● Poll reveals teachers’ toilet dilemma for students on their period
● Most learners denied access to toilets during lessons
● Students bleeding through uniforms when loo off limits
● Teachers’ fears over vaping, bullying and truancy driving restricted access
● Guide and toilet policy toolkit launched for schools to tackle issues around toilet access to achieve period equality and beyond
Toilets are staying locked and permission to be excused from lessons denied – leaving some learners on their periods to bleed through their uniforms. These are the new insights from a shocking new poll of teachers by phs Group in partnership with Irise International.
The new research reveals that two in three students (65%) are unable to access toilets at their school freely at any time, with almost a third (29%) needing permission from a teacher to leave the classroom and 15% requiring a pass to be issued.
One in 20 teachers (5%) reported school toilets being locked at some point during the school day, including break times, with 4% saying they were shut all the time.
One in six teachers (16%) has prevented a student who has periods from using the bathroom during class. When pressed on the reasons why, they believed learners merely wanted to skip lessons (39%) or meet friends (34%). A third (30%) felt that students on their periods should wait until the end of a lesson – and sadly, one quarter (26%) reported an issue after denying access to the loo, such as bleeding through uniforms.
An encouraging 96% of secondary schools have signed up to the Department of Education’s period equality scheme in England, and the scheme is widely acknowledged as a huge success. The research reveals issues with access to products, with some schools not making period products freely available due to concerns about it being abused. A third of teachers (29%) fear products will be damaged.
phs Group, the leading hygiene services provider, runs the longest running research into period inequality and education in the UK, and delivers a number of period equality schemes in schools, including the Department for Education’s period equality scheme.
phs Group has teamed up with global menstrual justice charity, Irise, to shine a light on the challenges faced by teachers in providing learners with fair toilet access, as well as products they need while on their period.
The latest study – Period Equality: Teaching a Valuable Lesson – is the fourth consecutive research paper on period inequality in the UK conducted over six years with the aim of raising awareness about the issue, tackling the stigma associated with menstruation, and removing the barriers faced by learners on their periods.
For the first time phs’ research gauges secondary school teachers’ attitudes and knowledge about period equality schemes and toilet access. The research, guide and toolkit capture the complexity of the issues faced by teachers shining a light on the tensions between teachers and students around issues which restrict toilet access such as fears around student safety.
When probed about why toilet access was restricted, vaping tops the list of fears about allowing washroom access during lessons (48%), followed by truancy (46%), a belief that students are lying about needing to relieve themselves (33%), vandalism (27%) and bullying or assaults (27%).
The partnership and toolkit aim to help students and teachers to work together to find solutions that work for everybody to ensure safe access for students
Chrissy Cattle, CEO, of Irise International, which works to dismantle menstrual injustice around the world, said:
“Restricted toilet access in schools remains a major barrier to education for young people who menstruate. In developing this toolkit, we have been horrified by reports of school toilets being locked throughout the day and government-funded period products being hidden away in cupboards - completely inaccessible to the students who need them.
“We know schools are under immense pressure, but the reality is that young people who menstruate, as well as those with bladder and bowel conditions, are paying the highest price for these restrictions. Education is a right, and no student should have to choose between their period and their learning.
“Our UK Schools Toilet Policy Toolkit - produced by young people, educators, and sector experts recognises the complexity of the issue while providing schools with practical solutions to meet the needs of the school and its students.”
Launching today 21st May is the new research paper, a best practice guide and a downloadable toilet policy toolkit, in a bid to end restricted access to school loos and ensure that free period products for menstruating learners are always available and within reach. The toilet policy toolkit has been developed for UK schools by young people, educators and sector experts.
Immense strides have been taken to give learners access to free period products through public sector-funded schemes resulting in a 96% uptake in secondary schools. The new research probes the disparity between widespread availability of free period products and learners being able to use them – with teachers’ experiences and opinions crucial to unlocking what’s going on in classrooms and toilets up and down the country.
Among its key findings, the survey reveals a worrying toilet policy in many schools is contributing to classroom absence caused by periods – on average three school days each term or 54 days over the course of their school or college life.
Kelly Greenaway, period equality lead at phs Group, the washroom provider delivering a range of period equity initiatives across the UK – including providing schools and colleges with period products via a range of public-sector funded schemes – said:
“Huge progress has been made to tackle period inequality thanks to the implementation of life-changing period equality schemes but through our research, we became aware that widespread availability of free period products was not being matched by access for all.
“This latest research provides crucial insight and honest opinions from those at the frontline of education. Many teachers feel torn between implementing school policy and supporting students on their periods who need immediate access to a toilet. No learner should ever be forced to endure the shame and embarrassment of bleeding through their uniform because they are not allowed to leave their lesson. We need to give teachers the training, knowledge, support and tools to ensure that toilet access is a given – a right – for any learner on their period.”
Dr Maria Tomlinson a lecturer in public communication and gender at Sheffield University said:
“My research shows pupils are struggling to access the free period products because they are stored far from classrooms and even locked away. One young woman said to me: “Reception was in a completely different building across the courtyard, so it’s not like I’m going to go to the loo, discover I have my period, go to the front desk, get some stuff and then go back. It’s too time-consuming. If I have classes, I can’t use it.”
“Due to a combination of period shame and poverty stigma, none of the pupils who interviewed felt able to raise these issues with their teachers. Irise’s UK Schools Toilet Policy Toolkit and phs Group’s Best Practice Guide will empower pupils raise their concerns and support staff to implement the scheme effectively. As access to period products ensure girls can attend school and concentrate during lessons and exams, the successful implementation of the period product scheme combined with effective toilet policies are vital for gender equality.”
