Secondary schools should install unisex lavatory blocks for pupils located near staff-rooms or offices to counter bullying, the Government says.

The building guidelines, to be issued by the Department for Education today, are also intended to improve the appalling state of school toilets and combat fears that dirty and crumbling facilities are damaging children’s health and their ability to learn.

Recommendations include the installation of glass-panelled walls between handwashing areas and connecting corridors to enable “passive” supervision; the replacement of urinals with cubicles to promote privacy; and the installation of trough sinks, instead of individual basins, to make deliberate flooding more difficult. Background noise in toilet blocks should be slightly raised, possibly by the use of a ventilation system, to ensure “aural” privacy, and pupils should be consulted on design features.

All schools being rebuilt or refurbished under the £45 billion Building Schools for the Future rebuilding programme will be expected to apply the guidelines. Tim Byles, the chief executive of Partnerships for Schools, the agency responsible for the rebuilding programme, said that good design could go a long way towards eradicating antisocial behaviour in schools.

Lavatory blocks were “recognised as a hotspot for bullies to target those they chose to intimidate and threaten”, Mr Byles said.

“In a bid to avoid having to visit the toilet at school, many young people have developed bladder and bowel problems, while others simply refuse to drink water, exposing them to the risk of becoming dehydrated. This is an unacceptable situation, but thanks to today’s new guidance, cramped, dirty and vandalised toilets can become a thing of the past,” he said.

Beverley Leeson, of the charity Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence, which has been campaigning for better school lavatories, said that the condition of the facilities was very important to pupils.

A survey of schools in Kent found that 40 per cent of students were fearful of the behaviour of other pupils in the toilets at school.

“Toilets that pupils can be proud of can also reduce rates of absenteeism, boost self-esteem, improve relations between pupils and teachers, and encourage willingness and ability to learn,” Ms Leeson said.

Adults are legally entitled, in their place of work, to clean lavatories that afford privacy and have sinks with hot and cold running water and soap.

But the requirements for schools are much more relaxed and the law only requires a minimum number of lavatories and washbasins per pupil. There are no rules about location and accessibility at all times of the day.

As schools move towards an extended day, the state of their toilets is likely to become increasingly important, particularly now that children are now being encouraged to drink more water to aid their concentration.

A spokeswoman for Partern-ships for Schools said that urinals should be removed to give boys more privacy — a key issue for many as they reach puberty — and to promote better hygiene.

Once these were removed, there was no reason not to have unisex toilets, she said. “These have the advantage of discouraging the build-up of big groups of girls or of boys in the toilets.”

Handwashing areas should be surrounded by plenty of open space, or even located in semi-open corridors adjacent to the cubicles, where they are clearly visible. Toilet blocks should be small and positioned opposite offices or staff work rooms to enable passive supervision throughout the day.

All schools will be required to have a self-contained fully accessible toilet with its own sink, which could be used by pupils when they require more privacy than that afforded by a unisex block.

The guidelines oppose the practice used in some schools of installing closed-circuit tele-vision in lavatory blocks.

Although the installation of a toilet block can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, Partnerships for Schools believes there will be savings in the long run, thanks to reduced vandalism and improved behaviour.

Bog standards

Guidelines include:

— Cubicles must have doors that lock

— There must be enough toilet paper in all cubicles

— Pupils must be involved in improving their toilets

— Pupils must be allowed to use toilets when needed

— Toilets must be looked after, cleaned and not smell

— Warm water and soap must be provided

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