Latest news with #Freedom4Girls
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Girls on period skipping school over toilet rules, says charity
Girls have been absent from school during their periods because of fears they will not be allowed out of class to go to the toilet, a charity has West Yorkshire-based Freedom4Girls said students had reported being refused permission to leave class and were unable to concentrate because they were worried about leaking."They've been telling us that they're missing school because the toilets are locked during lessons and they're embarrassed about asking to go," charity founder Tina Leslie Department for Education said it was for schools to decide when pupils take toilet breaks, but they were expected to be mindful of their duty of care responsibilities. A 17-year-old girl from Leeds, who did not want to be named, said she had avoided school at the start of her period."I wouldn't want to go in because I didn't want teachers to tell me that I can't go," she which provides period products to schools in Leeds, said it had received emails from worried parents for several years on the subject. "Girls are missing up to a month of education every year and it's not acceptable," said Ms Leslie."Their attainment levels are dropping, their truancy levels are going up. "Girls want to go to school to learn, they don't want to go to school and worry that they're going to leak." Leeds Youth Parliament member Wania, 15, took part in a period dignity debate at the House of Commons and said the issue was a priority for her."I think simply taking bathroom access away is taking away human rights from young people," she said."They have a right to access a bathroom when they need it and they should be able to do that."Wania said the impact of toilets being locked during lessons affected the whole school day."These measures are put in place because of schools thinking it will either disrupt lessons or students will skip lessons and hide in bathrooms, but blanket banning it doesn't address the problem." Individual schools have their own policies on using bathrooms during lessons, with some providing passes to students and others locking toilets until break High School in Sheffield said it had enough staff to ensure students could always be escorted to bathrooms whenever they needed to use them."It's discreet," said head teacher Lisa McCall."Boys and girls can ask for a toilet request and it's part of the culture that students ask for it."As soon as the request is put through, that student is picked up and escorted."Ms McCall said period products were provided in bathrooms and education about periods was a priority for the school."We want to have a culture whereby the stigma around periods is gone," she said."Although we do some work with girls on their own, most lessons and assemblies will be everybody together because it's important that the boys also hear it and talk about it." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Free period products on offer at Leeds leisure centres
Free reusable period products are being handed out at leisure centres across Leeds over the coming poverty charity Freedom 4 Girls and Active Leeds have teamed up to give out items such as reusable pads at centres across the city throughout May, June and will be encouraged to swap their disposable products for sustainable ones, with donated items used to stock the leisure centres' period two pilot events held earlier this year more than 200 free sustainable products were handed out and 100 packets of disposable products were donated. Leeds City Council said one in 10 girls in the UK cannot afford period products, and a lack of access can mean missing school, work and physical O'Byrne, from Freedom 4 Girls, said she hoped the events would help remove the barriers around talking about periods. She said: "The main reason [behind the initiative] is that it starts the conversation about periods, menstruation, what it means to be a menstruating person, and the fact that there should be period products available anywhere there is toilet roll"Its been so gorgeous the amount of people who have turned up [at the pilot events] and heard what was going on."It has been really well received. Not just by mums and adult women, but men, dads and young people have also got involved." Salma Arif, the council's executive member for adult social care, active social care, active lifestyles and culture said: "It's more than just access to reusable and sustainable period products, it's about normalising conversations, building confidence and ensuring no one is left behind because of their period." Events are taking place at the following locations: Kirkstall Leisure Centre – 21 MayArmley Leisure Centre – 22 MayGarforth Leisure Centre – 11 JuneRothwell Leisure Centre – 12 JuneMiddleton Leisure Centre – 25 JunePudsey Leisure Centre – 26 JuneScott Hall Leisure Centre – 9 JulyFearnville Leisure Centre – 10 JulyJohn Smeaton Leisure Centre – 16 JulyMorley Leisure Centre – 17 July Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
