HL Deb 25 March 1980 vol 407 c785WA
Lord KENNET

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What types of water closets, sanitary arrangements and sewerage are specifically required by the Department of Education and Science in nursery schools; how these differ from those in infant's and junior schools and from those in general domestic use; and how much public money is being spent on mandatory alterations to WCs etc when existing primary schools open a nursery class within their existing buildings.

Baroness YOUNG

No specific types of water closets, sanitary arrangements or sewerage are required by the Department of Education and Science for any school although closets rather than urinal stalls are specified for nursery schools. Regulation 57 of the Standards for School Premises Regulations, 1972, which applies to all schools, calls for soundly designed and constructed sanitary accommodation reasonably accessible to the persons for whose use it is provided. Nursery schools and classes require a deep sink but other fitments would probably be similar to those provided for infant classes although they may differ in height from junior provision and from those in ordinary domestic use. No additional cost would therefore be involved in altering WCs etc., where a nursery class was opened at an existing primary school provided there were already sufficient washbasins, the minimum number of reasonably accessible indoor closets, and a deep sink.