By Ashley Pemberton,Josh Pennington,Kelly-Ann Kiernan

Copyright dailystar

A schoolboy with a diagnosed medical condition has been kept out of school after being denied access to the toilet during lessons – despite a hospital’s letter stating he needs urgent access when required. Bailey Wood, a year 10 pupil at St George’s School in Blackpool, is under the care of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital’s urology department for a condition that means he needs the loo at short notice. His parents, Macala and Daniel Wood, say that despite Bailey having no issues accessing the toilet in previous school years, a change in policy at the start of this term means he is no longer allowed to leave class – even with a medical letter supporting his needs. The teenager, who boasts an outstanding behaviour record and received recognition at the end of year 9 for never accumulating a single negative behaviour point throughout the entire academic year, simply wishes to focus on his education, his parents say. Speaking to the Mirror, charity worker Macala said: “Bailey has issues going to the toilet and can need to go at short notice. He’s always been able to go to the toilet in year 7, year 8, year 9, no problem at all. “And then last week we got a call out of the blue saying that Bailey could no longer have a toilet pass because his letter from Alder Hey was a year old, so it didn’t stand anymore. Funnily enough, we had an appointment the same week, so Alder Hey wrote us another letter, no problem, it’s all on headed paper.” The letter states: “Bailey is currently under the care of the Urology Team at Alder Hey Hospital. As part of his treatment plan we are encouraging Bailey to maintain a good oral intake and to visit the toilet regularly and routinely, it is essential Bailey has access to his water bottle whilst in school in order to ensure that he is able to reach his recommended oral intake totals over the course of the day. “Furthermore, I would be grateful if you could issue Bailey with a toilet pass so that he is able to access the toilet as and when required. Bailey does experience sudden urgency which means he has little or no warning prior to needing the toilet and therefore Bailey can become very anxious in relation to accessing the toilet at school.” Even after providing this documentation, Bailey’s mum and dad claim he was still refused bathroom access the next day, with three separate teachers declining to recognise his medical note. Following the family’s enquiries about why Bailey wasn’t being permitted to use the facilities, they assert they received a telephone call the following day announcing Bailey would only be granted a pass for afternoon sessions. Macala, 47, asked: “Where’s the logic in that? Does Bailey not need the toilet in the morning? They don’t understand his condition, it doesn’t work like that, if he needs to go, he needs to go. “They’ve got a letter from Alder Hey. I was quite furious, to be honest. I kept my cool, I didn’t swear or anything, but I said, my child cannot be at school if he can’t access the toilet, it’s as simple as that. “It’s putting him in an embarrassing situation, he’d be worried the whole time that he couldn’t go to the toilet and might wet himself. I told them ‘I’m taking my son out of school until I can have written confirmation that my child can go to the toilet when he needs to go’.” She added: “He’s just about to start doing GCSEs, it’s very important that he’s in school, we want him to be at that school, but we just want him to be able to go to the toilet. We don’t want him off school. Bailey wants us to speak up as he doesn’t want another child to have to go through this.” Currently, Bailey is being kept out of school while his parents negotiate with the institution. Both the school and his parents confirmed to the Mirror that they have held discussions regarding the issue. Bailey was all set to go back to school this week in his uniform, but when his parents reached the reception, they were told that a letter permitting Bailey to use the toilet as needed might take a few days to be issued. As a result, he continues to stay home. The school insists that the matter has been sorted and Bailey can return to his lessons. Graham Warnock, the headteacher of St George’s School in Blackpool, stresses that the health and wellbeing of all pupils is his top priority. He said: “We do not operate a formal toilet pass system; if a pupil needs to use the toilet during lessons, they can politely ask their teacher at any time. “We do have an adjustment policy for rare cases where pupils require more frequent or discreet access to the toilet, and this is recorded in our school system so that teachers are aware. These adjustments are usually agreed with parents and, where discretion is requested, often arranged for the afternoon when the school day is longer. “In this case, a discretion adjustment was put in place following a discussion with the parent, who requested discretion around the child’s medical needs. We are confident that our approach is in line with our duty of care and supports the welfare and dignity of all pupils.” For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .