U.K. Government Announces Plans to Teach Menstrual Health in Primary and Secondary Schools
On Monday, February 25, the U.K. government announced that menstrual wellbeing will be taught in both primary (ages 5 – 11) and secondary schools (ages 11 – 18), to all genders in England, thanks to the landmark petition titled “Stop Treating Periods Like a Dirty Secret.”
According to Change.org, the petition, which was created by health education activist and Endometriosis UK Trustee Alice Smith, was submitted to parliament with more than 100,000 signatures.
Children aged 11 and older will also learn about female genital mutilation, domestic violence, and “honor-based” abuse.
The move comes as part of a larger plan set out by U.K. Education Secretary Damian Hinds to make relationship and sex education (RSE) mandatory in secondary schools and relationships education mandatory in primary schools. Through these programs, children will also learn about domestic violence, consent, relationships, and how to stay safe online. The updates to the curriculum will also be LGBT inclusive.
“This is a huge victory–and we should all be incredibly proud of how your efforts will help change the way menstrual conditions are spoken about for generations to come,” wrote on Change.org. “Your efforts will not only help break the taboo around periods but will also equip young girls with the knowledge of what is and isn’t normal, and in turn empower people to seek help when it is needed. ”
The proposed changes to RSE are the first since 2000.
“Endometriosis UK is delighted that menstrual wellbeing is included in the new Relationship & Sex Education curriculum and will be compulsory to teach all children in both primary and secondary education,” Emma Cox, CEO of Endometriosis UK, said in a statement.
“This change will help overcome the taboo and embarrassment around periods, as well as equipping girls with the knowledge of what is and isn’t normal for their menstrual cycle, and in turn the confidence to seek help when it is needed,” Cox continued. “Importantly, they will also know the correct language to communicate with their parents or medical practitioners. We are grateful to the Minister for recognizing the critical role education plays in ensuring women do not suffer in silence with conditions such as Endometriosis; helping drive down diagnosis time which currently averages at an alarming 7.5 years.”
The changes are expected to roll out across England in 2020. In the meantime, Smith is working on reaching out to the Scottish, Welsh, and Irish Parliaments in hopes that they’ll follow England’s lead in updating the curriculum to include menstrual health.