26/09/2026
We’re really pleased to see confirmation from the Department for Education that the free period product scheme for schools and colleges in England will continue for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years, with provision also made for the scheme to continue into 2028/29.
This is important. Free period products in schools and colleges help make sure that having a period isn’t a barrier to education, whether someone has run out of products, their period arrives unexpectedly, or they simply need access to a product while they’re at school or college.
We’re also pleased to see the updated guidance go further on how settings can actually make products accessible.
There is now specific advice around providing products during exams and sporting events, as well as practical examples of different ways schools and colleges can make products available while reducing embarrassment and stigma. The guidance also recognises that young people can be reluctant to ask a member of staff for a period product, and suggests approaches such as making products available in toilets and communal areas.
And importantly, the scheme includes a range of reusable products, including period pants and menstrual cups, alongside disposable products.
We’d love to see schools and colleges have the budget and confidence to make greater use of these reusable options. Period pants in particular can be a really popular choice for young people, and we’ve seen first-hand how positive the response can be when young people are given the opportunity to choose the products that work for them.
This feels like a really positive step forward for period equity in education.
Now let’s keep building on it – making sure products are genuinely accessible, reducing the stigma around asking for them, and giving young people meaningful choice over the products available to them.
