A SCHOOLGIRL was forced sit in blood-soaked clothes after a teacher refused to let her go to the toilet during her first period.

The distraught girl, 11, went home with bloody underwear, tights and shorts following the incident – because she didn’t have a note from her doctor.

Teachers told the year 7 pupil she would need a toilet pass to allow her out of lessons, but she can only get one with a doctor’s certificate – costing £15.

Her furious mum has slammed staff at Hastings Academy in Essex Sussex and claimed it took them five days to acknowledge her daughter’s condition.

The mum, who wished not to be named to protect her daughter, said: “I cannot see why I am paying £15 for my daughter to use the toilet for something that is no fault of her own.”

She said her doctor was “gobsmacked” by the school’s demand, but wrote a letter anyway.
However she said a toilet pass was not issued until Wednesday.

The mum added: “It’s her first proper period and it started on the Saturday.
“It was quite a lot.

“Monday morning she got up and said it was still really bad.

“I said she could have the day off school, but she wanted to go.”

The incident has left the girl feeling anxious.

Her mum said: “She’s frightened in case it comes through on a chair and she has to clean it with her skirt.”

The mum said two female members of staff had asked her what action the doctor was going to take to lighten her daughter’s flow.

She said: “I said I did not agree with giving my daughter something to stop something which is natural being a woman.”

She added: “I also raised a concern about staff members smoking outside.

“They said they have to allocate smoking breaks.

“It’s a choice to smoke, but not a choice to have a period.”

“She’s at school on time every day, fully prepared, in full uniform, smart, presentable and she’s doing everything the school asks and they can’t give her that bit of leeway.”

A spokesman for the University of Brighton Academies Trust, which runs Hastings Academy, said: “We are extremely sorry for the upset caused to the student and her family.

“Students’ welfare is our paramount concern and staff at all of our academies work extremely hard to ensure their safety, comfort and well-being.

“We do have a practice of issuing toilet passes at The Hastings Academy.

“This was introduced to avoid the abuse of toilet breaks during lesson time.

“We initiated a system of toilet passes to counter this problem and this has succeeded in addressing the issue.

“In this particular case, a toilet pass was issued the next morning.

“We are committed to ensuring that we have a responsive and flexible toilet pass system, and will be reviewing the practice to see if any improvement can be made.

“Medical certificates are only required in certain circumstances but we accept they are an additional cost.
“This issue is something we will also be reviewing.”