EDUCATION DESIGN

Approx. 5 min read

September 2026

One School, Different Users

One School, Different Users

One School, Different Users

A comprehensive school can contain very different washroom environments. Designing around the people who use each space can provide the right balance of supervision, privacy and practicality without unnecessarily introducing different systems throughout the project.

A comprehensive school can contain very different washroom environments. Designing around the people who use each space can provide the right balance of supervision, privacy and practicality without unnecessarily introducing different systems throughout the project.

A comprehensive school can contain very different washroom environments. Designing around the people who use each space can provide the right balance of supervision, privacy and practicality without unnecessarily introducing different systems throughout the project.

In this article

1. One system, different configurations

2. Kindergarten: design for supervision and assistance

3. Primary school: a more conventional arrangement

4. Secondary school: privacy becomes more important

5. Sports and shower areas: the requirement changes again

6. Staff and adult facilities

7. Consistency without uniformity

A school washroom is not one design problem.

A school washroom is not one design problem.

Within the same campus, facilities may serve kindergarten children, primary pupils, secondary students, sports users, staff and other adults. The basic function may be the same, but the needs of those users can be quite different.

Within the same campus, facilities may serve kindergarten children, primary pupils, secondary students, sports users, staff and other adults. The basic function may be the same, but the needs of those users can be quite different.

For younger children, visibility and the ability for an adult to assist may be important. As students get older, privacy becomes increasingly important. Shower and changing areas introduce water management. Staff facilities bring a different set of expectations again.

For younger children, visibility and the ability for an adult to assist may be important. As students get older, privacy becomes increasingly important. Shower and changing areas introduce water management. Staff facilities bring a different set of expectations again.

The useful question is therefore not simply “Which cubicle should we specify for the school?”

It is “What does each group of users need from the cubicle?”

One system, different configurations

One system, different configurations

A configurable cubicle system allows the basic construction and visual language to remain consistent while changing the enclosure to suit different areas of the school.

A configurable cubicle system allows the basic construction and visual language to remain consistent while changing the enclosure to suit different areas of the school.

With the ECLS FORTIS system, for example, the same underlying system can be configured with different door heights, floor clearances and privacy treatments.

With the ECLS FORTIS system, for example, the same underlying system can be configured with different door heights, floor clearances and privacy treatments.

The important point is not that every school requires every configuration. It is that the configuration can follow the requirement rather than treating every washroom identically.

The important point is not that every school requires every configuration. It is that the configuration can follow the requirement rather than treating every washroom identically.

School toilet cubicle configurations for different age groups and privacy needs

Different configurations allow the level of supervision, clearance and privacy to respond to the users of each part of the school.

Kindergarten: design for supervision and assistance

Kindergarten: design for supervision and assistance

Very young children require a different approach from older students.

Very young children require a different approach from older students.

A lower cubicle door can provide the child with an enclosed space while allowing appropriate adult supervision. The lock can also be positioned so that an adult can reach it from outside if a child requires assistance.

A lower cubicle door can provide the child with an enclosed space while allowing appropriate adult supervision. The lock can also be positioned so that an adult can reach it from outside if a child requires assistance.

This becomes particularly useful when a child is distressed, has difficulty operating the lock or simply needs help.

This becomes particularly useful when a child is distressed, has difficulty operating the lock or simply needs help.

The objective is not maximum enclosure. At this age, the balance shifts towards independence for the child while retaining practical access for supervising adults.

The objective is not maximum enclosure. At this age, the balance shifts towards independence for the child while retaining practical access for supervising adults.

The dimensions and arrangement should, of course, be coordinated with the school’s safeguarding requirements and applicable regulations.

Primary school: a more conventional arrangement

Primary school: a more conventional arrangement

As children become older and more independent, a conventional cubicle arrangement becomes appropriate for many school washrooms.

As children become older and more independent, a conventional cubicle arrangement becomes appropriate for many school washrooms.

A standard-height door with normal floor and head clearances provides a familiar arrangement while maintaining the robustness required in a heavily used school environment.

A standard-height door with normal floor and head clearances provides a familiar arrangement while maintaining the robustness required in a heavily used school environment.

At this stage, there may be little reason to introduce additional complexity unless the project has a particular privacy, supervision or operational requirement.

At this stage, there may be little reason to introduce additional complexity unless the project has a particular privacy, supervision or operational requirement.

This is an important part of designing the system intelligently: not every area needs the highest possible specification.

This is an important part of designing the system intelligently: not every area needs the highest possible specification.

Secondary school: privacy becomes more important

Secondary school: privacy becomes more important

The requirements change again as students enter their teenage years.

The requirements change again as students enter their teenage years.

Greater physical maturity and an increased expectation of personal privacy make the degree of enclosure much more significant. Sightlines around doors, floor clearance and overall cubicle height all become worth considering together.

Greater physical maturity and an increased expectation of personal privacy make the degree of enclosure much more significant. Sightlines around doors, floor clearance and overall cubicle height all become worth considering together.

