‘At my school, you’re only allowed one toilet break a day, and during lesson time most of the toilets are locked and guarded by senior staff,’ says Millie, 16, when asked about being on her period at school.

The teen, from Glasgow, adds that her teachers have never stepped in to challenge or educate boys in her class who make unhelpful comments about periods.

New research by Plan International UK has revealed that period stigma is rife UK’s schools. Perhaps most shockingly, their findings show that 9% of girls and young women have been bullied or teased by a teacher about their period, while 28% had been bullied about it by their peers

More than half of the 1,000 girls who took part (56%) in the study admitted they felt ‘embarrassed’ or ‘ashamed’ when talking about periods with teachers, while 41% say they’ve never spoken openly to a boy or man about menstruation in their life. 

A lack of education is contributing to the problem, with one in four girls sharing that they have spent less than an hour learning about periods throughout their total time at school.

More worryingly, 20% of girls say they’ve been told in school that extreme period pain is normal.

What is it like for girls when they’re on their period at school?

Several mothers have told Metro that their teenage daughters have been barred from going to the toilet during lessons when on their period.

One mum from South Manchester, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘My 14-year-old daughter’s geography teacher wouldn’t let her go to the toilet even though she was having a heavy period.

‘She said: “If I can’t go to the toilet neither can you!” My daughter doesn’t want me to say anything [to the school], as she doesn’t want to make a fuss.’

Serena, 18, from Buckinghamshire, is one of the girls who doesn’t feel she has been given a ‘proper’ education about periods.

‘All we were told about was the biological definition and information that didn’t show that everyone’s periods are different. No one mentioned options like period pants, which would have made such a difference to me as an autistic person who has sensory issues,’ she said.

‘I’ve missed school days because of how painful my periods have been, and even then, teachers didn’t always see it as a valid reason. I was told, “everyone has periods, what’s so special about yours?”.’

She adds: ‘We should be learning not just about biology, but about how to manage periods, what’s normal for your body, how to support others, and how periods affect mental health.

‘I’ve seen boys act like periods are “gross” or something to be ashamed of, which spreads stigma further.’

What do teachers say about period education in school?

Even teachers admit more needs to be done. Hannah, 33, has been a high-school teacher for over 10 years. She told Metro that while she’s never witnessed teachers bullying girls on their periods, staff and students need to be better informed.

‘At one school I worked at, there was no period education whatsoever, and we were constantly sending girls home to change as they kept leaking through their clothes,’ she says.

‘These girls were missing hours and hours of education a month because they were ill-prepared, but when I brought up my concerns, I was told that this is something that just happens and we should let them go home to shower and change. I was so shocked at the relaxed “send them home” attitude.

‘Thankfully, lots of the kids lived in walking distance of the school, but I couldn’t help feeling that they needed to be better prepared for life – they’re not going to be able to keep going home to change when they have a job.’

It got to the point where Hannah, a drama teacher, took matters into her own hands.

‘I had to pull all of the girls into the sports hall to discuss periods,’ she said. ‘I told them where they could get free sanitary towels, how often they should be changing them, and about period tracking apps they could use, so they’d at least have an idea of when their period might be coming.’

And when it comes to letting girls go to the loo during class, Hannah claims it can be a bit of a ‘minefield’ for teachers to navigate, striking the right balance between being supportive, and knowing when someone is using periods as an excuse to get out of lessons.

‘Male staff tend to be quite uncomfortable about it, so if a girl says she’s on her period they will nearly always let them go to the toilet as they don’t want an argument about it,’ she explains.

‘There have been some girls who constantly claim they are on their period to get out of class, I had to tell them they couldn’t just shout period at a male member of staff to get out of lessons.’

Hannah adds that education needs to come from home too.

‘I’ve known children whose parents refused to talk about periods, or made them seem like an unclean thing, so they were really embarrassed about it.

‘There were a few students who would refuse to go to lessons as they were worried they would leak if they sat down, so they wanted to keep walking around. They thought their parents would be ashamed of them if they leaked, so there’s parental stigma to deal with as well.’

What should you do if your child is struggling with their period at school?

Plan International UK is launching a new initiative in partnership with the Nurofen See My Pain campaign, known as The Period Peers Programme. They will be supporting organisations, schools, youth groups, colleges and universities to become ‘Period Proud Environments’.

Lizzy Brothers, Period Peers Programme Coordinator, encourages parents to speak directly to their child’s school. She tells us: ‘We encourage parents to ask their child’s school what they’re doing to create a supportive, shame-free environment – like ensuring free period products are available, having a dedicated staff contact, and taking a clear stance against period shaming.’

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