Isle of Man secondary schools that sparked fury by installing CCTV cameras in children's toilets are told they are breaking the law

Isle of Man secondary schools, that sparked fury after installing CCTV cameras in children's toilets, have been told they are breaking the law.

The island's information commissioner has ordered Ballakermeen High School and Castle Rushen High School to take the cameras down after it was found they breached data protection legislation.

The CCTV was installed to reduce the amount of lesson time missed thanks to toilet breaks but, shortly after its introduction, parents expressed their concerns in a petition and demanded the surveillance was removed.

One wrote: 'My children both attend Ballakermeen High School and neither of them vape or misuse the facilities in any way, yet are being denied their basic human right to go to the toilet when they need to.

'Restricting students access to the toilet during lessons can indeed create various issues, including potential bottlenecks during break and lunch times, which could lead to overcrowding and students rushing to use the facilities within limited time periods.

'My daughter is anxious that she is going to have to disclose to male teachers when she is on her period. It's honestly disgraceful.'

Another parent said: 'A teacher cannot possibly know who really needs to go or not. They cannot see and should never assume, it is ludicrous.

'They can't encourage this rule either as it is still a breach of human rights.'

A third added: 'Punish the good kids for the behaviour of the minority? I know kids that are scared to drink at school because of this. I actually can't believe this has even been considered.'

And one said: 'I personally will be writing to the school to register my disgust with this rule and the reasons why I think they are discriminating against female students and putting them in potentially embarrassing situations.'

Now Ballakermeen High School, with 1,700 pupils aged 11 to 18, and Castle Rushen High School, with 800 pupils aged 11 to 18, have been told a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) should have been conducted as personal data was being processed through the surveillance systems 'inside the toilets'.

The schools had also 'failed to provide any transparency information' as the system had not been flagged up on their websites. 

Department of Education, Sport and Culture (Desc) spokesperson Daphne Caine said one school had confirmed they were spending between £600 and £1,000 a week on repairs after equipment was smashed, doors broken, toilets were blocked and graffiti was left behind.

She said: 'They were serious amounts of vandalism and I would rather that money was being spent on education and other support.'

The Isle of Man sets its own laws but parents in the UK, who are opposed to similar surveillance in their children's schools, will be monitoring developments on the island.

It is currently legal in the UK for schools to restrict the time pupils take on toilet breaks but many health experts campaign against it.

In a letter to parents in March, Ballakermeen, a comprehensive founded in Douglas in 1939, said children had been ordered to restrict toilet visits to lunchtime or scheduled breaks between classes.

Head teacher Graeme Corrin said the new rules aimed to reduce the amount of lesson time being missed.

He sent a letter to parents saying 'too many students are asking to leave lessons and are missing large chunks of learning'.

Mr Corrin added that children would still be allowed to leave class for a loo break if it was an 'extraordinary situation'.

But angry parents criticised the move on Facebook, with concerns raised about managing menstrual cycles and pupils potentially developing urine infections from waiting to go to the toilet.

Claire Christian, the Isle of Man government minister for Douglas South, has voiced her 'many concerns' about the ban, arguing it will 'single out female students, particularly those who may need to visit the toilet for specific reasons like menstrual health'.

She wrote to the Isle of Man Education Minister, and says she is concerned ‘that in reality this is putting a very small plaster on a much bigger problem’.

Meanwhile dozens of people signed a petition which has been launched on change.org calling for a U-turn.

In March Mr Corrin responded with a statement which argued that the school was 'embedding a culture where every second of learning time counts'.

He added: 'There will of course be times and situations where students need to leave lessons, and teachers are able to show understanding and use their professional judgment and discretion.

The original letter to parents also highlighted pupils' attendance was 'significantly below' a target of 95%.

The school confirmed there would also be increased supervision around toilets by teachers and CCTV in communal hand washing areas.

It also told parents that no more than one child should occupy a cubicle at a time due to issues surrounding vaping, safeguarding and damage to the facilities.