to be cross about dd getting sunburnt at school

[iloveithere]

Dd is 10, in year 6. she had a school trip today, and has come back burnt.
AIBU to think that even at her age the school should have reminded the children to get and apply their cream, and given them time to do it.
I didn't tell her this morning, as I didn't know they were going out, it was just a local walk, we have signed blanket permission for this type of thing.

Should the school remind children of this age, or should she have done it independently?

[Mutley77]

specialsubject - I will give you the Aussie lowdown :)

My children are in a state primary here. You are right - no hat, no play! The school uniform includes a wide brimmed hat and children aren't allowed out without it, even in winter. To be fair we are right into winter at the moment and most days have a high temp of 19/20 degrees C and the sun can still burn, but generally most people don't get burned in winter.

The pre-school and reception aged children play pretty much exclusively under shade sails during the day. Obviously in summer this is essential as the daytime high temp can be regularly 40 degrees C.

Most families have a standard high SPF suncream (not P20 or a special all day thing) by the front door which children routinely apply before going out in the morning. No-one takes suncream to school with them and I have never known of anyone getting burned. My children are English born and bred but don't burn at school on 40 degree days!!!

To be honest here it is just so rare to be out of the shade for lengthy periods of time around the middle of the day when it is summer. If the children are outside they MUST be wearing hats. Also my DD (age 9) is offered suncream by the sports teacher if they are going to be out in the sun for a reasonable period of time during summer. It is just a more common sense approach IMO - the whole health and safety thing is much less of an issue here, no-one would even think "Why is the sports teacher offering suncream that might give my child a rash?" - they just think "Sun strong - good idea to reapply suncream we're going to be out for a while!".

During summer my children put suncream on every morning as part of their routine - I will do the same in the UK if and when we return and make sure they have a hat with them. I will never send them in with suncream as if they don't to reapply during the day in Australia, they don't need to in England IMO. I don't either. As long as I have applied properly in the morning, I am not ever in the sun enough to warrant re-apply - I don't sunbathe as I don't think it's particularly sensible (I used to love sunbathing on holiday but don't since living here!!)

[wakemewhenitsover]

From skin cancer.org "One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma later in life." I have skin cancer and multiple surgerys under my belt, some very distressing and disfiguring. It doesn't matter where you live, our children need to be taught that the sun has the potential to be very harmful, even fatal and that tanned skin is not "healthy".

[dementedma]

Doesn't happen at Ds secondary either, hence Tuesday s sunburn when it was such a sunny day they all spent an unexpected afternoon outside getting burned doing activities.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Well that doesn't happen at dd's secondary school.

[sunshinecity17]

would you expect her secondary school to remind her?

yes they do! At my dcs school anyway. Suncream must be applied for PE and there are school supplies (and lunchtime detentions) for those who haven't brought their own.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

I'm sorry but 50SPF only works for 50 minutes

This is completely incorrect.

SPF means that the cream gives you X times whatever time you could spend in the sun without burning.

This level of protection being given, depends on the cream being re-applied according to the formulation. All creams, even water resistant, say to reapply after swimming. Some creams the formulation will last for 8 hours, others will say to reapply every 2-3 hours.

Even with an 8 hour cream, you still need a strong SPF.

What really needs changing though is the attitude of some teachers, who still refuse to accept that spending several hours outdoors in the middle of a very sunny day is a bad idea unless you have access to adequate shade.

[MrTumblesBavarianFanbase]

SPF50 doesn't mean 50 minutes protection, unless you usually burn after 60 seconds... it means 50 times ypur unprotected safe exposure. The length of time SPF protects for will ne different for each person, but if 5 mins without protection is safe for an individual, SPF 50 will allow just over 4 hours... Or am I mistaken? I am sure it is not number of minutes - that would make no sense anyway, as some people burn far, far quicker than others.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

If nursery staff had to re-cream every child every hour they wouldn't get much else done. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon plus sensible clothes, hats and shade to play in should be enough.

[Hakluyt]

"t really gets on my tits how schools can't help children put suncream on as they will get in trouble for touching a child. They can't even help a child up off the floor if they've fallen down."

They can,you know. Both things.

However most schools choose not to apply sunscreen for loads of reasons. Being accused of inappropriate touching is one. But also, being blamed for not doing it properly. And the sheer practicality of sun screening 30 children - even if it only takes a minute a child, that's 30 minutes before everyone can go out to play.

