Heavy periods affect school attendance and exam scores, study in England finds
Heavy, prolonged periods and severe menstrual pain are linked with lower school attendance and poorer GCSE scores, according to new research,The England-based study found that more than a third of girls (36%) who participated experienced heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, which was associated with missing an additional 1,7 days of school every year,These symptoms were associated with achieving about one grade lower at GCSE, as well as 27% lower odds of achieving five standard GCSE passes, often required to enable a student to go on to the next stage of their education,Girls were also asked about severe cramps and pain during periods, which was experienced by more than half (56%) of participants and was linked with an additional 1.
2 days off school and half a grade lower at GCSE.“Our study suggests that heavy or prolonged bleeding and menstrual pain are associated with lower school attendance and educational attainment,” the report concluded.“More research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind these associations and to develop strategies to tackle menstruation-related inequalities to mitigate negative impacts of menstrual symptoms on education.”The authors suggested that menstrual anxiety, concerns about leaking, feelings of shame and embarrassment owing to menstrual stigma, bullying, challenges managing symptoms while in school, and difficulties accessing toilets during lessons, as well as the experience of debilitating symptom, may also be contributing to difficulties.The findings were based on analysis of data from 2,700 girls aged 13 to 16 who were taking their GCSEs between 2006 and 2009, drawn from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
The girls were interviewed four times over a three-year period about the nature of their periods, and their contributions were analysed alongside absence and educational attainment data.“We have to be careful we do not label women as being less capable because of their periods,” said Gemma Sharp, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Exeter, who supervised the research.“I would not say it’s because of their periods.It’s because society is not set up to support people whilst they are menstruating, particularly if they are experiencing heavy bleeding or pain.”The study is out as a preprint but has not yet been published, and is under review at npj Science of Learning.
Its findings will be presented at the Menstruation Research Conference in London next week by Gemma Sawyer, a PhD student at the University of Bristol who conducted the research.Commenting on the study, Jaysan Charlesford, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Plymouth, said: “It’s a very important window into what’s happening in schools, and may also speak towards ‘pipeline’ issues whereby people with bad menstrual experiences in school are less likely to attain at a level that would allow them to enter higher education.“Of course, given that this disproportionately impacts women and girls, it should be taken very seriously as a matter of inclusion and equity.”A separate report on period inequality published this week found that school toilets are often kept locked and permission to be excused from lessons denied, “leaving some learners on their periods to bleed through their uniforms”.Led by the phs hygiene services group, alongside the global menstrual justice charity Irise, the research suggests two in three students (65%) are unable to access toilets at their school freely at any time, with almost a third (29%) needing permission from a teacher to leave the classroom and 15% requiring a pass.
Chrissy Cattle, the chief executive of Irise International, said: “Restricted toilet access in schools remains a major barrier to education for young people who menstruate.Education is a right, and no student should have to choose between their period and their learning.”Julie McCulloch, the senior director of strategy and policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “Schools are doing their best to support pupils who are suffering as a result of heavy and painful periods, but clearly this is a serious issue that is having a real impact on their health and wellbeing.”
Ministers said to be considering bill to wipe out British Steel’s debts
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Government considers sale of Brexit border checkpoint in Kent – reports
The UK government is reportedly considering selling a post-Brexit border check facility in Kent that could fall out of use as a result of this week’s trade pact with the EU.The site, based in Sevington, Ashford, was erected in 2021 with capacity for 1,300 lorries that were expected to face extra checks on plants and animal goods, including dairy and meat, entering and leaving Britain after Brexit.However, the deal between the UK and EU struck earlier this week is expected to remove the need for routine health and veterinary certification on the import and export of farm products ranging from fresh meat and dairy products to vegetables, timber, wool and leather.The government is now looking for a company willing to buy or repurpose the Sevington border control point.Ministers are said to have approached Eurotunnel directly, according to the Financial Times
Scattered Spider is focus of NCA inquiry into cyber-attacks against UK retailers
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Most AI chatbots easily tricked into giving dangerous responses, study finds
Hacked AI-powered chatbots threaten to make dangerous knowledge readily available by churning out illicit information the programs absorb during training, researchers say.The warning comes amid a disturbing trend for chatbots that have been “jailbroken” to circumvent their built-in safety controls. The restrictions are supposed to prevent the programs from providing harmful, biased or inappropriate responses to users’ questions.The engines that power chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude – large language models (LLMs) – are fed vast amounts of material from the internet.Despite efforts to strip harmful text from the training data, LLMs can still absorb information about illegal activities such as hacking, money laundering, insider trading and bomb-making
Zimbabwe come in from cold but left crying for help at early signs of mismatch | Andy Bull
Of course the first morning of the summer was the worst morning of the summer. Test cricket, like a bank holiday picnic, is a reliable way to send the English sun running, and Zimbabwe’s first day of Test cricket in this country in 22 years started under thick ripples of ominous grey cloud, and in a freezing breeze. In the shop at the bottom of the Radcliffe Road Stand staff were sent running to the stock room to fetch up fresh boxes of beanie hats and hooded tops, as the crowd, caught short by the sudden dip in temperature after weeks of good weather, made an unexpected run on their supplies of winter clothing.Zimbabwe won the toss, which was the last thing that went their way all day. “We’ll have a bowl,” said their captain, Craig Ervine, and it must have seemed like a good idea at the time
‘I’m the right man’: Zak Crawley ignores pressure with century against Zimbabwe
If Zak Crawley showed little sign of the pressure he was under as he became one of three English centurions on the opening day against Zimbabwe, it is possibly because he did not know he was under any.The opener’s place in the team was presumed to be at risk after a poor run of form was followed by heavy hints that Jacob Bethell would be parachuted straight into the team on his return from the IPL, but after scoring 124 – England’s third-highest innings of the day after Ben Duckett’s 140 and Ollie Pope’s unbeaten 169 – the 27-year-old insisted he had heard no such rumours and had felt nothing from his coaches and colleagues except support.“They obviously think I’m the right man for the job, and I have that belief in myself as well,” Crawley said. “I love being around this group, and when you play for your country you’re going to be surrounded by good players, and that pressure is going to be coming all the time. Throughout my career, from when I was very young until now, I’ve always been made a better player by people around me doing well and forcing me to be better
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