Where increased privacy is required, a taller configuration with reduced clearances can create a much stronger sense of personal enclosure.

Where increased privacy is required, a taller configuration with reduced clearances can create a much stronger sense of personal enclosure.

Privacy should be considered as an overall design characteristic rather than simply increasing one dimension. A taller door, for example, achieves relatively little if large sightlines remain around its edges or an unnecessarily large opening remains below it.

Privacy should be considered as an overall design characteristic rather than simply increasing one dimension. A taller door, for example, achieves relatively little if large sightlines remain around its edges or an unnecessarily large opening remains below it.

We will explore those considerations separately in our article on cubicle privacy.

More enclosed toilet cubicle configuration for secondary-school washrooms

In secondary-school facilities, increased enclosure can provide a greater sense of privacy while retaining a consistent cubicle system across the wider campus.

Sports and shower areas: the requirement changes again

Sports and shower areas: the requirement changes again

School sports facilities introduce another practical consideration: water.

School sports facilities introduce another practical consideration: water.

Where cubicles are used for showers, reducing or eliminating the gap beneath the partition can help prevent water passing from one shower area into the next.

Where cubicles are used for showers, reducing or eliminating the gap beneath the partition can help prevent water passing from one shower area into the next.

A low-clearance door can still provide practical floor clearance, while partitions extending to the floor help separate the individual wet areas.

A low-clearance door can still provide practical floor clearance, while partitions extending to the floor help separate the individual wet areas.

The resulting configuration may look similar to the cubicles elsewhere in the school, but it is responding to a completely different problem.

The resulting configuration may look similar to the cubicles elsewhere in the school, but it is responding to a completely different problem.

Staff and adult facilities

Staff and adult facilities

Staff washrooms generally do not require the same supervision considerations as kindergarten facilities or necessarily the enhanced enclosure that may be desirable in secondary-school areas.

Staff washrooms generally do not require the same supervision considerations as kindergarten facilities or necessarily the enhanced enclosure that may be desirable in secondary-school areas.

The appropriate configuration can therefore be selected according to the project’s desired level of privacy, aesthetics and budget.

The appropriate configuration can therefore be selected according to the project’s desired level of privacy, aesthetics and budget.

In some schools, a conventional arrangement may be entirely appropriate. In others, the design brief may call for the same increased-privacy treatment used elsewhere in the building.

The important distinction is that this becomes a design choice rather than a consequence of treating every washroom the same way.

Consistency without uniformity

Using different configurations does not necessarily mean introducing different products, details and suppliers throughout a project.

Keeping a common underlying system can simplify coordination during construction and provide a more consistent appearance across the school. Common hardware and components can also make future maintenance and spare-part management simpler.

At the same time, the individual facilities can still respond appropriately to the people using them.

Consistency does not have to mean uniformity.

A kindergarten washroom, secondary-school toilet, shower area and staff facility can each work differently while still belonging to the same architectural family.

Final thought

When a school serves users across a wide range of ages, considering each group separately can reveal relatively simple changes that make individual facilities better suited to their users. A configurable system can then accommodate those differences without adding unnecessary complexity across the wider project.

When a school serves users across a wide range of ages, considering each group separately can reveal relatively simple changes that make individual facilities better suited to their users. A configurable system can then accommodate those differences without adding unnecessary complexity across the wider project.

Working through a school washroom design?

ECLS can help review cubicle configurations across different user groups and discuss the practical implications for privacy, supervision and wet-area use.

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ECLS

Building Better Spaces Through Expertise and Innovation.

Specialist interior systems for washrooms, changing rooms and shared spaces, manufactured in Bahrain and supplied across the GCC.

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FORTIS Door

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© 2026 ECLS Specialty Furniture. All rights reserved.

Built in Bahrain. Serving the GCC.

ECLS

Building Better Spaces Through Expertise and Innovation.

Specialist interior systems for washrooms, changing rooms and shared spaces, manufactured in Bahrain and supplied across the GCC.

PRODUCTS

Toilet Cubicle Systems

FORTIS Door

OLYMPIAN Lockers

Bench Seating

Duct Panelling / IPS — Coming Soon

Vanities — Coming Soon

EXPLORE

Projects

Knowledge Centre

Resources

COMPANY

About ECLS

Contact

Privacy Policy

Cookie Settings

© 2026 ECLS Specialty Furniture. All rights reserved.

Built in Bahrain. Serving the GCC.

ECLS

Building Better Spaces Through Expertise and Innovation.

Specialist interior systems for washrooms, changing rooms and shared spaces, manufactured in Bahrain and supplied across the GCC.

PRODUCTS

Toilet Cubicle Systems

FORTIS Door

OLYMPIAN Lockers

Bench Seating

Duct Panelling / IPS — Coming Soon

Vanities — Coming Soon

EXPLORE

Projects

Knowledge Centre

Resources

COMPANY

About ECLS

Contact

Privacy Policy

Cookie Settings

© 2026 ECLS Specialty Furniture. All rights reserved.

Built in Bahrain. Serving the GCC.