It's a pleasure to rise today to speak in support of the motion. This is really important, touching on how we ensure the dignity of girls and young women in Welsh schools.

Plan International UK’s data shows how far too many young women struggle to meet the cost of sanitary wear. The charity has also shown the terrible impact of this too. Nearly half of girls surveyed missed an entire day of school because of their period. Sixty-four per cent miss physical education lessons, and girls and young women are having to lie because of embarrassment.

This is an issue I encountered first hand, holding a pastoral role in a secondary school. It's just not right that girls and young women are being put in this position. Moreover, many of those affected lack access to proper information about what is going on to their bodies. One in seven admitted they did not know what was happening when they started their period, and more than a quarter reported they didn't know what to do when they started their period. This is shocking, and I'm glad that the motion also addresses this issue of education.

I want to focus on what is going on in my own local authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf. As Members will know, RCT will be the first local authority in Wales to take action to tackle period poverty. As councillor Joy Rosser, cabinet member for education said, this is a groundbreaking move. I'm glad that this is also recognised in the motion.

I would like to pay tribute to the cross-party spirit in which this important policy has been developed in RCT. It is good to have seen all parties working together to improve conditions for girls and young women. But what does RCT’s work involve? Firstly, I'm glad that the working party who considered the council’s response took, as their starting point, the thoughts and experiences of female learners from across the county. As the working party noted, participation of the pupils throughout the review is paramount in raising the profile of the provision of sanitary provision within the schools. It's also about raising awareness, of demystifying and, hopefully, removing the sense of embarrassment.

So, I just want to pick out a few important points from their research. Fifty-two per cent of female secondary school pupils said they were aware that free sanitary products were available to them from their school. A majority said that they knew how to access these, and were happy with what was available. But, when asked if their periods had had an impact on their attendance, 46 per cent said that this had caused them to miss school. Although in line with Plan’s data, this could actually be the tip of the iceberg, as not all of the respondents had actually started their periods. Sixty-two per cent of respondents said that having a period impacted on their performance in secondary school. And, finally, whilst over half of pupils received information on periods during primary schooling, six out of 10 said that their secondary school didn't provide follow-up education around this. In contrast, though, 100 per cent of secondary schools who responded said that they felt that they offered appropriate classes to their pupils. I don’t think this is a case of one group being right and the other being wrong. I think it highlights a difference of perception and shows that schools perhaps need to look to adopt alternative methods to make sure that girls and young women know what support is out there.

I also want to pick out two further points from the research. A small number of secondary schools said that they already allocated a limited budget for purchasing sanitary products, but the vast majority did not. Typically, instead, they relied on staff purchasing the items, the use of petty cash, or also freebies that were left after the school nurse had visited to discuss puberty. Schools do inform pupils about the availability of these products in a variety of ways, ranging from discreet conversations to class discussions at transition and in year 7 personal and social education lessons. However, it is clear that there is not currently a consistent approach across the local authority, and I'm sure that that is echoed across Wales too. 

For the reminder of my time, I just want to look at what RCT is actually proposing as a solution. It will now be mandatory within my local authority for all schools with girls aged nine and above to provide a range of free sanitary products, which can be accessed—and I think this is crucial—independently at the toilet blocks. Resources and signage will be developed to raise awareness among learners, staff, parents and carers. Action will also be taken to improve the quality of PSE provision and there will be work with teachers to eliminate embarrassment or stigma. I know the Welsh Government has also taken decisive action, as other Members have already said, to support councils to ensure that projects like this are funded. So, I am very happy to support this motion today.