NEU calls for mandatory menopause training

Menopause training should be a requirement for all school leaders, Daniel Kebede of the National Education Union (NEU) has said. 

Speaking at the NEU Annual Conference in Bournemouth last week, Kebede said: “Every woman’s experience of the menopause is different but mistreatment and a lack of understanding is forcing valuable experienced teachers and support staff out of their jobs."

The union plans to lobby for menopause training to be made mandatory for school leaders. 

He added that menopause and the steps that surround it such as premature menopause, early menopause and conditions like endometriosis are "occupational health and safety issues."

Kebede said: "We want to see dignity, privacy and respect in the workplace for staff who are experiencing menopause. 

"Our members should not be penalised for sickness absence where working arrangements have not been adjusted to accommodate their needs."

“Menopausal staff should be given appropriate flexibility, support, and adjustments – according to their needs - to remove or reduce disadvantages and allow them to work successfully.

"Employers should undertake a work environment assessment to make sure that the physical environment is not making symptoms worse."

He concluded that the education sector needs to "boost understanding around the support that women experiencing menopausal symptoms should reasonably expect to avoid disadvantage in work.”