Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell and COSLA President, Councillor Alison Evison, made a joint visit to Stirling High School on Wednesday (June 12), where the Scottish Government announced a further investment of £5.5 million in the nationwide scheme, which started in 2018 and allows pupils and students to access free sanitary products.
Ms Campbell and Cllr Evison listened to feedback from girls at Stirling High and other schools in the area on their experiences of the initiative, along with a Council-run pilot which had preceded it.
‘Panda Posse’
They heard how pupils had taken ownership of the project and employed a number of innovative methods to reduce stigma of the issue in schools and communities. This included young people at Stirling High forming the ‘Panda Posse’ to make sanitary products a more approachable subject.
Ms Campbell said: "After a successful launch last year, we have delivered world leading action by providing free sanitary products in schools, colleges and universities.
“Being able to access free sanitary products is fundamental to equality and human dignity. I’ve heard first hand from pupils about the positive impact of having products easily available at school. It takes away the worry of being caught short or missing a day of school if they don’t have products available at home.
“I commend the work of the students who have been working hard to reduce the stigma of periods as it’s really important that no one gets embarrassed about periods and parents and children, boys and girls can all openly talk about them.”
Helping to change perceptions
Convener of the Children and Young People Committee at Stirling Council, Cllr Susan McGill said: “We are extremely proud of all our young people in Stirling in how they have embraced this important initiative, helping to change perceptions and ensuring its effective delivery.
“Helped by their efforts, the conversation around periods and sanitary provision has continued outside schools and into the wider community, educating more people on the issue.
“It was fantastic for the Minister and the COSLA President to come along to Stirling High and hear about the wide-ranging benefits of the scheme from pupils and staff, who I would also like to thank for their hard work in implementing this pioneering project across our schools.”
Avoiding stigma or embarrassment
The Minister and Cllr Evison were given a tour of the facilities at Stirling High where pupils can access free sanitary products, before watching a video made by young people on the subject and taking questions from pupils about their experiences of the initiative.
Vice Convener of the Committee, Cllr Margaret Brisley said: “I am delighted that every pupil in Stirling has access to sanitary products when they need them, avoiding stigma or embarrassment and allowing them to focus on learning.
“I have been hugely impressed by our young people throughout this process. Their experiences and feedback enabled our pilot programme to be a success and now they will help this crucial service continue to meet the needs of pupils throughout Scotland.”
A great success
Paul Cassidy, Headteacher at Stirling High said: “This has been a fantastic initiative led by our young people.
“The pupils formed a leadership group named the 'Panda Posse' to make sure everyone across the school community was aware of our sanitary provision. This initiative has been a great success in creating access to sanitary products, removing any stigma and positively promoting health and wellbeing.”
Stirling Council had funded a successful pilot of the scheme at Stirling High, and Bannockburn Primary School and High School.
At the start of the pilot, Stirling High conducted a survey of pupils, in which 30.1% said they were ‘quite’ or ‘very’ uncomfortable about discussing sanitary products. At the end of the process, 91.1% responded ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ on whether they felt it was now easier to talk about periods.
In August 2018, the Scottish Government became the first government in the world to make free sanitary products available to all pupils and students.
Congratulate staff and pupils
Cllr Alison Evison, COSLA President, said: “COSLA and our member councils have led the way in providing access to free sanitary products in schools, ensuring equality and dignity for learners and enabling them to fully participate in education.
“I was delighted to visit Stirling High School, as part of a joint COSLA/Scottish Government delegation with the Cabinet Secretary Aileen Campbell, to hear about the creative ways they have promoted and provided access to free sanitary products across their area.
“This allowed me to see the provision and facilities first-hand and to congratulate staff and pupils for making this initiative a reality for local young people.”
Picture details and background info:
Picture 4 shows Stirling High pupils, Councillors and the Minister with some of the sanitary facilities available to pupils in the school. From left, Amy McDiarmid, Jennifer Casserly, Cllr Susan McGill, COSLA President Alison Evison, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell, Andrew Richardson as the panda, Rhona Samphier, Shona McLay, Hannah McKenzie
In February 2018, a paper was put to Council on the subject of free access to sanitary products in schools across Stirling. The local authority agreed to provide £30,000 of funding and a working group was set up to deliver the pilot programme. The working group took advice from West Lothian and Aberdeen Councils, which were already in the process of pilot schemes.
Local authorities will receive £2 million for the next financial year, while universities and colleges will receive up to £3.5 million to continue the provision of free sanitary products.
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High School Girls Receiving Free Sanitary Products (0) -
Stirling High pupils, Councillors and the Minister with some of the sanitary facilities available to pupils in the school (1) -
High School Girls Receiving Free Sanitary Products (2) -
Stirling High Introduction (3) -
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Stirling High Pupils (5) -
Stirling High Staff (6) -
Stirling High Introduction (7)
