Hand dryers for schools: key facts
- School Premises (England) Regulations 2012, regulation 4: suitable toilet and washing facilities for the sole use of pupils, with separate toilets for boys and girls aged 8 or over unless a toilet is in a lockable room for one pupil at a time.
- DfE advice says hand washing facilities should be within or in the immediate vicinity of every toilet. It says nothing specific about dryers versus towels.
- UKHSA guidance for children and young people's settings asks for liquid soap, warm water and paper towels, with towel dispensers next to basins and a foot-operated bin nearby.
- There's no official ratio for hand dryers in schools. Size them from the break-time peak in each toilet block.
- A peer-reviewed study of 44 public hand dryers found many were louder than 100 dBA with hands in the airflow, and many were louder at children's ear height than adults'.
- Approved Document T's requirement T1 does not apply to schools or early years premises.
- Fitting a dryer is electrical work for a competent electrician. Plan it for a school holiday.
What makes hand drying in a school different from an office?
Demand arrives in short, sharp peaks when classes are released; the users are children, some with sensory needs, who react to noise and height differently from adults; and fittings get much harder use. Schools also have their own premises regulations and infection control guidance.
A toilet block can sit almost empty for an hour and then fill in the first few minutes of lunch. A dryer that copes with an office can leave pupils queuing with wet hands, or walking off without drying at all. And the users are different:
- Age range. Reception children and Year 6 pupils may share a block. One mounting height rarely suits everyone.
- Sensory needs. Some pupils, including some autistic pupils, find sudden loud noises distressing, and may avoid the toilet or skip handwashing because of it.
- Behaviour. Buttons get jammed, nozzles get stuffed with paper and units get pulled off weak walls, all without staff watching.
What do the DfE and UKHSA say about school toilets and hand drying?
The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 require suitable toilet and washing facilities for pupils but don't say how hands are dried. UKHSA's guidance for children and young people's settings says to provide liquid soap, warm water and paper towels, with towel dispensers next to basins and a foot-operated bin nearby.
The regulations. Regulation 4 of the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 requires suitable toilet and washing facilities for the sole use of pupils, and separate toilets for boys and girls aged 8 or over unless the toilet is in a room that can be secured from inside and is meant for one pupil at a time. Academies and independent schools have equivalent wording in the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.
DfE advice. The DfE's Advice on standards for school premises (March 2015) says toilets should have hand washing facilities within or in the immediate vicinity of every toilet, be adequately ventilated and lit, and be placed for easy access and informal staff supervision without compromising privacy. It also says limiting hot water to washbasins in nursery and primary schools to 43°C is good practice.
UKHSA guidance. Health protection in children and young people's settings, including education says to ensure everyone has access to liquid soap, warm water and paper towels, and to place disposable paper towels next to basins in wall-mounted dispensers with a nearby foot-operated bin. It also asks settings to teach pupils why hand hygiene matters, and points to UKHSA's free e-Bug resources for ages 3 to 16.
This guidance is for England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own school premises rules and public health guidance.
Should a school choose hand dryers or paper towels?
There's rarely one answer for a whole school. Paper towels match the UKHSA guidance; dryers can avoid towel litter, refills and flushed towels but bring noise and queuing issues. You can decide room by room, with towels where hygiene risk is highest or pupils are youngest.
Our general guide to hand dryers vs paper towels covers running costs and the hygiene research. In a school, these factors matter too:
| Factor | Paper towels | Hand dryers |
|---|---|---|
| Guidance (England) | Matches UKHSA guidance | Not what UKHSA describes: risk-assess and record why |
| Break-time peaks | Several pupils can take a towel at once | One pupil per dryer, so you need enough units |
| Misuse | Towels flushed, stuffed in sinks or scattered | Buttons jammed, nozzles stuffed, units damaged |
| Running out | Empty dispenser means no drying until refilled | Works until it breaks: needs checks and a repair plan |
| Noise | Quiet | Can be loud, especially at children's ear height |
Compare costs with your own numbers: what you spend on towels and bin bags each year, the time staff spend refilling and clearing up, and how often toilets block. Ask suppliers for each dryer's rated power so you can work out electricity use for your number of drying cycles, and ignore headline savings that aren't based on your school.
How many hand dryers does a school toilet block need at break time?
