Schools sun policy - am I wrong?

[Originalfoogirl]

Before I speak to the school about their sun policy, I wanted to know if others think I'm taking an unreasonable stance.

As soon as it starts getting sunny, we get a text from the school reminding us to send our children wearing sunscreen. Fair enough, a reminder is good. I also send our girl with a bottle of suncream and remind her to re apply it - as per the advice from cancer research and sunsmart. All day sunscreen is not effective. Yesterday she said she got in to trouble for asking for help to do it and was told "you're supposed to put it on before you come to school". At 7 she can kind of do it herself, but her disability does cause her some problems putting it on.

I know it can be a faff for a teacher to put sunscreen on 30 kids and there aren't enough assistants, but just as they have to help the littles get help changing for PE and for using the toilet etc, but to me, sunscreen is just as basic. I have friends who have had skin cancer.

I think the school should have a policy on this and build it in to their day. Schools in Australia seem to manage and before anyone says it, our sun is just as dangerous to children as theirs is.

I know many people just don't see the importance of it for their children and don't appreciate the risks of burning, but should I take this up with the school or not?

To answer the original thread, yes I would be miffed about both the school's policy and attitude. Particularly as your DD is trying her best to apply the sun cream herself, bless her.

20 mins in midday 22c heat as it was today is enough to get burnt by my reckoning.

But in our over crowded, over subscribed state schools I'm not sure you'll get much joy.

In our school the children take in their own, named, bottle of sun cream which is kept in class. Before they go out (30mins + 45mins + sports/forest school) the whole class apply their own cream under the supervision of the TA with help where needed. It takes all of 5 minutes and is scheduled in to the day. Not difficult really.

I don't understand the 'they manage it in Australia ' attitude on this thread - I've never known a teacher or TA to apply it to a child over here, but all schooling that I have been in contact with insist that the children wear hats with wide brims or play inside/in the shade at recess.

My DS has been able to apply a top up to himself since he was 4, we taught him to squeeze a good amount onto his hands and rub it into his face and neck as though he is washing it, then do his arms. If you make sure it's properly applied morning also it shouldn't be an issue. Always make sure they have sleeves (so no vest tops) and wear a hat and they should be fine for a 30 minute play out.

Apply before school, floppy hat plus long sleeved if your DC is prone to burning.

It's not feasible for a teacher to reapply sun cream to 30 wriggly kids. Some of whom have allergies, and some have dipshit parents who will complain about the teacher touching their kid.

6.30 hours in a school day, of which 1is spent outside by children who are mostly covered, wearing a hat and have some shade and who undoubtedly move so no one part is in full sun continuously. Most white people will not burn in 20 minutes (indeed 20 minutes is the time recommends for vitamin D exposure and is regarded as safe). Factor 30 should provide adequate cover for a 6.5 hour period I this circumstances, so probably should factor 15.

My grandparents didn't use sun cream, except on their noses and holidayed to the med annually and farmed and went mut brown and grannie was fair, my mother didn't use sun cream until her thirties and loved the sun. My grandparents died at 91 and 86 and my mother is going strong at 81.

Going back to that 6.5 hours, that's 5 hours left, 20 mins registration, 15 mins assembly, 20 mins PE/games (average), probably 20 mins interruption /settling time, 15 mins storytime/unstructured time - that leaves about 3 hours 40 minutes of teaching time. Divide that by 30 children and that's less than seven minutes teaching time per child!

In the UK except for a sports day or similar no child is going to get sunburned even if they don't wear aunscrren unless they have a serious underlying sun allergy or something like albinism

the whole class apply their own cream under the supervision of the TA with help where needed. It takes all of 5 minutes and is scheduled in to the day. Not difficult really.

I don't have a TA. It would be a nightmare.

I think floppy hats are the way to go.

We are in Australia and all 4 of mine have always had to apply it themselves from pre school.

I do wonder how the fuck myself and most of my generation survived childhood

I have white bits on my arms, in between the freckles where the burn (from sun) damaged my skin.

Why wouldn't you just put it on in the morning though? Much easier surely, and then send in a hat.

(Haven't RFT)

"(Haven't RFT)"

Yes, that shows.

The CancerUK link explains why once-a-day is not adequate.

This year I bought mine the neutragena (sp?) sun stick. Factor 59, has solved the whole thing even my 4 year old can apply herself.

Factor 50 sorry!

Up thread I asked if UK class sizes might have a bearing. Someone replied that class sizes compare favourably at 23 but the figures were from 2013 and I suspect included private schools. The average UK state primary school class size in 2015 was 27.3 - one of the highest in the developed world. Some 25% are in classes of 30. So I think my point is valid - how can under pressure teachers be expected to apply suncream to this many children?

oh

My son got burned at school until we made sun lotion a permenant addidtion to his book bag and he remembered to put it on

Not the schools fault but all children should be encoraged to lotion up as a reminder at least

My DC's school's sun policy is as follows:

Children should be wearing sun cream before they come to school. They're not allowed to bring it in to top up and there is none available at school.

Hats are not necessary as the playground is well shaded. If you wish for your child to wear a hat on the journey to and from school, that's fine.

All children should bring a bottle of water.

DS is allergic to Sainsbury's sun cream, the only other brand I've tried him with is Nivea, which is fine. I'm reluctant to try new brands. I can't afford to waste upwards of £8 if it brings him out in a rash.

The problem would be solved if the school would let him reapply.

Try the aloe Vera it's 25 but they may have a 50 now - DD has never reacted and has lovely soft skin at the end of summer

Teachers aren't allowed to give kids a hug when they hurt themselves due to it being seen as inappropriate, do you really think they're allowed to put sunscreen on a child?

as another poster pointed out, your children are far more likely to suffer from Vitamin D deficiency than getting skin cancer for the minimal amount of time they're outside. In fact, to counter that deficiency many doctors/health bodies now advise people to spend 20 minutes a day in the sunshine, with NO sun protection to ensure they get adequate Vitamin D.

Teachers aren't allowed to give kids a hug when they hurt themselves due to it being seen as inappropriate

For the third time, this isn't true.

Sorry must've just jumped in and missed those. Must just be school gate mother rumours . Surely some schools have such a policy in place.

Schools absolutely shouldn't have a 'no contact' policy, it's considered bad practice. Though some might do.

I thought in Aus the kids put it on each other? And all use the same stuff (presumably those with allergies take their own)

I always laugh when nurseries and the like ask for consent to be applying sunscreen. Am I the only one who thinks they'd be negligent if they didn't?

I know this is AIBU but I don't really care about the debate. OP - would it help to have an easier to apply sunscreen? British sunscreens tend to be sticky and don't spread well. But there are better creams out there that are easier to apply. Sun sense is a popular Aussie brand and you can buy it as a roll-on. Or there are a number of sunscreen mousses that are much easier to apply than a cream or spray.

My daughter's school have this policy with the kids not allowed to have it in school at all. However, they seriously restrict how much the kids are in the sun and they play in shade for at least half of their breaktime and lunchtime. It's not just sunburn. They can also get heat stroke so a restriction on general sun exposure is actually a better plan.

If you think it is feasible for teaching staff to spend their break administering sun cream, then you move to those locations. As someone else said, I wonder how I survived childhood. Just think about that before you go 'to speak to the school about their sun policy'. Ask for an appointment to discuss it might be more appropriate , and polite.

Could get one of these? My friend sent her daughter on a school trip with one and said they're fab? Not tried it myself
www.solarbuddies.co.uk