Teachers buy primary school pupils soap amid rise in ‘hygiene poverty’

Teachers are buying soap and toiletries for primary school pupils because of an increase in “hygiene poverty”, according to school staff.

A survey of 500 school staff in the UK suggests that nearly three in 10 (28 per cent) have seen children repeatedly miss school because of hygiene poverty.

The majority of teachers said they had seen children arriving at school in dirty clothes, with unwashed hair and unbrushed teeth over the past year.

Four in five (80 per cent) school staff believe that there has been an increase in “hygiene poverty” issues in their school in the last year – and a third of these said the rise has been “significant”, according to a poll.

More than three in five (62 per cent) have seen pupils with dirty uniforms or PE kits, and 60 per cent have noted unwashed hair and unclean teeth, according to the poll carried out by Censuswide in September.

Low self-esteem

The survey of school staff, carried out for charity The Hygiene Bank and smol, a cleaning brand, suggests that pupils affected by hygiene poverty have experienced low self-esteem, bullying and isolation.

Nearly two in three (63 per cent) school staff said they expect the level of hygiene poverty will increase in their school in the upcoming year.

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

On average, school staff spent around £27 out of their own pocket in the past year on hygiene support for pupils, the poll found.

Smol, in collaboration with The Hygiene Bank, has launched a Clean Up Child Hygiene Poverty campaign, which is calling on the government to address the issue in its upcoming child poverty strategy.

The campaign, which has been supported by the NASUWT teaching union, is calling on members of the public to write to their local MP to bring child hygiene poverty to the attention of the taskforce.

The Hygiene Bank and smol have estimated that school staff in the UK spent around £40 million of their own money supporting pupils with hygiene poverty issues in the past year.

‘A silent crisis’

Ruth Brock, the chief executive at The Hygiene Bank, said: “It’s heartbreaking that in 2024 children across the UK are missing out on their education because their families cannot afford what they need to stay clean.

“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.”

Patrick Roach, the general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “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.”

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

“The right to clean clothes has never been more important, and smol’s research shows that not only does children’s hygiene have a huge impact on their wellbeing and learning, but on those in charge of safeguarding them, too.

“Staff, charities and organisations have led on fundamental support for children and their families, but now we need more support at a governmental level, so that we can fight child hygiene poverty together.”