Period Confident Schools programme
Periods are normal. Missing out because of them shouldn't be.
For some pupils, period pain, embarrassment, leaks or difficulty accessing products can make the school day harder. With the right knowledge and support, schools can help pupils manage their periods with greater confidence and dignity.
Why Period Confidence Matters
Periods are a normal part of growing up, yet for many young people they can become a significant barrier to education.
Worrying about leaks. Not knowing when a period will arrive. Experiencing pain or heavy bleeding. Feeling embarrassed about asking for help. Not having access to the right products.
For some pupils, these challenges can mean missed lessons, reduced participation, anxiety and even absence from school.
At the same time, teachers and support staff may want to help but don't always have the knowledge, confidence or consistent guidance they need.
The Period Confident Schools Programme was created to change that.
Gyne Talks works with schools to build staff knowledge, improve confidence, strengthen menstrual wellbeing policies and ensure practical support is available to pupils.
64%
of girls aged 14–21 surveyed in the UK said they had missed part or all of a school day because of their period.
Plan International UK, 2021
56%
of girls and young women aged 12–21 said they felt embarrassed or ashamed talking about periods with teachers.
Plan International UK, 2025
1 in 4
girls surveyed said they had spent less than an hour learning about periods throughout their time at school.
Plan International UK, 2025
What Is a Period Confident School?
It’s more than having period products available.
A Period Confident School helps ensure that menstrual health is understood, support is accessible and pupils feel comfortable seeking help when they need it.
The Gyne Talks Period Confident Schools Programme combines staff training, practical resources and guidance to help your school take a consistent, whole-school approach.
1. Staff Training
Teachers and school staff are often the first people pupils turn to when they need support. But without the right knowledge, it can be difficult to know how best to respond.
Our flexible online training helps staff build the understanding and confidence to support pupils sensitively and appropriately.
Topics include:
- The menstrual cycle and menstrual health
- Common symptoms, period pain and their impact
- How periods can affect wellbeing, confidence and learning
- Responding sensitively when a pupil needs support
- Recognising when further help or medical advice may be needed
- Challenging stigma and encouraging open conversations
Accessible, practical training designed around busy school teams.
2. Menstrual Wellbeing Policy
Create or review a clear, practical policy that helps staff respond consistently and sets out how pupils can access support.
3. Period Product Guidance
We’ll help your school consider how period products can be accessed easily and discreetly, including guidance on the UK Government’s free period product scheme in England, where eligible.
Practical Whole-School Support
We’ll help you identify realistic ways to improve menstrual health support, from communication and access to toilets and products, to ensuring pupils know where to turn for help.
How Your School Benefits
The programme helps your school to:
- Build staff confidence in understanding and responding to menstrual health needs.
- Support pupil wellbeing by helping pupils feel heard, understood and able to ask for help.
- Reduce stigma and embarrassment through informed, open conversations.
- Improve access to period products and make support easier to find.
- Promote consistency so pupils receive a more joined-up response across the school.
- Support participation in learning by addressing practical barriers pupils may face during their periods.
The aim is to give staff practical ways to support pupils and help create a school environment where periods are understood rather than a source of embarrassment.
Designed Around Your School
Primary Schools
Building age-appropriate understanding and helping pupils prepare for puberty and their first periods.
Secondary Schools & Sixth Forms
Supporting pupils through their menstrual years, with practical guidance for staff.
Multi-Academy Trusts
Developing a more consistent approach to menstrual health support across schools.
Alternative & Specialist Settings
Considering the individual needs of pupils and adapting support accordingly.
Why Gyne Talks?
Gyne Talks combines education with practical action.
Rather than training alone, the programme helps your school consider what good menstrual health support looks like in practice — and identify achievable steps to strengthen what you already do.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or building on existing provision, we’ll work with you to find an approach that suits your school.
Help your staff feel more confident supporting menstrual health, and make sure pupils know where to turn when they need help.