More children are expected to arrive at school this term with unclean clothes, unwashed hair and unbrushed teeth, according to teachers who have observed a rise in hygiene poverty.
Seventy-two percent of school staff think there has been an increase in hygiene poverty in their school in the last year, according to a poll of 500 school staff, and 71% expect the levelto rise further at the start of the school year this month.
Dirty uniforms and PE kits, unwashed hair and unclean teeth were the most common signs staff questioned in June had seen.
Julie McCulloch, the director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Hygiene poverty is linked to very high levels of deprivation as families struggle with the cost of things like washing machines, energy bills and clothes. Many schools routinely help out by discreetly washing clothes and providing items of uniform.
“This has long been the case but has become more of an issue following the pandemic and cost of living crisis as more families struggle financially. The level of child poverty in the UK is utterly unacceptable and the government must do more to tackle the problem.”
The poll, carried out for the charity the Hygiene Bank and the cleaning brand Smol, defines people as being in hygiene poverty when they are “caught between being able to heat their home, pay their bills, buy food or keep clean”.
Some of the school staff said they had personally washed uniforms and PE kits for children at home, and handed out laundry detergent for families in need.
