Too poor to stay clean
Primary teachers hand out soap as parents struggle to cover bills
HALF of primary school teachers are giving out soap, washing powder and shampoo weekly to pupils from hard-up households, figures show.
As budgets tighten, struggling families are being forced to prioritise bills and food over hygiene essentials.
The study, for charity In Kind Direct, found a quarter of parents cannot afford basic cleaning products.
Nearly 20% admitted their child wears the same underwear for at least two days. A quarter use the same shirt for a week, and 3% go to school in the same clothes for at least a fortnight. Nicola Finney, 49, head of St Paul’s Church of England primary in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, has spent thousands of pounds of her own cash helping families, buying a washing machine for one. She said: “You used to have the odd child where you could see the family was struggling because of the way the uniform was kept. Now, it’s two or three in every class.
“Parents are finding it more difficult to pay bills and buy food. They have to prioritise. We keep spare uniform and are looking at getting a washing machine in school.
“I talk to colleagues up and down the country, it’s happening everywhere.” Some 80% of primary teachers have seen an increase in unwashed pupils in the last five years. A third have given out toothpaste, soap or toothbrushes. London was the worst-hit area, with half of teachers referring a family to a charity each week. Robin Boles, chief of In Kind Direct, which redistributes donated surplus products, said: “Long before families go to a foodbank, they’ve tried to cut back and given up toothpaste, soap and sanitary products. “They’ve got to buy food and put money in the electricity meter and, by the time they’ve finished, there’s nothing left.”