TRINITY High School action in Redditch has been taking action to combat period poverty.
This refers to a lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints with the latest research showing that nationwide, one in ten young women aged 14 to 21 have been unable to afford period products.
This resulted in more than 137,700 girls missing school in the last year because they couldn’t afford sanitary products.
Trinity has always been able to provide emergency sanitary products to girls in school who have needed them.
However following recent donations of these products from charities and other organisations, the school’s first aid officer Michelle Blackwell came up with the idea of offering a free ‘SP pack’ each month to any girls who are eligible.
“Having a daughter myself, I cannot imagine how girls must feel every month if they are not able to carry on normally,” she said.
“The school has always supported girls with emergency supplies in school, and always will, but this is another step towards ending period poverty.”
Headteacher Adrian Ward added: “With the recent announcement by government that the Department for Education will lead work to develop a national scheme in
England to provide free sanitary products to girls in secondary schools, it is great we have been able to take the initiate to do this before their announcement.”
