Where do I stand with this situation and the school

[Whattodowiththisschoolthing]

NC as I've contacted the school about this.

Dd has recently started her period.

Apparently at the school there is just one cubicle with a sanitary bin in there and because its used so much there's never toilet roll in there.

I complained last month, and ended up keeping dd off for 2 days as she felt so uncomfortable, I have since found out that at least a couple of other parents do this too.

The girls are going in there and having to put their pads in the actual bin as the cubicle is always in use.

Can anyone advise what the school should legally be doing? Have they fulfilled their obligation by just having one bin?

Any advice about where I should go to further my complaint (Scotland of it makes a difference).

Thank you.

Should have mentioned its a primary school.

I would mention it to the school again, at the very least there should be toilet tissue.

Hi, i've no idea what obligations a school has.

However, my DD1 started her periods in Primary school when she was 10. Her class had already had the talk by the school nurse. All the girls in the class were told about the drawer in the teachers desk where they would be able to find sanitary towels etc. They were also told which toilets had the bin in, I believe it was the teachers/disabled toilet and they were allowed to use it.

I really worried how my daughter would cope, she is waiting referral for ASD assesment. After her first period i bought her period pants, they have been a game changer, we don't have to worry about bins anymore.

Good luck

Can you raise some money to buy another bin?

I would just speak to the school, they may not be aware of how much if an issue it is and will sort it quickly.

What reply have you had from the school OP?
You probably need to go through the head, citing pupil welfare concerns, escalating to complaints process and governors if you're not satisfied. Go through the process outlined on the school website.
Period knickers are useful but Scotland provides free (disposable) sanitary products to girls so it's still an issue that needs addressing especially re period poverty

If the single bin means that hazardous waste is being disposed of incorrectly (in bins intended for paper towels) then the school are not meeting their legal obligations. I'd write to the head and the governors on that basis. Hazardous waste is usually outsourced so the school needs to ask the company to provide and maintain a second bin.

I'm not aware of any requirements for x number of bins, but sanitary waste has to be disposed of properly, as outlined in The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations Act 1992, The Water Industries Act 1991 and The Environmental Protection Act 1990.

@BluebellsGreenbells

Can you raise some money to buy another bin?

Sanitary bins can't be purchased- it's a service (empty and replace). It has an ongoing cost for the school. It's still an essential, however, particularly when many, many girls begin menstruation in primary these days.

Bought my 10 year old daughter period pants and reusable pads. No need for the bin and she feels much more comfortable.

@WhatsitWiggle

If the single bin means that hazardous waste is being disposed of incorrectly (in bins intended for paper towels) then the school are not meeting their legal obligations. I'd write to the head and the governors on that basis. Hazardous waste is usually outsourced so the school needs to ask the company to provide and maintain a second bin.

I'm not aware of any requirements for x number of bins, but sanitary waste has to be disposed of properly, as outlined in The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations Act 1992, The Water Industries Act 1991 and The Environmental Protection Act 1990.

^ this, as it has legal weight to it.

Thank you. I'm struggling to find anything that states how many bins they need, or if its supposed to be a certain amount in ratio to how many pupils there are.

There is probably around 60-70ish P6 and 7 girls so 1 bin is pretty shocking.

I phoned last month and was told it would be dealt with, I have put it in writing now and am still waiting for a response.

The head isn't exactly very forthcoming when complaints are raised so I'm hoping to find something that says the school has to deal with this properly so the heads hand will be forced. We don't have school governors.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations Act 1992, The Water Industries Act 1991 and The Environmental Protection Act 1990. is really useful and I'll use that when I get a response.

Thank you all.

I'll maybe see about getting her the pants.

However we are in a low income area and the kids are entitled to free pads in school so even if my dd is OK it still needs to be dealt with for the sake of other girls who may not speak to their parent about the issue.

I second the pants. They are fab. My DD manages fab with them. The school should have a clear complaints policy if you don't get a roper response

I would find out what responsibilities the governors of the school have agreed to monitor and contact the ones who are charged with wellbeing , attendance and pupil premium (since missing time is likely to affect pp pupils ) . The school needs to pay for at least one extra bin from their provider, and also needs to monitor the provision of toilet paper.

It is not an acceptable state of affairs at all, we addressed this issue in my primary school at least 15 years ago.

I don't know the specifics but this is the kind of thing I'd be escalating formally to the Governors pretty promptly. You've already raised it once, the problem was not solved. You raised it again and have had no response. So it's time to go with a formal concern raised to the governors via the school's official process. I would consider this completely and totally unacceptable and would be furious. It's already something on my radar as our school was previously only an infant school and it's not clear that they've totally nailed the issues of early puberty yet. Exacerbated by Covid.

Given you've raised it previously from a welfare perspective with no outcome, I'd absolutely go down the environmental route ie improper disposal of waste due to insufficient provision of sanitary bins for pupils. And if no improvement, raise it with the council.

What's the complaints procedure if you have no governors? The school must be accountable somewhere.