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Original poster

Schools sun policy - am I wrong?

335 replies

Originalfoogirl · 07/06/2016 08:26

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?

OP posts:
LittleLionMansMummy · 07/06/2016 11:05

has only

pre schooler

Bloody predictive text!

netflixandicecream · 07/06/2016 11:05

in my home country we had three month summer holidays with temps of around 40C and i have literally never used a suncream. my children were born in the uk and need sun protection or they burn easily, especially my son.

i think for the amount of time they are outside all day cream should be ok, however i do agree if a child has disabilities schools really should be helping them and how rude of them not to!

if she burns easily maybe you could pop in midday? and for sports day i'm guessing you will be there too so you can reapply, but i would be having a word with school about assisting her.

clarrrp · 07/06/2016 11:07

I had teh same issue with my daughter and her teacher. So I went in and had a word with the teacher because I was none too impressed - she didn't even give my daughter a chance to explain. Long story short reapplying suncream was never an issue again.

PandasRock · 07/06/2016 11:15

I wish schools would wise up on sun safety altogether.

My dd2's school is ridiculous. Barely any shade in the playground (her year have the tennis courts as allocated area, no shade whatsoever), she has 3 breaks - morning 30 mins, 10.30-11 (not peak, but plenty hot enough at times, especially in full sun), lunchtime 12.20-13.45, about 30 mins spent eating, so a longish period out in that shadeless area in full sun, and another 15 mins in the afternoon, around 2.45.

I understand all the sunscreen issues, from allergies to time and touch. I wish uniforms were better, and shade was provided. The school sunhat is a baseball cap - crap for sun protection on neck and ears/side of face. The uniform is shortsleeved, how about having a cool cotton long sleeved top for coverage? Sport is the worst bit - cap sleeved tops, games skirt, and out on a field for 2 hours+, twice a week, from 2-4pm. It is utterly irresponsible, imo. Again, the children should be being taught sensible sun safety - not just slathering on sun cream as we are increasingly seeing this leads to other health issues (vit D deficiency is very bad news) but times to not be hanging around in full sun, wearing sensible clothing rather than impractical for the situation, etc.

It's bonkers.

ComaToes · 07/06/2016 11:18

I find the solution is a legionnaire style hat, a slightly on the large side summer dress and sun-cream in the bag which even my YR child is capable of putting on her arms. The rest of her is either covered by clothes / hat or not in direct sun (though apparently a teacher did help her sun cream her legs yesterday, maybe she was sitting outside rather than running around?).

whois · 07/06/2016 11:27

This hyper hysteria about the sun is silly.

Put on P20. Send them with their shoulders covered.

The short amount of time they are outside, most children will not be harmed by the sun.

999WineNow · 07/06/2016 11:27

You can get sun screen which really does last all day P10? I am very fair skinned and use this

I agree though there is an issue - particularly very fair skinned children or those who they know will not put it on properly (or those whose parents can't be bothered/can't afford?)

999WineNow · 07/06/2016 11:27

Yes - sorry P20!

mouldycheesefan · 07/06/2016 11:29

If you put factor 50 on before school it is unlikely she will be burned. Generally lunchtime is the last outside play slot and the sun cream should last till then. Mine have never been burned at school with a factor 50 application in morning, hat etc
Teachers cannot apply sun cream. As someone else has said, one minute per child would be half hour of putting cream on. What half hour of education do you want missed to do this? If the teacher missed a bit what would happen then? You would be complaining that teacher was negligent.
Put sun cream on her yourself you are the parent not the teacher. #lazyparent

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 07/06/2016 11:36

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

Well, I don't about you, but I 'survived' with nearly 20 years (so far!) of worrying about my skin and my skin cancer risk as a result of not being protected enough as a child.

MN trips over itself to lace threads with Hmm comments about 'how did we all survive'. Irritating.

Original poster
Originalfoogirl · 07/06/2016 11:36

rollonthesummer

I suspect you are right. The ASC of course has lower ratios and a mix of ages so the older children need no help so there isn't a time problem. But the fact they can do it, shows there is no "safeguarding" problem - which is trotted out by teachers and schools if something is just a bit tricky. If they just came out and said "we dont have the resource" I'd understand it better.

One of the other things with a good policy is, they can actually educate children as they do it. Far too many parents see this as a non issue and it really isn't. Our girl was at an outside party at the weekend, 11.30 - 2. The children were pretty much outside all the time, in swimsuits for the paddling pool and only two of the visiting children had any sunscreen on. As the kids got redder and redder, the mum throwing the party called them in and put cream on them. One six year old said with great authority "I don't need cream, I just tan, I don't burn". That can only come from a parent and it's just not correct!

Ps....looked for sun wipes, only found ones for dogs! Am I missing something 🤔

OP posts:
MrsHathaway · 07/06/2016 11:36

I'd also suggest it's not just two or three days. I don't know where you are, but we're in the middle of about a fortnight or hot weather.

I was being facetious.

That said, we're on day twelve or something of a heatwave here but not all those days have been high UV days, and only two have been school days.

AristotleTheGreat · 07/06/2016 11:45

TBH, seen how strict schools are now with medication prescribed by a GP, I'm struggling to see how you can hope that they will allow sun cream, let alone having a teacher pouting the sun cream on. Not for 15mins in the sun.

