Most school staff saw pupils arriving in dirty uniforms – survey – The Irish News

Most teachers have witnessed children coming to school with dirty clothes, unwashed hair and unbrushed teeth over the past year and expect the situation to worsen, according to the survey.

Four in five (80%) school staff believe that the problem of “hygiene poverty” has increased in their school over the last year, with a third of them saying that the increase was “significant” according to the survey.

A survey of 500 UK school staff who have contact with pupils at least five days a week suggests that almost three in 10 (28%) children have repeatedly missed school due to poor hygiene.

According to a September survey by Censuswide, more than three in five (62%) saw students wearing dirty uniforms or physical education supplies, and 60% noticed unwashed hair and unclean teeth.

A survey of school staff conducted for Bank Higieny and the cleaning brand smol shows that students affected by hygiene poverty experienced low self-esteem, bullying and isolation.

Almost two in three (63%) school staff said they expected the level of hygiene poverty in their school to increase in the coming year.

School staff reported that they personally washed students’ uniforms and purchased soap, toiletries and laundry detergent for families in need.

The survey found that school staff spent on average around £27 out of pocket on supporting pupils with hygiene poverty last year.

The smol brand, in partnership with The Hygiene Bank, has launched the Clean Up Child Hygiene Poverty campaign, which calls on the government to address this issue in its upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.

The campaign, supported by teachers’ union NASUWT, is calling on members of the public to write to their local MP to draw the task force’s attention to hygiene poverty among children.

Hygiene Bank and smol estimated that UK school staff spent around £40 million of their own money last year supporting pupils struggling with hygiene poverty.

Ruth Brock, chief executive of The Hygiene Bank, said: “It is heartbreaking that in 2024, children in the UK will be missing out on education because their families cannot afford what they need to stay clean.

“Hygiene poverty is a silent crisis that affects not only children’s health and well-being, but also their ability to participate fully in school, potentially limiting their life chances. Teachers must be able to teach; they should not be left to their own devices to fill the financial and emotional gap by providing these essentials.

“The Government’s Child Poverty Task Force must urgently address this issue, ensuring that no child’s future is limited by the shame and isolation caused by hygiene poverty.”

Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “No child should have to feel the shame and embarrassment of coming to school with dirty and unwashed clothes because their family either can’t afford to wash them or don’t have enough money to spare.” school uniform items that are becoming increasingly expensive for many.

“There is no denying that teachers must cope with rising levels of child poverty caused by the worst cost of living crisis in half a century.”

Hilary Strong, Suds in Schools lead at smol, said: “As one school staff member noted in our study, ‘every child has the right to be clean and feel clean’.

“The right to clean clothing has never been more important, and smol research shows that children’s hygiene has a huge impact not only on their well-being and learning, but also on those responsible for protecting them.

“Staff, charities and organizations have provided essential support for children and their families, but we now need more support at government level so that we can work together to tackle child hygiene poverty.”

A Government spokesman said: “We are taking action to deliver on our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and remove the stain of child poverty from our country.

“This includes legislation to reduce the cost of school uniforms by reducing the number of branded items, and as many as 750 schools will start providing breakfast clubs as early as April next year.

“We have also established a Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Education Secretary and the Work and Pensions Secretary, to listen to frontline workers and struggling families and develop an ambitious strategy to increase household incomes, reduce basic costs and address the challenges felt by people living in poverty.