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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be so frustrated with slack parents...(sunshine)

91 replies

ShabbyButNotChic · 09/07/2013 09:25

Basically i work in a school club attached to a primary. It is bloody hot today (16c and glorious sunshine at 7.15am) and also school sports day today. The kids will be on the field all day, with only a break for lunch. Luckily the school has a few gazebo type things set up for shade. It is supposed to reach 28 degress here today.
I was talking to the kids this morning, and of the 16 children that were there (aged 7-11) not a single one had suncream on! Only 2 had brought their (school issued) sun hats, and 1 child had remembered their (school issued) water bottle.

Ffs sake! They are small kids who are having sports day on the hottest day of the year! Its not like parents could have missed this info as it has been forecast/was hot by 7am, AND school sent a letter last week reminding parents to prepare the kids before school, and a bloody text last night! It really winds me up, as we are going to be all over the situation now today, making sure they dont burn, provide them all drinks etc.

Cant decide if this is more annoying than the parents who send their kids to school in 2foot of snow in ballet pump style shoes.....just look out the window and dress your kids properly for gods sake!!

Rant over...

OP posts:
HeadfirstForHalos · 09/07/2013 12:23

I know other countries have far hotter weather, but in the UK we are just not used to it (nor our pale skin- for those who have it)

SoupDragon · 09/07/2013 12:24

I don't think sports day should be cancelled because of hot weather. They manage in far hotter parts of the world than this

And in far hotter parts of the world the children are used to the heat

our kids sat outside for 3 hours yesterday...Fun was had by all

Three hours. Not all day.

BlueSkySunnyDay · 09/07/2013 12:33

I think all day out in this weather is expecting a bit much but to be fair when school scheduled it I doubt they were expecting a heatwave.

Our school do infants in the morning and primary in the afternoon and that's long enough. The children sit under gazebos, take their water out with them and get an ice lolly half way through. The parents sit in the shade under the trees.

I totally sympathise with you, it does seem like a percentage of parents delegate all responsibility for their child to the school and just carry on with their lives as they were before children. I do sometimes forget to put lotion on my very fair son but only when the weather takes me by surprise - this week he has had lotion on every day.

He has a juice box in his lunch but flatly refuses to drink water as he only likes it really cold. I got round this yesterday by freezing the water bottle, he took it to school as an ice cube and apparently by lunch it was such a refreshing cold drink that for the first time ever he finished the bottle.

BarefootShirl · 09/07/2013 12:51

I know I'm about to get shot down but here goes!

I totally agree that many parents now seem to regard it as OK to hand over their parenting duties to the school and expect them to take responsibility for providing everything that I believe should be the parent's role - hats, drinks, suncream,etc. FFS, if you have DC then you should be prepared to take responsibility for everything that goes with it!

However, in the last few days I am aware of (a) a sports day cancelled because of overnight dew on the grass - H&S!!! (b) a sports day where the head banned parents from attending - too stressful for the kids! (c) a sports day cancelled because it was too hot. Is it just me or have we now decided that wrapping DC in cotton wool and protecting them from every eventuality is the best way to prepare them for life in the "real world"? The Olympics were supposed to be a great opportunity to get more people, especially youngsters, into sport but all I see is people looking for every opportunity to stop this happening.

Rant over.

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 09/07/2013 15:17

can I suggest that any you connected to schools that do not have a sun policy look at the sunsmart site and suggest the school take on board their recommendations. Schools... can you send out guidelines to parents as part of this? [[http://www.sunsmart.org.uk/schools/schools-and-sun-protection here]] lots of good idvice and resources too.

superstarheartbreaker · 09/07/2013 15:22

Sports' day is shite and should be banned altogether. Op yanbu.

LaGuardia · 09/07/2013 15:23

School sports days totally suck. I would have turned up to school naked if it had meant I didn't have to take part.

