The new layout at St Mary’s College in Wallasey means pupils can no longer hide in between lessons.

Though parents are keeping their children at home in protest of the move which they say is making pupils feel “scared and unsafe”.

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

Tara Hodgson Jones, who has a daughter in year 11 and a son in year 9 at the school, told The Independent that she is keeping her daughter at home as she does not feel safe with the new toilet layout.

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

“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.”