'Girls on period skipping school over toilet rules'

Tina Leslie, from the Freedom4Girls charity, says some students are missing a month of education each year due to the issue

Girls have been absent from school during their periods because of fears they will not be allowed out of class to go to the toilet, a charity has said.

The West Yorkshire-based Freedom4Girls said students had reported being refused permission to leave class and were unable to concentrate because they were worried about leaking.

"They've been telling us that they're missing school because the toilets are locked during lessons and they're embarrassed about asking to go," charity founder Tina Leslie said.

The Department for Education said it was for schools to decide when pupils take toilet breaks, but they were expected to be mindful of their duty of care responsibilities.

A 17-year-old girl from Leeds, who did not want to be named, said she had avoided school at the start of her period.

"I wouldn't want to go in because I didn't want teachers to tell me that I can't go," she said.

Freedom4Girls, which provides period products to schools in Leeds, said it had received emails from worried parents for several years on the subject.

"Girls are missing up to a month of education every year and it's not acceptable," said Ms Leslie.

"Their attainment levels are dropping, their truancy levels are going up.

"Girls want to go to school to learn, they don't want to go to school and worry that they're going to leak."

Wania, a member of the Youth Parliament for Leeds, says students should always be allowed to use bathrooms when required

Leeds Youth Parliament member Wania, 15, took part in a period dignity debate at the House of Commons and said the issue was a priority for her.

"I think simply taking bathroom access away is taking away human rights from young people," she said.

"They have a right to access a bathroom when they need it and they should be able to do that."

Wania said the impact of toilets being locked during lessons affected the whole school day.

"These measures are put in place because of schools thinking it will either disrupt lessons or students will skip lessons and hide in bathrooms, but blanket banning it doesn't address the problem."

Lisa McCall, head teacher at Wales High School in Sheffield, says the school wants to have a "culture whereby the stigma around periods is gone"

Individual schools have their own policies on using bathrooms during lessons, with some providing passes to students and others locking toilets until break times.

Wales High School in Sheffield said it had enough staff to ensure students could always be escorted to bathrooms whenever they needed to use them.

"It's discreet," said head teacher Lisa McCall.

"Boys and girls can ask for a toilet request and it's part of the culture that students ask for it.

"As soon as the request is put through, that student is picked up and escorted."

Ms McCall said period products were provided in bathrooms and education about periods was a priority for the school.

"We want to have a culture whereby the stigma around periods is gone," she said.

"Although we do some work with girls on their own, most lessons and assemblies will be everybody together because it's important that the boys also hear it and talk about it."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.