Children in London are being forced out of classrooms because their families cannot afford basic hygiene products, according to stark new findings.
Teachers across the UK estimate that nearly three million pupils have experienced hygiene poverty in the past year, leading to an average of 6.5 days of missed schooling per child, the equivalent of over 23 million days of lost learning annually.
The research, carried out by laundry brand smol in partnership with The Hygiene Bank, found a sharp rise in teachers witnessing hygiene poverty, with reports up 68% compared with last year. Almost a quarter (24%) of teachers in Greater London said they have been aware of pupils experiencing hygiene poverty every day in the past year.
Staff have described pupils arriving in “filthy uniforms that hadn’t been washed for six weeks”, wearing the same clothes “for two weeks straight”, or breaking down in tears during support sessions because they were “too embarrassed to ask for soap”. One teacher told how classmates refused to sit near a pupil who “never washed”.
Long-term harm
Teachers warn that the consequences stretch far beyond missed school days. More than nine in ten (91%) believe children experiencing hygiene poverty are at risk of long-term harm.
Almost 7 in 10 (69%) of teachers in Greater London said hygiene poverty impacts children’s sense of self-worth/self-confidence long term and 63% said it affects their mental health, while 53% said it undermines their ability to form friendships/relationships. A third (33%) believe it will impact career and employability.
“Hygiene poverty has a huge impact on children, particularly as they get older. We see pupils who were once confident and engaged in class become withdrawn and quiet”, said Victoria Archer, deputy headteacher at a London school. “Their friendships fade, they stop putting themselves forward, and their progress in school begins to slip. It’s all linked to a drop in confidence- and it’s heartbreaking to watch.”
Shame and isolation
In classrooms across London, the impact hygiene poverty is having on young children’s lives is clear to see.
Almost a third (31%) of teachers in London said children in hygiene poverty are reluctant to participate in play time, while 46% reported pupils sitting apart from their peers.
More than a third (34%) of teachers in London said pupils avoided PE, while 39% observed children avoiding eye contact and/or interactions, demonstrating how hygiene poverty can cause children to withdraw.
Teachers in London also reported a range of emotional and behavioural effects among students who are experiencing hygiene poverty: 61% said children showed low self-esteem, half (50%) showed signs of low mood and/or anxiety, and 32% reported visible distress.
A public call to action
To raise awareness and educate the nation on the issue, smol has launched Marked Absent. The campaign is raising funds for the laundry brand’s Suds in Schools programme, which installs free mini-launderettes in schools. More than 100 have already been set up, including 4 in London, and smol is calling on the public to donate or nominate schools in need.
In addition, smol is calling on Londoners to contact their MPs to ensure hygiene poverty is addressed in the government’s upcoming Child Poverty Strategy, due to be released this autumn following delays.
Hilary Strong, who leads smol’s Suds in Schools project, said: “Too many children are being ‘marked absent’; not just from the register, but from friendship groups and everyday childhood experiences. Access to clean uniforms isn’t a luxury – it’s a basic human right. That’s why we’re calling on the public to support Suds in Schools and on the government to include hygiene poverty in its upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.”
“Too many children are being ‘marked absent’; not just from the register, but from friendship groups, with their confidence, and with everyday childhood experiences, because they don’t have access to clean school uniforms.
“Access to essential hygiene isn’t a luxury, it’s a basic human right – one we must fight for the thousands of children across the UK. It’s vital that we push awareness of the issue and work with schools and communities to grow projects which support pupils and their families.
“That’s why we’re urging the public to support our Suds in Schools programme, and to nominate schools in need of laundry facilities to help us reach communities who need it most.”
Ruth Brock, CEO of The Hygiene Bank, said: “Hygiene poverty is holding children back from the very things that school should offer: learning, friendship, play, and confidence. No child should miss school because they don’t have access to a clean uniform, deodorant or basic hygiene products. At The Hygiene Bank, we see first-hand how shame around hygiene poverty isolates families, and why it’s so vital that we talk about it. Together with smol, we’re making this invisible crisis visible and calling on the public and policymakers alike to take action.”
Victoria Archer, added: “A lot of people still don’t fully understand what hygiene poverty is, or how much it holds children back. It’s keeping them out of school. It’s damaging their confidence and limiting their future. It’s time this issue was properly addressed, because no child should miss out on their education because they don’t have access to clean clothes.”
Donations to the campaign can be made via the Marked Absent Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/sudsinschools.
