Primary school toilets
A primary school toilet block serves four year olds and eleven year olds, sometimes in the same room. Heights, privacy and supervision all change across that range, and getting it wrong shows up as wet floors, queues and pupils who will not go all day.
Almost every published school toilet contract in 2025 was for a primary school. Single-school awards ran from £52,000 to £95,000 before VAT for a full strip-out.
What primary blocks need
- Infant height pans and basins for Reception and Key Stage 1, junior heights for Key Stage 2.
- Separate boys’ and girls’ facilities, or single lockable rooms, for pupils aged eight and over.
- One toilet and basin for about every ten children under five, as DfE advice suggests.
- Warm water no hotter than 43°C at basins used by nursery and primary pupils.
- A changing area close to early years classrooms, with a sluice or hygiene room where needed.
- Doors and hinges that cannot trap small fingers, and locks staff can open from outside.
Typical primary prices
| Item | Guide price, ex VAT |
|---|---|
| Key Stage 1 boys’ and girls’ toilets East Sussex County Council, Easter 2025 (contract award) | £52,287 |
| Key Stage 2 toilets East Sussex County Council, summer 2026 (contract award) | £59,561 |
| Primary toilet refurbishment Liverpool City Council, two primary schools, summer 2025 | £82,181 and £94,802 |
| Junior cubicles, supply only Primary-height solid grade laminate, per cubicle | From £391 |
Where these figures come from
Contract values as published on Contracts Finder, before VAT, read November 2026. Each notice is linked on the cost planner. Cubicle price from published UK supplier price lists, autumn 2026, supply only. A guide, not a quote.
What to specify in a primary block
The details that decide whether a school washroom still works in ten years.
Two heights in one room
Where infants and juniors share, split the run: lower pans and basins at one end, junior heights at the other. Label them with colour, not words.
Cubicles built for small hands
Anti-finger-trap hinges, lightweight doors, easy indicator bolts and emergency release from outside. Primary-height cubicles leave a gap above for supervision.
Basins at the right reach
A long trough with several taps clears a class quickly. Fit it at the right height for the age group and use thermostatic mixing to keep water at a safe temperature.
Early years hygiene
Nappy changing, a shower tray or hygiene room and storage for spare clothes near Reception and nursery rooms.
Robust, cheerful finishes
Colour helps young pupils find their way and feel at ease. Choose colours with enough contrast for visually impaired pupils, as Hampshire’s standard design does.
Staff can see the door
Entrances visible from the corridor, no long blind passages, and a door or screen arrangement that keeps the cubicles private.
Most primary blocks are done in the summer holiday. Brief us now to have quotes before Easter.
Ask for a free quoteFrom brief to handover
Survey and brief
Count pupils and WCs, note what fails (leaks, smells, privacy, cleaning), and get an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey for the rooms affected.
Layout and specification
A drawn layout to scale, the cubicle and panel system, sanitaryware, floor and wall finishes, ventilation and lighting. Fix this before you ask for prices so quotes compare.
Quotes or tender
Three quotes on the same specification, or a framework call-off or tender if your finance rules ask for one at this value.
Order early
Cubicles and panels are made to order, usually in a few weeks. Order in spring for a summer holiday install.
Holiday works
Strip-out, first fix plumbing and electrics, floor, wall finishes, then panels, cubicles and sanitaryware. Most single blocks fit inside the summer holiday.
Handover
Snag list, water hygiene flushing, the asbestos and electrical paperwork, warranties and the cleaning instructions for your site team.
Questions people ask
At what age do primary pupils need separate toilets?
From age eight. Regulation 4 requires separate facilities for boys and girls aged eight or over, unless each toilet is a single room that locks from the inside.
How many toilets does a primary school need?
DfE advice suggests about one toilet for every 20 pupils aged five to eleven and one for every 10 under five. A one-form entry primary of 210 pupils plus a 26-place nursery would be about 14 WCs. Use our cost planner to check your roll.
What height should primary school toilets be?
Manufacturers make infant and junior pans at lower heights than adult ones, and basins should be set so pupils can reach the tap without stretching. Ask your contractor to mark heights for each age group on the drawing.
How much does a primary school toilet refurbishment cost?
Published council awards in 2025 for one primary school ran from about £52k to £95k before VAT for a full strip-out. A refit that keeps the drainage and services can cost less, around £25k to £30k for an average boys’ and girls’ room.
Can a primary toilet refurbishment be done at Easter?
A small refit can: East Sussex awarded a Key Stage 1 job that ran across the two weeks of Easter 2025. Anything involving drainage or asbestos removal usually needs the summer holiday.
Get quotes for your primary toilets
Three short steps: where the school is, what the block needs, and how to reach you. It takes about two minutes.
This is a free matching service, not a washroom contractor. We find one who covers your area and name them to you first. Nobody contacts you until you say yes.
Thanks, your enquiry is in.
- Within one working day we will email or call to tell you which washroom contractor covers your area.
- Your details reach that firm only if you say yes.
- They look at the site and give you a fixed price. No marketing from us, ever.