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New contract awarded to supply every school and college in England with free period products

The DfE has confirmed its pledge to bring free period products for all schools in England. The contract for the supply of these products has now been awarded.

Period products are a necessity, not a luxury, and this is why access to free products at school and college for all pupils is a significant achievement.”
— David Taylor-Smith
UNITED KINGDOM, October 22, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The contract for the supply of free period products to every school and college in England has been awarded in a bid to create period equality for all.

Free period products, supplied by washroom and hygiene services firm phs Group, will now be available to every pupil in England as part of the Department for Education’s plans to create period equality for all. The Government is funding the initiative which will provide free products for young people across secondary schools, primary schools and colleges in England.

The contract for the supply of the products to more than 20,000 schools was awarded to phs Direct after a competitive tender process. phs Direct is part of phs Group and supplies thousands of customers with a wide range of washroom consumables and products ranging from cleaning materials and paper products to hand dryers.

Preparations are now underway for the implementation of Department for Education’s period products scheme which will be rolled out early next year. The Department for Education will publish guidance later this year to make clear how schools and colleges can get access to the products, which will include environmentally-friendly pads and reusable products such as reusable pads.

David Taylor-Smith, CEO of phs Group, said: “phs is proud to have been awarded the contract to make period products available to all schools and colleges in England. From our own campaign and independent research, we know young people believe access to period products is be a real issue. We firmly believe period products are a necessity, not a luxury, and this is why access to free products at school and college for all pupils is a significant achievement. Doing the right thing is our core ethos at phs; and providing free access for pupils is certainly the right thing to do.”

Children and Families Minister Michelle Donelan said: “Every young person should be able to access help when they need it. That’s why we are making free period products available in all schools and colleges, so no young person has their education disrupted by a lack of access to period products. We will be publishing guidance later this year to help schools and colleges offer these products free of charge to those who need it, free from the fear of stigma or shame.‎"

Mr Taylor-Smith continued: “This initiative isn’t just about what is perceived to be ‘poverty’. Offering access to free products to every pupil creates period equality and stops both periods and access issues getting in the way of a young person’s education.”

The move to supply free period products to schools in England follows similar directives elsewhere in the UK. In April, the Welsh Government announced a £2.3m Period Dignity Grant for Schools to provide free of charge products via local authorities. And last year, the Scottish Government implemented a directive for educational establishments to offer free period products, boosted by an additional £4m of funding to expand the scheme in January.

phs has been working with schools in Wales and Scotland to distribute free period products via its coin-free vending machines for washrooms. For instance, Bryn Bach Primary School, in Tredegar, offers free period products to pupils in partnership with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council which has rolled out free products to all of its primary and secondary schools.

Head teacher Luisa Munro-Morris said: “The rights of the child underpin our school vision, and consequently we want to ensure all our young people are treated with dignity and respect. The period equity initiative supports us to achieve this vision, as giving our pupils access to period products enables them to manage menstruation without experiencing any shame or stigma.”

For more information and advice, visit https://www.phs.co.uk. You can also follow @phsGroup on Twitter and phs Group on LinkedIn

ENDS

Email: press@phs.co.uk

About us

phs Group is the leading hygiene services provider in the UK, Ireland and Spain.
Our team of over 3,000 expert personnel provides washroom, floorcare, healthcare and a range of specialist services to over 120,000 customers ranging from large single sites, to multi-national restaurant chains, healthcare establishments and small owner occupied shops. Wherever we’re needed, we’re on your doorstep.

phs provides vital workplace services to organisations which improve the well-being of employees and customer. It makes over 3.6 million visits each year, whether it’s disposing of sanitary waste and nappies, installing hand dryers, soap dispensers, consumables and air purifiers or supplying floor mats to prevent slips, trips and falls. You’ll also find phs working within the healthcare industry disposing of clinical, pharmaceutical and dental waste. phs services also include the provision of indoor and outdoor plants, electrical and gas compliance testing services, industrial workwear, and waste compactor and crate rental. And phs Direct supplies washroom consumables to organisations up and down the country including cleaning materials, paper products, hand dryers, soaps, period products and vending machines which freely dispense products for those wishing to offer free products to washroom users.

What makes phs different? It’s commitment to do the right thing. Through its LifeCycle Strategy, phs aim to divert up to 95% of our customers’ hygiene waste away from landfill, by using sustainable disposal methods, creating power for the national grid. It’s helping clean up the ocean from plastic by using ghost fishing nets to create Econyl floor mats. It has patented products which deliver significant water and cost savings. Its air purifiers help to improve employee wellbeing. And it’s been campaigning to create period equality across the UK.

By using phs, organisations can make a difference to the environment and their bottom line as well as telling a good news story. It’s all about doing the right thing.

https://www.phs.co.uk
phs Group,
Block B, Western Industrial Estate,
Caerphilly, United Kingdom,
CF83 1XH
Tel: 029 2080 9098

Laura Windeatt
phs Group
+44 29 2080 9996
email us here
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