A school may believe it has good period support because products are stocked and a policy exists. Pupils or learners may experience something different: a toilet that is often locked, a bin with no lid, or uncertainty about whom to ask for help. Listening to young people can reveal small changes that make a big difference.
Feedback should focus on the school environment and experience, not on who has a period or anyone's private health information.
Ask a few questions that schools can act on
Keep surveys short, voluntary and accessible. Useful questions might include:
- Do you know where to find period products at school if you need them or want to help someone else?
- Are toilets private, clean and supplied with soap, water and suitable bins?
- Can pupils or learners ask to use the toilet without having to explain personal details publicly?
- Do you know which adult to approach if someone needs practical period support?
- Does the school respond appropriately to teasing or embarrassing comments about periods?
- What one change to facilities or information would make school more comfortable? (Optional, with safeguards described below.)
Use straightforward options such as Yes, Sometimes, No and Not sure. Do not ask whether the respondent menstruates, their cycle dates, symptoms, diagnosis, identity or family circumstances. For younger children or smaller schools, a simple discussion with trained staff may be safer than an online free text survey.
Keep anonymous feedback genuinely low risk
An anonymous survey should not request names, class identifiers or contact details. Check whether the chosen digital tool quietly collects logins, IP addresses or account identifiers before calling it anonymous. Avoid publishing breakdowns from very small groups, where a response could be linked to one child. Keep results as broad themes wherever possible.
Free text may contain personal disclosures even when they were not requested. If included, warn pupils or learners not to share names or health details, restrict access to authorised staff and explain clearly that surveys are not the way to report an urgent safety concern. Provide a separate, accessible route to a trusted adult or safeguarding contact. Follow your school's privacy, safeguarding and data retention policies.
Try a supported toilet walk
A "toilet walk" is a practical check of facilities, not an inspection of individuals. With permission and suitable supervision, an adult and a small pupil or learner group can review locations, lighting, locks, soap, water, bins, signage and where products are kept. Do this when toilets are empty, follow access and safeguarding rules, and never inspect occupied cubicles or ask pupils to demonstrate personal routines.
Use a simple checklist and record findings about facilities, not the young people who contributed. An accessibility check should consider the experiences of disabled pupils or learners too.
Use pupil voice groups without putting anyone on the spot
A school council or pupil voice group can discuss proposed signs, product locations or toilet arrangements. Include different ages and support needs without asking anyone to disclose whether they menstruate. Give the group practical options to comment on, such as two ways to make products available discreetly.
Make participation optional, set ground rules about respecting privacy and do not ask pupils or learners to share personal experiences. Invite everyone to improve the environment, including those who do not have periods.
Close the feedback loop
Feedback builds trust only when something happens afterwards. Combine similar comments into themes, select one or two achievable changes, give a named member of staff responsibility and tell pupils or learners what was done. A notice could say: "You said products were hard to find. We have added clearly signposted supplies near the toilets."
Where something cannot be changed immediately, explain why and what happens next. Review again after a term, using the same broad questions where appropriate.
One useful next step
Choose one low risk feedback method this term. Use the findings to revisit How Period Smart Is Your School?, especially the question about pupil or learner feedback. The existing assessment provides a starting point; this feedback guide helps schools test whether arrangements work in practice.