Hard-up families struggling to afford items for kids to brush teeth or wash, teachers warn | The Sun
HARD-UP families are struggling to afford items for kids to brush their teeth or wash before school, teachers warn.
Ninety-seven per cent of school staff say some pupils need more basic hygiene products, a poll found.
Essential items such as shower gel and deodorants are the most in demand, with teachers saying “hygiene poverty” can act as a barrier for kids reaching their full potential.
The warning comes as parents are having to choose between buying a meal for their family or simple hygiene necessities amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Children who have access to basic products are more likely to be confident in lessons, nine in ten teachers found.
Forty-two per cent of teachers believe kids stop playing or socialising with friends and more than four in ten said pupils even stop coming to school due to hygiene poverty.
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PE teacher Nathan Kirk, from Long Eaton, Derbys, said: “Being clean can have a real impact on children’s behaviour.
"When they feel clean, they feel confident — they’re more likely to be involved in lessons.”
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “No child should be embarrassed at school because they don’t have the essentials other children do.”
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Five hundred primary and secondary teachers at schools across the UK were surveyed by One Poll for Boots UK and the Hygiene Bank.
Boots has 500 drop-off points for donations.
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