Never heard of anyone not boing helped up.

[CrayolaCocaColaRocknRolla]

It really gets on my tits how schools can't help children put suncream on as they will get in trouble for touching a child. They can't even help a child up off the floor if they've fallen down. I'm sorry but 50SPF only works for 50 minutes. It does need to be reapplied every hour. At school, not so much, only once at lunch time. Thats it. At nursery/kindergarten/whatever you want to call it it SHOULD be re-applied all day if they are out in it, the point is play, not sat on a classroom. They will be outside all day and need it re-applying.

[Delphiniumsblue]

Just make sure that from now on your DD knows it is her responsibility.

[ApocalypseThen]

Also amazed at how few people seem to take sun safety seriously

I know you say you didn't put cream in her because of your beliefs or whatever, but honestly, you can't have it both ways. If you take the sun seriously you cream the child up before she leaves for school and tell her that she has to put it on herself if she's going out again.

If you don't do these things, you don't take the sun seriously and ropey old excuses about being old fashioned don't cut it when you are blaming someone else for your mistake.

[sarahquilt]

I think at that age it's up to parent and child tbh.

[goodasitgets]

I'm 30 and I remember having to put sun cream on at school, and burning quite a bit

[wobblyweebles]

I am old (50 later this year) and never wore suncream until I went on holiday abroad aged 18. Nobody I was at school with ever did either. I don't recall any burning issues, even on sports day. What has changed?

I am only slightly younger and we used to burn every summer. I vividly remember peeling the skin off my nose and long strips of skin off my stepbrothers' backs. We would be horrified if our kids got that sunburnt nowadays.

[AliceinSlumberland]

ilove out of interest, would you expect her secondary school to remind her?

[dementedma]

We live on Scotland where it mostly rains. Ds was outside all day on Tuesday for activities and he has a badly burned face and neck. It isn't standard to apply suncream in the morning on the off chance the sun might break through.
Dh,dd1 and Ds have pale skin, freckles and burn to crisps.dd2 and I have olive skin and tan nicely. Life's a bitch sometimes

[cardibach]

Sorry to hear that fledermaus. I and my friends must have been lucky. AS I said, I do recognise the need for sun awareness and am really careful with DD (18 now and never burnt) and my own skin.

[fledermaus]

My mum is the same age as you cardibach, is pale and got burnt every summer as a child, and now has skin cancer.

[Iamsuperluigi]

A bit shocked that the school did not announce the trip to parents though.

[Fideliney]

What has changed?

The integrity of the ozone layer? Our attitude to burning incidents?

[Iamsuperluigi]

I work in a Y6 class and we would expect the children to be able to apply suncream if they have a bottle in their bag, which they would open several times during the day for food/drinks .We are taking about children who will be in high school in a couple of months.

[cardibach]

I am old (50 later this year) and never wore suncream until I went on holiday abroad aged 18. Nobody I was at school with ever did either. I don't recall any burning issues, even on sports day. What has changed? I have been very sun aware with DD, but I am a bit confused as to why it is so necessary now.

[iloveithere]

just to clarify, this wasn't a play time or PE lesson, this was a trip to a field with no shade, a trip that parents had not been told about. i think they were out for about 3 hours.

and I certanly wouldn't expect the teacher to apply it, but if parents had the foresight to send their children in with sun cream, those children should have had the opportunity to put it on.

Also amazed at how few people seem to take sun safety seriously, I was always taught to put on sun cream each time I went out in the sun, applying it at 7.30 wont be much use for the whole day. And yes, I know that you can get all day ones now, but i am old fashioned and didn't get that type.

Apparently several children were burnt, and one sent home sick, possibly due to the heat (I don't know if that was the actual reason, DD said it was, but I know 10 year olds are not medical experts) so all in all I think this unplanned trip should have been planned a little in advance and these issues thought about, and risk assessed.

[Hissy]

Ds (8) got burnt in an accident at home a few weeks ago (boiling water)

As part of his recovery/scar management he must keep out of the sun/use very high spf product.

I bought that P20 stuff. It's a 10 hour spray, 50+ spf. It means that I can send him off at 8, pick him up at 6 knowing the burns that are in the sun are protected.

On top of this he rubs in baby sun cream spf 50 when he goes out, but that's me being cautious, the 10hour stuff I buy is good, but him getting into the habit to use sun protection now, on his own, will set him up for later in life.

This is something to learn from OP, and it's good your dd takes it seriously now.