Schools in Buckinghamshire not accessing free period products
The government scheme launched in January 2020
Schools across Buckinghamshire are not accessing the Government's free period product scheme.
Only around half of Buckinghamshire's schools are taking advantage of a Government scheme to provide free period products, figures reveal.
The Red Box Project, which campaigned for the scheme to be introduced, said all schools should be taking part to support the one in 10 young people experiencing period poverty.
They are available to all pupils who need them, including those who have forgotten products, start their period unexpectedly, or cannot afford them.
Department for Education data shows that only 58% of the 193 state-funded schools in Buckinghamshire ordered free period products for their pupils between the start of the scheme in January 2020 and the end of last year.
Tina Lesley founder of Freedom4Girls says the scheme is necessary but needs some changes:
"I think the issue with the whole system, which is a brilliant one and we helped fight for free period products in school, is that it is an opt in scheme.
"Some schools may not think they have pupils that are suffering from period poverty, so they don't think they need to order things. Not having access to period products can create health issues, emotional health and well being. What are they using if there is no access to period products?
"Last year there was a lot of missed school so that's a lot of missed education around periods. In 2017 we spoke to a girl who had a period for 2 years and didn't know what it was she had just been dealing with it herself using tissue each month.
"I think there is still a lot of taboo around the subject of periods and period products, its almost a shameful thing and that should be reversed.
"It is a natural bodily function. period poverty is not an easy thing to talk about but we have to have these conversations to make students aware and know it isn't shameful to ask for them."
Schools can order the products online and they are delivered to them free of charge.
Products they can order include period pads and tampons, and environmentally friendly alternatives such as period cups and reusable pads.
The figures show £22,164 was spent in total to provide the products in Buckinghamshire.
Each participating school spent on average £198, around 46% of the £432 spend cap.
A report published by the DfE said that schools had been less likely to order period products while pupils were learning from home during the pandemic.
Across England, the uptake of the scheme has been around 41% in primary schools, and 76% across secondary schools.
A Department for Education spokesman said:
“No pupil should ever have to miss school because of their period.
“More than three-quarters of state secondary schools and colleges in England accessed period products using the Government’s scheme during its first year.
“The scheme remained in operation during partial school and college closures, and now that they have returned we expect uptake of the scheme to return to pre-lockdown levels.”