Work from the peak, not the daily total. Count how many pupils wash their hands in the busiest few minutes of break or lunch, then divide by how many pupils one dryer can serve in that time. Watch the block for a few days first: real pupil behaviour beats any rule of thumb.
The regulations don't set a number of dryers. DfE advice gives example ratios for toilets and washbasins (one of each per 10 pupils under 5, one per 20 for ages 5 to 11, and one toilet per 20 pupils over 11). Dryers need to keep up with the basins in each block, not the school roll.
- Pick the worst moment. Usually the start of lunch or the end of PE. Ask duty staff which block is busiest.
- Count. Count pupils using the basins in that window over a few days.
- Time a real dry. Take the supplier's stated drying time and add time for pupils stepping up and away. Children rarely use a dryer the way the brochure assumes.
- Divide. Pupils in the window ÷ (window length ÷ time per pupil) = dryers needed to avoid a queue.
- Check the layout. Spread dryers along the basins so pupils don't drip across the floor to one unit in the corner.
If you need more dryers than you have wall space for, towels (which several pupils can use at once) may suit that block better.
Are hand dryers too loud for children and pupils with sensory needs?
Some can be. A peer-reviewed study of 44 public hand dryers in Canada found many were louder than 100 dBA with hands in the airflow, and many were louder at children's ear height. Some autistic pupils and pupils with hyperacusis find sudden loud noises distressing, so put noise in the specification.
A study in Paediatrics & Child Health (2020), carried out by a school student in Calgary, measured 44 dryers in public washrooms at children's and adults' ear heights. Many were louder than 100 dBA with hands in the airstream, the loudest reading was 121 dBA, many were louder at children's ear height, and many ran louder than their manufacturers claimed. These were public washrooms in Canada, not UK schools, but a child's ear is closer to the airflow than an adult's.
A study of 412 children referred to a hyperacusis clinic in Edinburgh (International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 2018) found 82% were sensitive to noise from household appliances and hand dryers, and 60% had a background of autism spectrum disorder. The National Autistic Society explains that autistic people who are hyper-sensitive to sound may find sudden noises more distressing than others do.
- Ask how noise was measured: at what distance, and with hands in the airflow or not.
- Ask about adjustable speed. Slower can be quieter but means longer drying, which affects your queue numbers.
- Hear it first. Ask for a demonstration in your own tiled washroom and listen at pupil height.
- Give pupils a choice. Keep paper towels in at least one toilet, such as a quieter single room, and ask your SENCo which pupils this affects.
What makes a hand dryer vandal-resistant enough for a school?
Look for a robust casing, no push buttons, tamper-proof fixings, no gaps that can be stuffed with paper, and secure fixing into a wall that can take the load. Ask which models the supplier fits in secondary schools and what the warranty says about damage.
- Casing. Ask what it's made of, how thick it is, and where the supplier has fitted that model in other schools.
- Controls. Sensor dryers have no button to jam. Ask whether there's a maximum run time if something is held in front of the sensor.
- Openings. Fewer, smaller openings and no reachable filters leave less to stuff with paper, gum or pencils.
- Fixings and walls. Tamper-proof screws stop pupils getting inside; a heavy unit on a weak partition can be pulled off.
- Drips. Ask how water is managed and who cleans it: wet floors are a slip risk.
- Isolation. Ask your electrician to put any isolator where staff can reach it but pupils can't play with it.
Get warranty terms in writing, including deliberate damage and how quickly a replacement can be fitted. A dryer out of action for half a term means wet hands.
What height should hand dryers be in a primary or secondary school?
We found no official mounting height for school hand dryers in the guidance we checked. Measure the pupils who use each block, ask the supplier for its recommended height for that age group, and in an accessible toilet make sure a seated user can dry their hands.
- Measure the users. Where a block serves a wide age range, consider dryers at two heights.
- Ask the supplier for its recommended height for that age group, and how it arrived at it.
- Think about noise. Airflow near a small child's head will be louder for them.
- Keep drying next to the basins, clear of doorways.
- Accessible toilets. Approved Document M Volume 2, para 5.8, says a wheelchair-accessible unisex toilet should let a person wash and dry hands while seated on the WC. See our guide to disabled toilet regulations.
Agree final positions with the washroom designer and, where building work is involved, building control.
What about staff toilets, accessible toilets and hygiene rooms?
Staff toilets come under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which require towels or other suitable means of drying. Accessible toilets follow Approved Document M where building work is done. In hygiene and changing rooms, UKHSA's toileting guidance applies and paper towels by the basin are the usual choice.