KansasCityOctopus · 09/07/2013 15:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IneedAsockamnesty · 09/07/2013 15:53

Even factor 50 sun cream only allows you to be in the sun for 50 mins without burning and to be completely effective has to be applied before you go outside in the sun

GobblersKnob · 09/07/2013 16:14

Factor 50 allows you to stay in the sun for 50 times longer than you could without suncream.

You would be right about 50 minutes if you could only stay in the sun for 1 minute before starting to burn

quoteunquote · 10/07/2013 13:30

Sports' day is shite and should be banned altogether

Why?

miffybun73 · 10/07/2013 13:34

YANBU.

sunshine401 · 10/07/2013 13:37

why would the children be out on the field all day???

xylem8 · 10/07/2013 13:39

And why do children suddenly become heat-proof at secondary school?

At my DCS secondary school sunscreen and caps are obligatory for outdoor PE in summer .The school has a supply of suncream and hats (and detentions!) for those who forget!
The school were very irresponsible to have the children out all day long in yesterday's heat

CloudsAndTrees · 10/07/2013 13:49

I don't think schools having sports day on days like today is a bad thing, they have to be held sometime.

Children outside in this heat all day is probably not a good idea, but parents would still need to take precautions even if the sports day only lasted two hours. If they don't, they are still likely to end up with burnt children, and there is little the school can do about that.

On the other hand, we have had parents asking if their reception children can be kept inside all day because of the sun, which is next to impossible unless we hire an extra member of staff.

thebody · 10/07/2013 13:55

Sports day should be banned????

Is that because your pfb doesn't win all the races then?

Lets ban all tests and exams shall we then?

thebody · 10/07/2013 13:57

Golly how did we survive sports days in the 70s/80s.

No sun cream, maybe a hat and a water fountain.

Oh hang on as seen in friends reunited we all didn't die if sunstroke and dehydration( that's British for thirst).

burberryqueen · 10/07/2013 14:00

the sun is far more burning these days than there was in the 70s 80s, there is a massive hole in the ozone layer over the British Isles.

schools are being unreasonable to make small children race around in the midday sun, no country that has a hot climate would even dream of it.

thebody · 10/07/2013 14:03

Burberry, our friends live in Dubai and we looked around the school. It was sports day in June at 90 Degrees.

It's a myth.

aldiwhore · 10/07/2013 14:11

If there's no shade I would request that my children either be allowed to stay inside or given authorised absence.

No amount of long sleeves, sun cream or hats can stop people feeling utterly miserable in the heat. If I can't get shade when I am out and it's hot and sunny, I don't go out.

YANBU op in that parents should take all reasonable precautions, but schools also have a duty of care.

The children at my sons' school weren't allowed outside when it snowed because of the health and safety implications despite the children being prepared and dressed appropriately, but suddenly when it's hot (and the dangers are probably higher) they do a complete U-turn.

My family is fair skinned, blonde and ginger, it's not just direct sunlight for prolonged periods that causes misery, it's the heat too.

I think there is a middle ground here. Parents provide the right kit, schools provide the right environment, and in this case it means providing shade.

Our PTA have recently bought 12 wind proof gazebos but they didn't use them on sport's day!

aldiwhore · 10/07/2013 14:12

I got heat stroke in the 70's at Primary School on sport's day, it did happen, but it was put down to 'one of those things'.

melika · 10/07/2013 14:13

Our school used to do infants in the AM and juniors in PM, so why would they all have to be out there all day. We were all sent a letter about hats, suncream and water bottles etc. well in advance. School should bring spares.

thebody · 10/07/2013 14:15

Aldiwhore, and probably a slap for being so careless as well.

Good old days.😜

CloudsAndTrees · 10/07/2013 14:17

My school has some shade, but we can't force children to stay in it for the entire lunch hour.

Original poster
ShabbyButNotChic · 10/07/2013 14:18

They did end up cutting it in half and doing 2 mornings. Lower school did theirs this morning, shade and water were provided yesterday and a great time was had by all. Head is looking at keeping this routine in future :)

OP posts: