School stops toilet trips during lessons in vaping crackdown

She added: “It makes me feel extremely frustrated and angry because you just feel completely powerless because no matter how hard you try and tell the school they just do not seem to listen.

“It is just mortifying that my daughter would have to stand up and argue with the teachers about going to the toilet. Imagine as a young girl having to stand up in front of your class and talk about your period.”

Another mother-of-two, who did not want to be named but whose daughter attends the school, said the situation was “particularly hard” for young girls starting their period.

Nadejda Kurnosov, whose 13-year-old daughter is a pupil, said her daughter has stopped drinking water at school. The 34-year-old said: “It makes me feel very sad and I have tried to contact the school and all they say is they are going to sort it.

“My daughter has got to the point where she doesn’t want to drink anything, and she comes out of school desperate to have a drink.”

But a spokesperson for Winton said: “To be clear, students are not stopped from using the toilet between lessons, before school, or after school.

“We do have to monitor bathrooms unfortunately, due to the need to protect students from exposure to vaping. Also, historically toilets in schools were places where bullying might take place, so we monitor the facilities to ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing.

“Like most secondary schools across the country, we ask students to use the toilets before and after lessons to prevent disruption to their learning.