The move has sparked outrage among parents of students — many of whom have decided to keep their children home as part of a protest — at St Mary’s College in Wallasey, UK.

Pictures sent to The Independent show that the toilet facility’s doors are now exposed to an open corridor, and are in clear sight of at least one classroom and a CCTV camera.

The new layout was reportedly designed so pupils can’t hide in them between lessons but has reportedly led to them feeling “scared and unsafe”.

Tara Hodgson Jones saw the revamped facilities when she attended a parents’ information session at the school on Friday. She said she will keep her daughter, who is in Year 11 at the school, at home until it was reversed.

“My sister and neighbours are doing the same with their daughters,” Ms Hodgson Jones added.

She also has fears for her son, who is in Year 9 at the school.

“Apparently they are starting on the boys’ toilets next week, so I’ll be keeping my son off too if they do the same,” she said.

“We tried to talk to my son’s head of year about it but he said he couldn’t comment and that we would have to make an appointment with the head teacher on Monday, which we will be doing.

“I want this resolved — my daughter sits her GCSEs [Year 11 exams] this year so this is an extreme measure on my part.”

Ms Hodgson Jones said there were other ways to tackle bullying, truancy and smoking.

“If the problem is bullying, smoking and skipping class they could have approached it in so many other ways,” she said.

“My daughter was bullied in Year 10 and that was in the classroom, the yard and the lunch hall, so thinking that taking a toilet wall down will stop it is stupid.

“As for smoking, put alarms in. As for skipping class, use frosted glass so teachers can see shapes when they walk past.

“My daughter feels scared and unsafe — it’s shocking.”

The Catholic school describes its mission as being “inspired by the spirit of Jesus Christ” and “for the personal development of every member through service to each other”.

One parent wrote on Twitter: “My daughter has come home [the] last two days from this school and feels appalled by this, and says she has no privacy.”

Another said: “My daughter attends this school and I don’t see it as a bad thing — I do believe it’s for the protection of the students and school safety.

“Really don’t know what the fuss is about?”