Education

Workshops | PoGo Pack for schools | A plea to schools

Workshops

PoGo has developed two workshops, suitable for girls in Year 5 upwards. These can be run as part of the PSHE curriculum, or conducted outside of the school environment. Parents/carers are encouraged to attend.

Puberty workshop

We help girls to understand all the changes in their bodies - internally and externally, the emotional rollercoaster caused by hormones, how to manage their changing moods, and the practical side of handling their periods. The workshop lasts for 1.5 hours. It successfully builds girls' confidence about growing up, and increases their willingness to talk with mum or another trusted adult about what they are experiencing or worrying about.

Menstruation workshop

This hands-on 1.0 hour workshop focuses purely on menstruation, giving girls a full understanding of how the reproductive organs function to produce periods. Girls learn how to recognise the signs that their periods may start soon. We take a look at sanitary protection, and which products to use and when; and how to cope with emergencies. The interactive nature of this workshop really helps to alleviate girls' worries and fears, and often dispels many of the myths they've heard!

Robyn worked with a committee of Year 6 girls to enhance our sex and relationship education in school. She met regularly with me and the committee to discover exactly what was needed and the best way to pass the information across to our audience of 10 and 11 year old girls.

Her relaxed manner has enabled all our Year 5 and 6 girls to have a greater understanding and confidence in dealing with puberty. The work undertaken by Robyn culminated in a 'Mothers and Daughters/Girls Growing Up' event which was very successful and gratefully received by our parents and girls.

Robyn's passion to ensure the girls feel confident in their changing bodies was apparent and she listened with great interest to our committee to help shape the event. Never before has the event involved Y6 girls sharing their feelings and getting the Y5 and 6 girls involved in hand's on activities. The evening was a resounding success and Robyn imparted much valuable information to us all.

Robyn really helped by telling us about puberty in a way we could understand and made us feel hugely more confident. She always made us feel positive about ourselves and our involvement in the event. Robyn was keen to hear and valued our ideas.

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The PoGo Pack for State and Independent Schools

Aligning with Government objectives

The PoGo Pack™ has been developed with the various strategic Government initiatives in mind, for example Every Child Matters, and specifically:

* Being Healthy – enjoying good physical and mental health, and living a healthy lifestyle.
* Enjoying and Achieving – getting the most out of life and developing the skills for adulthood.
* Make a Positive Contribution – developing self confidence and successfully dealing with significant life changes and challenges.

Benefits to schools

• The PoGo Pack™ is a useful resource for teachers and school nurses in explaining the subject of periods to girls.
• The School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) has vetted the PoGo Pack™, and our supporting information, providing reassurance about the quality and suitability of what we do.
• Use of the pack in the classroom or workshops demonstrates innovation in the delivery of PSHCE in Years 5, 6, 7 and 8.
• Offers an opportunity to engage with parents and carers in a proactive way in conjunction with puberty lessons, talks and workshops.
• The pack is a useful back-up in the medical room, and on school trips.
• Time spent by teachers and staff in assisting girls with their periods is reduced.
  

Benefits to girls at school

• The PoGo Pack™ enables your young female pupils to be completely self-sufficient when it comes to managing their periods at school.
• It is designed to last a girl through her school years.
• The full pack is ideal for extended school trips away.
• The small pull-out purse is perfect for girls to keep at school on a day-to-day basis, or to take with them on field trips.
• The PoGo Pack™ makes an excellent care pack for Boarders, providing an hygienic way to store sanitary products.
• And the outer bag and the pull-out purse both have labels where girls can write their names, making identification easy if they are mislaid.

How we work with schools

We work with a growing number of state and independent schools to make the PoGo Pack™ available to their female pupils in Years 5-8, depending on each school's needs and policies.

We're keen to ensure that there is miniminal involvement needed on the schools' part. With this in mind, we avoid the need for schools to handle any monies.

Depending on where your school is located, we offer various options:

Option 1 - UK mainland Schools

PoGo can supply DL leaflets for pupils, which provide a discount code offering free delivery for a limited period. This offer applies to the PoGo Pack only and no other products. Parents then order direct from PoGo's website or by telephone. After expiration of the discount code, the packs will be dispatched in a one-off delivery to the school. Delivery will take place within 28 days. All dates would need to be agreed with the school in advance so that leaflets can be tailored accordingly. Please note that any end-of-year orders may not be delivered until commencement of the new academic year and this can be discussed.

Option 2 - Schools in any location

If a school would prefer to simply distribute information about the PoGo Pack to their young female pupils, we can supply the DL leaflet, without the discount code. Parents would order from PoGo, paying the usual p&p charges, and receive their order direct at their home address.

Option 3 - UK mainland Independent Schools

Independent schools may prefer to purchase PoGo Packs on behalf of their young female pupils, with free delivery. The school may choose to invoice parents in accordance with its usual billing procedures. PoGo would require a Purchase Order confirming the number of packs required.

Download DL leaflet (PDF 130KB)

Testimonials

We have received many comments from happy parents, girls and schools about the PoGo Pack. Please take a moment to read them on our Testimonials page.

Contact us to find out more

Please contact us to discuss how we can help your school to ensure your young female pupils are well equipped to handle their periods with confidence, and to obtain up-to-date information about our arrangements with schools.

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A plea to schools

From the many parents and girls we come in to contact with, it is clear that many primary schools are failing to provide sanitary bins for girls. This is an issue which causes them unnecessary discomfort as they have to use the bins in the washrooms to dispose of sanitary items.

With an increasing number of girls starting their periods at primary school, some as young as eight, please consider the needs of your younger female pupils.

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