Care of Toilets

Dr Scantlebury driving his car in Charman Road, Cheltenham 1903. Courtesy Betty Kuc.

Dr George Scantlebury, a local medical practitioner and Shire Health Officer reported on conditions at the Cheltenham State School in 1913. He made several recommendations including the replacement of long seats with dual desks, the closure of two small badly lit rooms as classrooms and their possible use as lavatories and cloakrooms, and the provision of basins and individual towels for pupils to avoid risk of contagion. He gave detailed advice on the care of toilets. "The closet seats should be scrubbed with soap and water and washed with Phenyle everyday after school, and a supply of suitable disinfectant as ashes, powdered earth, carbolised sawdust should be kept, and freely sprinkled on the surface of the contents of each pan, everyday after school. Each seat should have a lid. The boys urinals should have a supply of water constantly running during the time they are in use and should be coated with tar."