The Department for Education will fund the scheme, which builds on a commitment announced by the Treasury in March to offer free sanitary products to all female secondary school pupils from September.
Almost half (49 per cent) of students aged 14 to 21 have missed an entire day of school because of their period, according to a survey of 1,000 girls conducted by charity Plan International UK in 2017.
It also found 10 per cent of girls were unable to afford sanitary wear, and 12 per cent had to improvise sanitary wear due to affordability issues.
In his Spring statement, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the scheme would apply to secondary school pupils, saying the move was "in response to rising concern by head teachers that some girls are missing school attendance due to inability to afford sanitary products".
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