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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published:16 August 2007

Shared changing rooms a recipe for real rowdiness

• I WRITE as a school teacher concerned about the effect on discipline mixed sex facilities would have on our students. (Changing village wave of protest, August 9).
It is not just a matter of morality or decency, although those objections cannot be discarded by the council coalition.
Purely and simply, kids do behave better with their own gender.
The moment clever adults decide to have them share showers or changing rooms, one can expect more than usually rowdy behaviour from both boys and girls.
It does not take a huge amount of experience with children to anticipate the problems mixed facilities create.
As much as schools desperately need the refurbishment of the Kentish Town swimming baths to teach children how to swim, no one will thank Camden for imposing mixed showers and changing rooms.
As for Fiona Dean’s report on the Kentish Town sports centre facilities (Changing rooms will offer sport centre a flexible mix, August 9), the mind boggles trying to figure out what it is that the designers have in mind.
Ms Dean, just keep it simple and effective rather than try to offer so many permutations of special need cubicles and other mixed uses which are likely to turn everybody off.
Sometimes the road to simplicity takes many turns and twists.
I hope Camden gets the message in time to save the Kentish Town swimming baths from disaster.
STEPHEN RUSSELL
Savernake Road NW3

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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