A fuming mum has criticised a school's toilet policy after her son was left at bursting point while other children had embarrassing accidents.
The parent, who wished to remain anonymous, claims staff at Woodhouse Academy prevent pupils from going to the bathroom during lesson time.
Children are only allowed to use the loos if they have a medical pass which means her son has had to run there in the short break between lessons.
She added that other children have suffered embarrassing accidents at the school in Biddulph, Staffordshire.
"It is written into the school's policy, they don't want them going during lessons," the mum told Stoke on Trent Live.
"We've had it when they're being picked up from school and they're bursting to go.
"I remember I asked my boy if he had put his hand up, and he said 'no' as you're not allowed unless you have a toilet pass which is for children with medical needs.
"I checked the school's booklet and sure enough there it was."
The school says while they do try to limit toilet trips, all children are allowed to go 'if necessary'.
But the mum wrote to the headteacher telling them the policy was awful and spoke to other parents who said they felt the same way.
One parent even said that their little girl had an accident as she could not get to the toilet in time.
The mum added: "I'd just like to understand the rationale behind the policy.
"When I asked about it, they told me that once one child goes all the others go in convoy and it disrupts the lessons.
"That doesn't make any sense, in what way is the policy effective?
"They're completely upfront about it. It's just lazy teaching in my opinion. It's encouraging infections."
The middle school, which has pupils from year five to year eight, acts more as a high school with a change in lessons, according to the parent.
However, in the morning, there is apparently no chance for a break.
The mum added: "On the planner, you get the kids to school for half eight to ten to nine, and then lessons start. It's nearly three hours.
"What makes it even worse is they group the toilet blocks by certain years, meaning pupils have to run from one end of the school and back again in the short window between lessons if they need the toilet.
"How can you expect in a school of 300 pupils to have just a short five-minute window to go to the toilet when they may have to run from one end of the site to the other and not miss lessons?
"Often when they get there, there is a queue too."
The furious mum said pupils are "being punished" for a normal bodily function and called for the school to use "some common sense."
She continued: "I just don't understand why this has become a blanket policy. They're only little, they have small bladders. I'm fuming about it.
"My boy, he's too polite to put his hand up and ask to go to the toilet because he knows he'll be told 'no', he doesn't feel comfortable asking.
"He started having issues with his bladder and I took him to the GP who was gobsmacked that the school had this as a policy."
Principal Deborah Farr denied children were not allowed to go to the toilet during class.
She said: "Obviously, we are disappointed to hear that a parent is not happy with the current provision and access in school to toilet facilities.
"However, I can confidently reassure parents that whilst we do want to limit any disruption to learning, all teachers allow students to leave a lesson to go to the toilet if necessary.
"Regarding the queues at break and lunch time, this is simply not the case. Students have free access to the toilets at any time during breaks and I have never once seen a queue."
