Survey findings reveal that 80% of school staff say they have seen a rise in “hygiene poverty” in the last year, with 26% having seen children missing whole school days because of it.
A study published by the Clean Up Child Hygiene Poverty campaign and involving more than 500 UK teaching staff reported students regularly arriving at school in dirty uniforms and with unclean hair or teeth.
Teaching staff in the survey estimate that they have spent an average of £27 of their own money in the last year on hygiene prodcuts for their students – which would equate to more than £40m across the country.
The campaign has now taken the issue to Westminster, delivering an open letter to the government's new Child Poverty Taskforce calling for action.
Campaigners took the opportunity to erect a giant washing line outside Parliament adorned with 40 pieces of children’s school uniform – representing the £40m being spent by teachers this year.
The campaign has been launched by Smol – a cleaning products company – and the charity The Hygiene Bank, with support from the NASUWT.
Of the things paid for by staff, half of the respondents said they had bought laundry detergent, while 60% said they had bought soap and other toiletries – 40% of respondents said they had even washed students’ uniforms themselves.
Overall, the respondents estimated that a third of their students are experiencing, or have experienced at some point this year, hygiene poverty of some kind.
The campaign's open letter was delivered to the co-chairs of the government’s Child Poverty Taskforce – Liz Kendall MP and Bridget Phillipson MP, who is also the education secretary – asking that hygiene poverty form part of the government’s planned Child Poverty Strategy.
The campaign is also inviting members of the public to raise the issue of hygiene poverty with their MPs.
Ruth Brock, CEO at The Hygiene Bank, added: “Hygiene poverty is a silent crisis that impacts not only children's health and wellbeing, but also their ability to participate fully in school – potentially limiting their life chances.
“Teachers need to be able to teach – they should not be left to fill the gap, financially and emotionally, by providing these essentials. The government’s Child Poverty Taskforce must urgently address this issue ensuring that no child’s future is limited by the shame and isolation caused by hygiene poverty.”
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, added: “No child should suffer the shame and embarrassment of coming to school in dirty and unwashed clothes because their family either can’t afford to wash them, or doesn’t have enough money for spare items of school uniform – which are becoming increasingly expensive for many.
“It is undeniable that teachers are having to pick up the pieces of rising levels of child poverty, caused by the worst cost of living crisis in half a century. We welcome the new government’s pledges to tackle this issue and we want to see them look carefully at the issue of hygiene poverty and take steps to address this as part of the Child Poverty Taskforce.”
The Hygiene Bank is a community-led national charity and social movement tackling hygiene poverty in the UK. Smol, meanwhile, has provided mini-laundrettes to 100 UK schools since 2020 as part of its Suds in Schools initiative to help schools support children and their families with access to clean clothes.
- Clean Up Child Hygiene Poverty: www.smolproducts.com/clean-up-child-hygiene-poverty
- Child Poverty Taskforce: www.gov.uk/government/groups/child-poverty-taskforce
- The Hygiene Bank: www.thehygienebank.com