Staff toilets. DfE advice says staff toilets should be separate from pupils' (except those designed for disabled people) and points to regulations 20 and 21 of the Workplace Regulations 1992. Regulation 21 requires towels or other suitable means of drying, so a dryer or towels can meet it.
Accessible toilets. DfE advice says each toilet for disabled pupils needs a toilet and washbasin, with a door opening on to a circulation space that isn't a staircase. It notes Part M is satisfied if a wheelchair user doesn't travel more than 40m horizontally to an accessible toilet, and that for young pupils the distance may need to be less. A Doc M pack covers the main sanitaryware and grab rails; hand drying still needs positioning for a seated user.
Hygiene rooms. Where staff help pupils with toileting or continence care, UKHSA asks for a designated area with hand washing readily available, and for staff to wash and dry their hands after every change. If your school offers community facilities, see our guide to Changing Places toilets.
How should a school or trust buy and install hand dryers?
Follow your school or trust's procurement rules: the DfE's Buying for schools guidance sets out permitted buying routes and DfE-approved buying options in England. Book installation for a holiday, use a competent electrician, and get models, positions and noise levels confirmed in writing before you order.
The DfE's Buying for schools guidance sets out buying routes that keep schools in England compliant with procurement rules, including DfE-approved buying options. Maintained schools should also check local authority financial regulations; academies, their trust's scheme of delegation. A single specification across a trust makes quotes easier to compare and spares easier to stock. Include:
- each toilet block, its peak pupil numbers and age range;
- where paper towels will stay, and why;
- the noise level you'll accept and how it must be measured;
- vandal resistance, mounting heights and warranty on damage;
- maintenance: cleaning, filters, call-out times and spares.
Hand dryers need a suitable electrical supply, designed, installed and tested by a competent electrician to the wiring regulations (BS 7671). It isn't a caretaker job. New circuits and making good walls are noisy and dusty, so book half term or the summer holiday, and order early. If it's part of a wider refurbishment, your designer should check whether building control is involved.
Related guides
Hand dryers for schools: frequently asked questions
Do schools have to provide hand dryers?
No. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 require suitable toilet and washing facilities for pupils but don't say how hands are dried. UKHSA guidance for education settings in England asks for paper towels by the basins, so if you choose dryers, risk-assess and record the decision.
Are paper towels required in schools?
UKHSA's guidance for children and young people's settings says everyone should have access to liquid soap, warm water and paper towels, with towel dispensers next to basins. Talk to your health and safety lead or local health protection team before replacing them.
How many hand dryers does a school need?
There's no official ratio. Count pupils washing their hands in the busiest few minutes of break or lunch, time a realistic dry, and work out how many units avoid a queue, block by block.
Are hand dryers bad for children's hearing?
A peer-reviewed study of 44 public hand dryers in Canada found many were louder than 100 dBA with hands in the airflow, and many were louder at children's ear height. Ask how noise figures were measured and listen to a unit at pupil height.
What can we do for autistic pupils who are scared of hand dryers?
Ask your SENCo which pupils are affected and keep paper towels in at least one toilet they use. A quieter dryer, or one with adjustable speed, may help in shared blocks.
What height should a hand dryer be in a primary school?
We haven't found an official height. Measure the pupils who use the block, ask the supplier for its recommended height for that age group, and consider two heights where ages are mixed.
Does Approved Document T apply to school toilets?
No. Approved Document T says requirement T1 doesn't apply to schools or early years premises, and points to the School Premises Regulations and the Independent School Standards instead.
Can our caretaker fit the hand dryers?
No. Connecting a hand dryer to the electrical supply is work for a competent electrician to install and test. Book it for a holiday so pupils aren't near the work.
Do the same rules apply in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. The regulations and guidance on this page are for England. The other nations have their own school premises rules and public health guidance.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 11 November 2026:
- The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012, regulation 4 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Advice on standards for school premises, DfE, March 2015 (GOV.UK)
- Preventing and controlling infections in children and young people's settings, UKHSA (GOV.UK)
- Keegan NL. Children who say hand dryers 'hurt my ears' are correct. Paediatrics & Child Health, 2020 (PubMed)
- Amir I et al. Hyperacusis in children: the Edinburgh experience. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2018 (PubMed)
- Sensory differences, National Autistic Society