Cleaning schools is harder than most sites I have worked on in the past.

We have to clean up urine and faeces on the floor, in our personal shoes. Further, we are under a lot of pressure to finish our work, as we are never given enough time to do as good a job as we would like. So, it makes all the difference when a teacher asks their students to put the chairs up in their classroom.

The only person who does it at my school is one of the math teachers, which makes me feel like they care.

 My workmates and I often think that if we decided not to show up one day, then this whole place would crumble to the ground.

I'm doing okay, but other cleaners I know are really struggling and are having to work long hours just to make ends meet. A living wage for cleaners in schools would mean they can put more food on the table, cover their bills, and pay their rent.

But for me, it would give us self-worth and the feeling that we are being valued for the contribution we make to the school.