and a secondary school in Kirkintilloch have had state of the art inclusive loos installed.

Kirkintilloch High School has had two Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita wash/dry toilets fitted, whilst the new Lairdsland Primary School has had a fully-equipped hygiene room with a Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita wash/dry toilet.

Looking like, and capable of being used as conventional WCs, the Clos-o-Mat has built-in douching and drying. Any child or adult who may otherwise need a carer to wipe them after going to the loo can thus toilet with independence and dignity, and be hygiencally clean after. Although not a key requirement, Clos-o-Mats are increasingly being included in school hygiene rooms in place of traditional WCs because of their ability to give independence and dignity to the user, and the removal of reliance etc on a carer or support staff.

Explained Ian Paton of SPIE, which oversees East Dunbartonshire Council’s PPP schools, “A key element of our work is to pull together everything that will make a child with certain needs comfortable when they start or move school. We will always deliver best value, and best practice in provision of whatever works are deemed appropriate.”

Gordon Currie, Director of Education & Children’s Services at East Dunbartonshire Council, added, “We don’t endorse one product over another, but in these cases, the Clos-o-Mat was judged to deliver the best value in meeting the immediate needs of pupils moving to the schools, and also the needs of students who may be attending in the future.”

National statistics show that the number of disabled children has increased by 62%
in the past 25 years: one child in 20 under the age of 16 is disabled, with 60% of statemented children in mainstream schooling . Clos-o-Mat is now the UK’s biggest provider of disabled toileting solutions in and out of home, and the authority in the provision of hygiene rooms within educational establishments. The company has, uniquely, published white papers covering accessible toilet provision in schools, and specifically hygiene rooms. These, plus support CAD drawings and additional technical information, can be accessed via the company’s website www.clos-o-mat.com