There are plenty of issue with sun cream, starting with allergies and the risk of mixing the different sun creams (eg little Joshua has used little Matthews cream and has come out in rashes) and 'as it been applied properly'.
I also think we are overstating the risks. A lot of people do put sun cream on children when it's not necessary. Getting a suntan isn't an issue and will actually help protect your skin.

So, with my two dcs, both of who are VERY fair (think blond white hair and pale white skin), they don't have sun cream for school, never had an issue with sunburn either. But today, dc1 is doing something with school where they will spend the whole day in the sun so he has some and has a bottle for a top up. He also has a cap to protect his head.
DH is also very fair and is actually even more sensitive to the sun. He protects himself more. I do tan better than the rest of them so I use less of it.
Balance and knowing yourself is key IMO.

AristotleTheGreat · 07/06/2016 11:48

Well over here, last week was cold and rainy. This week will be hotter with sunshine and then rain again at the end of the week.
So yes we REALLY are talking about a few days in the year where this could potentially be an issue.

Very different from Australia where the number of sunny days is errr... Much bigger.

Original poster
Originalfoogirl · 07/06/2016 11:48

#lazyparent
ODFO

I quite clearly stated I put factor 50 cream on her in the morning. She was burned in the afternoon. You do realise cream can be washed off, can be sweated off, isn't as effective 5 bloody hours after it is first applied. As a parent it is only possible to do so much. I teach her how to do it, I educate her why we do it, I teach her about staying in the shade. I send her to school with everything she needs, is it really to much to ask that the school at least try to continue this education? Especially where her disability means she needs a little extra help.

I suppose I'm lazy because she needs help using the bathroom and eating lunch too? Silly me for having a child with a disability. How lazy of me.🙄

OP posts:
2catsnowaiting · 07/06/2016 11:51

Purpledaisies "hugging an upset child is an appropriate"???? Vast majority of the time with crying infants a hug is all they need. The teachers in our schools (infant and junior) hug the kids if necessary. They are not the parent but they are in loco parentis while the child is at school and have a pastoral role to play, it's not just about teaching them to read and add. Anyone that doesn't realise that should NOT be a teacher.

As far as sunscreen is concerned, there is a problem that people in the UK burn when we get an unusual day of sunshine due to not being used to it, and not being prepared with hats and cream. Also kids are often outside for longer than minutes as they go outside for lessons, and at lunchtime they are out for abut 40 minutes, plenty of time for a fairskinned child to burn.

Original poster
Originalfoogirl · 07/06/2016 11:56

www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/ask-the-experts/will-getting-a-tan-before-going-to-a-sunny-environment-protect-me

🙄. A sun tan does not protect your skin. A sun tan is sign of skin damage. It is your skin protecting itself from further damage, equivalent to an SPF of four. And that's only protection against burning, it does not protect from UVA or UVB which are the Rays which lead to skin cancer.

This is why schools need to have proper sun policies, to educate children when this is the kind of nonsense that adults will state with absolute authority

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 07/06/2016 11:58

I've always found the once a day creams perfect for school days.

SantanaBinLorry · 07/06/2016 12:00

factor 50 - "isn't as effective 5 bloody hours after it is first applied."

Well you used the wrong sun cream then. If it does t say All Day its not All Day.
Five hours is too long between reapplication for non All Day lotions.

user789653241 · 07/06/2016 12:04

I put factor 50+++ in the morning before ds go to school. In the evening when he takes baths, it is still repelling water until he washes off with soap.
He runs around and sweat a lot during the day.
I think if you try several different brand, you may find the one that stays longer. Also when I typed in sunscreen wipes, tons came up on screen, mostly for children! (and some doggy ones.)

whatamidoinghereanyway · 07/06/2016 12:08

I put all day sunscreen on them.
6 hours is not all day.
A 7 year old can apply sunscreen.
If your dd has a disability you are within your rights to ask for help with the sunscreen.

LyndaNotLinda · 07/06/2016 12:08

I didn't ask if you out on factor 50. I asked if you used P20 which is an all day sunscreen. It's what I use on my (very white, blue-veins showing, disabled) DS. He has never got sunburned at school wearing it. I don't even reapply if we're in eg the South of France.

You're being really aggressive and belittling to people who disagree with you tbh so I'm out of here. Good luck with it

EvaTheOptimist · 07/06/2016 12:10

Not just breaks - also PE outside

It just depends on the child. My DD is very reactive to the sun. DS's skin survives all day on a morning factor 50 application.

DD had to go to the doctor after a long cycle training session at school left her with blistered sunburn on her face. (The school actually sent her home early because it was so painful.) The doctor has told her to re-apply suncream every 2 hours. I am relying on her to do this herself at school - but I am on the brink of asking a teacher to help check/ remind her if I think she's not doing it.

She's meant to wear a hat, but she refuses.

I would have appreciated a bit better "loco parentis" from the school on the cycle training day. Teachers should have an eye to their pupil's wellbeing - if they see a child burning badly, couldn't they have sent her inside?

needanewjob · 07/06/2016 12:11

I work in a primary school and I am constantly amazed at how many children are sent into school with no sun cream on and no sun hat! I think as a whole our country needs to get a lot more sun aware!

blublutoo · 07/06/2016 12:11

This is a tough one. I completely agree with you. I was at the park yesterday and a little girl's back was completely burnt, I'm not sure how much cream her mum had put on her but the poor thing looked in pain! She had not been there that long either. Children cab burn so easily especially here as their skin is just not used to it. I don't know what the alternative is though. Maybe long sleeves and a good hat and apply lots in the morning.