Rise in 'hygiene poverty' as teachers report seeing pupils with dirty clothes, unwashed hair and unbrushed teeth

1 October 2024, 05:16 | Updated: 1 October 2024, 05:19

The majority of teachers have witnessed children arriving at school in dirty clothes, with unwashed hair and unbrushed teeth over the past year - and they expect the situation to get worse, a survey has suggested.

Four in five (80%) school staff believe 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.

The survey, of 500 school staff in the UK who interact with pupils at least five days per week, suggests that nearly three in 10 (28%) have seen children repeatedly miss school because of hygiene poverty.

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

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

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