Toilet Rules 2026: Full-Height Cubicles, Single-Sex and Universal Toilets Explained
Four sets of rules changed toilet design in 2026. DfE published new design standards for school cubicles in February, the EHRC's Code of Practice on single-sex services came into force in August, and KCSIE 2026 followed in September. In commercial buildings, Approved Document T is now the standard for new washrooms. This guide explains what each one means for a refurbishment.
Free download: our Toilet Rules 2026 compliance checklist. DfE cubicle standards, school layout rules and the new commercial guidance, ready to tick off on a site walk.
The 2026 rules at a glance
Rule | Applies to | What it means for toilets |
DfE Design Standards: Technical Manual (Feb 2026) | School and college building projects | Full-height cubicles from KS2, strict gap limits, phone-proof side gaps |
DfE Pattern Book (Feb 2026) | School and college building projects | Separate boys' and girls' toilets, plus a lockable single-person toilet room on every floor |
KCSIE 2026 (from 1 Sept 2026) | Schools and colleges in England | Pupils must not use toilets or changing rooms designated for the opposite sex |
EHRC Code of Practice (from 5 Aug 2026) | Service providers and public bodies | Single-sex toilets by biological sex, with self-contained universal rooms alongside |
Approved Document T | New non-domestic buildings and changes of use (not schools) | Single-sex toilets, plus universal toilets where space allows |
Schools: DfE's new cubicle standards
DfE's Design standards: employer's requirements, published on 11 February 2026, set out exactly how toilet partitions should be built on DfE projects. They are fast becoming the benchmark trusts and designers work to on every school washroom. Section 2.7.13 of the Technical Manual sets these heights and gaps:
Age group | Partition height | Door height |
Early Years | Minimum 1200mm | Minimum 1200mm |
KS1 / Infant | Minimum 1500mm | Minimum 1300mm |
KS2 to KS5, colleges and adults | Full height (or minimum 1950mm if the brief says so) | Full height (or minimum 1950mm if the brief says so) |
No gaps on full-height cubicles: full-height partitions must have no gaps at the top, bottom or sides.
5mm door gaps: full-height doors may have a maximum 5mm gap at the floor and 5mm at the ceiling or over-panel, and must still lift off their hinges in an emergency.
150mm maximum off the floor where cubicles are not full height.
Phone-proof side gaps: gaps at the sides of doors must not give the opportunity for malicious mobile phone use, and must not create finger traps.
No sightlines: a view into a run of toilets from a corridor or classroom when doors are open is prohibited.
Materials and size: waterproof solid grade laminate (SGL), a minimum 1500 x 800mm cubicle, and a door with at least 650mm clear width.
Locks: operable with a closed fist, with an emergency release by hexagon or star key (not a coin slot). Indicators must show the word 'occupied'; red/green and white/red indicators are not allowed.
Single-person toilet rooms must not be built from cubicle panels. They need proper walls sealed at the ceiling and a door rated at 30 dB or more.
The phone rule matters because schools are now expected to be mobile-free by default, but phones still find their way into toilets. Full-height, gap-free cubicles are the simplest design answer.
Schools: single-sex toilets and privacy
DfE's Pattern Book confirms the layout schools should plan for:
Separate toilets for boys and girls, with at least one toilet for ambulant disabled pupils in each
An enlarged toilet wherever there are four or more toilets in a group
A standalone toilet room that locks from the inside, for one pupil at a time, on each floor of any school block
A ratio of one toilet and washbasin for every 20 pupils aged 6 to 18 (one per 10 in Early Years and special schools)
General toilet blocks that are passively supervised
KCSIE 2026, in force since 1 September 2026, adds that pupils must not be admitted to toilets or changing rooms designated for the opposite sex. Where a pupil doesn't want to use them, schools should consider self-contained individual toilets. That makes those single-person rooms essential, not optional.
DfE's June 2026 guidance on inclusive education estates goes further for SEND and wellbeing. It recommends accessible toilets on every floor, an extra-wide cubicle in blocks of more than four, fully enclosed toilet rooms with their own basin, and sensory-friendly details such as quiet-flush toilets and low-noise hand dryers. See our guide to SEND classroom design for more.
Commercial and public buildings: EHRC Code and Approved Document T
For offices, leisure centres, councils and other service providers, the EHRC's updated Code of Practice came into force on 5 August 2026. Where single-sex toilets are provided, they are used on the basis of biological sex. The Code steers providers towards self-contained, gender-neutral rooms alongside single-sex toilets, and says shared changing facilities need private cubicles with floor-to-ceiling lockable doors.
Approved Document T applies to most new non-domestic buildings and changes of use in England. It requires separate single-sex toilets, plus fully enclosed universal toilets where space allows; where space is too tight, universal toilets are provided instead. Amendments from 3 November 2025 also require visual contrast between the toilet seat and the surrounding sanitaryware.
Your refurbishment checklist
Survey the existing washrooms against the 2026 heights and gaps
Specify full-height SGL cubicles with no gaps for KS2 and above, and for commercial washrooms where privacy matters
Add at least one self-contained, lockable toilet room per floor, with its own basin
Plan doors and layouts so there is no line of sight into the toilets
Use Integrated Plumbing Systems (IPS) to hide pipework and cisterns
Choose locks, indicators and colour contrast that meet DfE and Approved Document M
Allow for a 15-year minimum life for partitions, doors and IPS
How Brookhouse can help
Brookhouse manufactures and installs washroom cubicles, IPS and vanity units for schools and commercial buildings, built to the 2026 standards. See our school toilet refurbishment and commercial washroom refurbishment services, download our school washroom brochure, or get the washroom cubicle BIM objects for your design. Funding your project through CIF? Read our CIF 2027–28 bid guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do school toilet cubicles have to be floor to ceiling?
Under DfE's 2026 Technical Manual, partitions and doors for KS2 pupils and above should be full height, unless the project brief specifies a minimum height of 1950mm. Full-height partitions must have no gaps at the top, bottom or sides.
What gap is allowed under a school toilet door?
Where cubicles are not full height, partitions and doors can sit a maximum of 150mm off the floor. Full-height doors can have a gap of no more than 5mm at the floor and 5mm at the top.
Why do cubicle side gaps matter for mobile phones?
DfE now says the gaps at the sides of toilet doors must not give the opportunity for malicious mobile phone use, such as filming or photographing, and must not create finger traps.
Are gender-neutral toilets allowed in schools?
Schools must provide separate toilets for boys and girls. Self-contained toilet rooms that lock from the inside and are used by one person at a time can sit alongside them, and DfE expects at least one on each floor of a school block. KCSIE 2026 says pupils must not use toilets designated for the opposite sex.
Does Approved Document T apply to schools?
No. Approved Document T applies to most new non-domestic buildings and changes of use in England, but schools, early years settings and dwellings are excluded. Schools follow the School Premises Regulations and DfE's design standards instead.
What is a universal toilet?
A fully enclosed, self-contained room with its own toilet, washbasin and hand drying, for use by anyone. Approved Document T and the EHRC Code both encourage them alongside single-sex toilets.
Sources: DfE Design standards: employer's requirements (Technical Manual section 2.7.13 and Pattern Book section 3.22), DfE: Inclusive education estates (June 2026), Browne Jacobson: KCSIE 2026 guidance on gender questioning children, Lewis Silkin: the new EHRC Code of Practice, RICS: Approved Document T and GOV.UK: amendments to Approved Document T. This article is a summary for planning purposes, not legal advice. Information correct at 10 November 2026.
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