Hard-up families struggling to afford items for kids to brush teeth or wash, teachers warn

HARD-UP families are struggling to afford items for kids to brush their teeth or wash before school, teachers warn.

Ninety-seven per cent of school staff say some pupils need more basic hygiene products, a poll found.

Essential items such as shower gel and deodorants are the most in demand, with teachers saying “hygiene poverty” can act as a barrier for kids reaching their full potential.

The warning comes as parents are having to choose between buying a meal for their family or simple hygiene necessities amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Children who have access to basic products are more likely to be confident in lessons, nine in ten teachers found.

Forty-two per cent of teachers believe kids stop playing or socialising with friends and more than four in ten said pupils even stop coming to school due to hygiene poverty.

PE teacher Nathan Kirk, from Long Eaton, Derbys, said: “Being clean can have a real impact on children’s behaviour.

"When they feel clean, they feel confident — they’re more likely to be involved in lessons.”

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “No child should be embarrassed at school because they don’t have the essentials other children do.”

Five hundred primary and secondary teachers at schools across the UK were surveyed by One Poll for Boots UK and the Hygiene Bank.

Boots has 500 drop-off points for donations.