The Movember Foundation is requesting that schools temporarily suspend their ‘clean-shave' policies in light of Movember.

Throughout the month of November, money and awareness is raised in relation to men's health issues.

In a letter sent out to 178 schools nationwide members of the foundation have asked that schools suspend any policies inhibiting students from being a part of the appeal.

'We have a lot of people who want to support Movember but because of these policies they can't,” says Movember manager Robert Dunne. 'I wanted to approach that in a really positive way.

'What we've seen over the past few years is teachers getting involved with the cause, and we wanted to take that one step further and turn it into something students and teachers can do together.

'Male mental health and suicide prevention is a huge issue that affects this demographic, there isn't a huge amount of things they can grab onto to visually support the cause.

'I think Movember could be one of those things, and a really positive thing.

'This has supplied an opportunity for schools to be a part of Movember and suicide prevention and it has come from an organisation that has been really trying to make a difference to that cause for nine years.

'We are an organisation that has a really good history of supporting men's' health issues.

'We've already had four or five responses from schools who are keen to knock those policies for the month, so their students can get in behind it.”

In the Bay of Plenty area Katikati College, Te Puke High School, Mount Maunganui College and Tauranga Boys' College have each been sent a copy of the letter.

Mount Maunganui principal Russell Gordon says their school is committed to the cause.

'We will be sharing the sentiment with our senior and our junior students, but those practically capable of growing facial hair won't be back until December,” he says.

'The issue we have at secondary school is that those capable of growing a moustache for Movember are our senior students who leave us November 2 for exam study.”

Other schools in the region have been contacted in regards to the letter, but were unable to comment on it at this time.