St Augustine's High School | Secondary School Toilets

St Augustine’s Catholic High School, located in Redditch, Worcestershire, educates children age 13-18 (Year 9 to Year 13). Originally opened in 1974, it is the oldest operating high school in Redditch. The school’s mission is to prepare students for the future, driven by a distinctively Catholic ethos and a dedicated, caring staff focused on raising standards in every area – from appearance and behaviour to academic outcomes. The high school consistently produces excellent results, with GCSE and A-Level achievements placing them in the top 1% nationally.

Spicer Surveys worked closely with the St Augustine’s to discuss their washroom refurbishment requirements. The school sought to modernise their tired and damaged toilet cubicles while minimising the risk of vandalism. Spicer Surveys designed the new school washrooms to be open to the adjacent corridor, allowing passing staff to monitor student behaviour. Zone Cee led the fit-out, and after understanding the brief, estimator Zac Grant consulted Bushboard Washrooms, recognising their extensive knowledge of Department for Education regulations and their ability to provide expert guidance. This collaboration between Spicer Surveys, Zone Cee, and Bushboard Washrooms resulted in a comprehensive washroom specification tailored to the school’s needs.

Bushboard supplied their HiZone for Schools toilet cubicle system, specifically designed to meet the high privacy standards required at St Augustine’s. The secondary school toilet cubicle range complies with Department for Education guidance, which recommends full height cubicles to ensure privacy in high school settings. Given the school’s decision to keep washroom entrances open for passive supervision, full height toilet cubicles were essential to maintain user privacy. The HiZone for Schools cubicles feature a 5mm door clearance, with partitions finishing at floor level and equipped with aluminium privacy skirting, discouraging anti-social behaviour, such as mobile phone use.

Ensuring maximum privacy was top priority, but student safety was equally important. In line with Department for Education guidelines, the HiZone for Schools toilet cubicles include a privacy strip running the full length of both sides of the door, allowing the use of anti-finger trap hinges while reducing the door gap to just 5mm. Additionally, the toilet cubicles come standard with hex key emergency release locks, limiting emergency access to staff.

St Augustine’s Catholic High School selected a colour scheme from Bushboard’s 34 standard laminate colours, opting for Cobalt Blue and Smoked Oak, which aligned with their school branding. To ensure durability and withstand potential vandalism, the entire education washroom project used Solid Grade Laminate (SGL) panels. SGL is highly impact-resistant, making it an ideal material for toilet cubicles and duct panels in a busy school washroom environment. It is also fully waterproof, allowing the washrooms to endure splashes and rigorous cleaning without damage.

Vandalism was a primary concern for the high school, and Bushboard’s Centurus Solid Surface Washtroughs in Elysian provided an ideal solution and a durable alternative to wall hung basins which were regularly vandalised. The washtroughs feature a flatbed created through thermoforming, a process that heats and shapes the material in a single piece creating minimal internal joints. This not only enhances structural integrity but also simplifies cleaning, ensuring maintenance is easy in a high-traffic school washroom.

Zac Grant from Zone Cee highlighted the advantages of choosing Bushboard washtroughs, noting that they are competitively priced. Additionally, sourcing multiple washroom products from the same supplier streamlined project management. He praised Bushboard Washrooms for the seamless service from quotation to order and commended the team for their guidance and patience throughout the process.

The high school is delighted with the results of the school toilet refurbishment, achieving their objectives of providing additional supervision while maintaining user privacy and safety. They are very pleased with their new school washrooms and expect them to stand the test of time.