Best Practice

Tackling period poverty: Secondary school roll-out

Government policy Pupil wellbeing Poverty Attendance
In an average classroom of 30, two girls will miss school due to period poverty. The government has now agreed to fund free sanitary products in schools to help end period poverty. Chris Brown looks at what the research says and how schools might approach implementation

Period poverty is the term used to describe the inability to afford or access sanitary products.

The #freeperiods campaign, which was launched by student Amika George two years ago, estimates that more than 137,700 children in the UK have missed school because of period poverty.

It highlights that menstrual products cost women £13 a month and that 40 per cent of UK girls say they have used toilet roll because they cannot afford period products.

Furthermore, one in seven girls struggle to afford sanitary wear and one in 10 are unable to pay for these essential products, according to 2017 research from charity Plan International UK.

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