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?

Where do you live? I can't believe the sun is so much more dangerous in the UK than in Germany.

The average schoolday at primary school when I went there, time outside would be two hours, tops, and that's with walking there and back.

I'm all for sun protection and never go out without a hat when I know I'm going to be in the sun for hours, but applying sunscreen for what amounts to two hours in the sun, with lots of being inside a building inbetween, seems excessive. I'd be worried about vitamin D deficiency.

As for applying sunscreen, I'd think it more sensible to apply it before the main break, as that's when it is needed. IF your child is indeed so fair skinned that it's necessary.

Schools don't allow teachers to apply sun cream to children as it's regarded as a safeguarding issue.

If the teachers are rubbing the arms and legs of children they're open to all sorts of accusations. I can see it from both sides!

I think pairing children off and getting them to help each other is a good idea!

P20 do a 50+ now. Although I have never bured on less P20 SPF. And I have see through gingers skin. Kids are Blondies but thankfully have their dads olivey skin.

All non all-dayers say direct.you to apply regularly. If your skin or childs skin has survived burning without reapplication, fair enough, but its a risk.
And not the fault of school/club etc

I used to work in a special school - class of 12 children. The school provided factor 50 sunscreen which we put on all children before play times on sunny days (parents signed a form to give us permission to do so).

There would usually be 3 of us sun creaming the children, to apply it properly to each child takes several minutes and so it did delay getting outside by up up to 10 minutes. And that was with each adult only having to apply it to 4 children each.

I can see why in mainstream where there are 30 children in a class with only 1 or 2 adults they cannot apply it to everyone - it would just take far too long. However, if a child has a disability or other additional needs which make it difficult for them to do it themselves there does need to be help available.

Does your DD require any extra help in school for her disability? Is she entitled to any help from an LSA/ TA? If so perhaps it would be worth speaking to the teacher and asking if it might be possible for them to help her with the areas she can't manage due to her disability.

My son is as fair skinned as they come.
We put all day sun cream on at 7.30.
Never had any problems
We used to use Soltan once
Now using p20

And they have an hour of games at 3pm
And sometimes he's out from 4-5

If you take responsibility for it, there's no issue in school

Factor 50 is not the same as all day cream

That's your problem

Our school provides free sun cream and kids are encouraged to apply it after parents give consent. This is meant to be used to top up what you apply at home (not instead). Children are also encouraged to wear hats. I imagine the little ones are given guidance on applying cream. My DS is 9 so is capable of applying cream - it's only face, neck and arms at the end of the day so no hard to reach bits. I imagine those who don't have consent due to allergies etc take their own in to school.

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.

OP I think this comment, of all of yours about the school, shows that there's been a breakdown in trust somewhere along the way. If there was a good relationship between you and the school, you would not be perpetuating the myth that safeguarding is a free pass for staff not to provide adequate support for children.

If your DD has mobility issues (which I'm assuming from the splints), you need to make an appointment to see the Senco and ask about her having a care plan written to help her manage tasks like this.

My ds had sports day on very sunny day. I only put sunscreen on him in the morning before school. (he refused to be reapplied during the day.)
He didn't even get a mark on his arm, after all day under sun in t-shirt. I was more worried about not getting enough V-D with this sunscreen.

So what's the difference between a qualified nursery teacher in a private day nursery applying suncream and a qualified primary teacher applying suncream?
How is it only a safeguarding issue when it involves teachers in a school?
I would consider it more of a safeguarding issue if a member of my staff didn't apply suncream and a child got burnt

All day sun creams have been tested by Which? They are not effective to the same SPF all day. An all day sun cream is not the answer, they still need to be topped up, especially as it is later in the day they go out.

I tend not to believe advertisers or anecdotes, but actual research. We are limited in brands we can use as she tends to break out with many of them.

She is entitled to, and does get assistance at school, but as always, there aren't enough hours to go round so she doesn't get all the help she needs.

Did you mean your title to say "School's sun policy - I'm not wrong!" ?

No, the Once a day creams aren't 100% effective all day. However they are effective enough for a British school day. Far more effective than an ordinary one applied once or applied shoddily.

Have you looked online for sunscreen for sensitive skin?
My ds has severe eczema and lots of allergies, but the one we use cause no trouble. But it is very expensive.(£15+ for tiny 60ml)

The all day creams might not give the full factor protection all day but I think they last longer than the regular sun creams. Have you actually tried an all day lotion? My ds is very fair and freckly and has never burned. We are using the Piz Buin one at the moment but have used the Calypso one in the past with no problems.

Suburbanrhonda

Yes, she has a CSP, and she has an IEP, Form 4, and she has assistance where they can, and having a daughter with a disability in a mainstream school hasn't been something I've sat back and just ignored until the point she needed help with sunscreen. 🙄

I have no issues with trust with her school. They haven't actually said anything about safeguarding because I haven't raised it with them yet (as my OP is quite clear on). It is everyone else here who blah blahs about safeguarding whenever anything is raised about a teacher or staff doing anything at all that involves being within an inch of a child.

It is precisely because I have a good working relationship with the school, with trust on both sides that I am wary about raising their lack of a sun policy. I don't want to jeopardise that relationship if I'm being totally unreasonable. Which, it would seem, I'm not.

I woek with headhunters in the city. we certain schools / education streams that we accept, and non UK education is taken on a case by case basis as comparison is obviously hard.

I've always been that Australian education is considered inferior to the Uk. I can't say I know much about it, but could it not be that whilst Aussie teachers can get cream on the children, the children aren't having as good an education as they would here? And we refuse to spend the time doing it.

Countries do things differently but also have different standards of education.

Did you mean your title to say "School's sun policy - I'm not wrong!" ?

Nope. Was looking for an "on balance" response. If everyone had weighed in and said it was unreasonable, I'd have gone with that. By my reckoning it's 50/50.

But in this discussion, I am amazed at the number of people who
a) don't care about sun protection for children and think the UK has safe sun
b) believe the hype by marketing departments
Or
c) don't believe schools should be helping children because there is a safeguarding issue.

I have tried the all day protection stuff myself and found it to be not very effective after about four hours. And yes, I'm well capable of applying sunscreen properly, I've been doing it for 35 years, and rarely have burned using a regularly applied one.

But does it really need to be pulled up as a 'lack of sun policy'?

Surely if you have as good a relationship with the school/teacher it should just be a short chat with regard to a new an specific need for assistance that has arrisen re: your daughters disability.
OP "Dd strugglesto re-apply, could you help her?"
SCHOOL "ok, not a problem"
No need to raise policy at all.

(or you could use correct lotion for timescale and need to reaply)

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?

THIS with bells on. British schools are crap, bordering on dangerous when it comes to sun safety. Little children who have had no sun for 8 months will burn to a crisp after an hour in the playground. Even children with darker skin.

YES you should take it up with the school. My children rarely wear sunscrean, but they rarely go out in the sun and their playtime is at 3.40 in the afternoon under trees and under a covered playground (we live in a climate that is nearly sunny all year round). When we lived in the UK I would send them to school with sun sticks to re-apply daily. You cannot buy "All day" sunblock here in Brazil, when I tell people here that it exists in the UK they usually pull this or this face.

Sorry, how many typos??

Today 12:56 Buckinbronco

I work with headhunters in the city. we have certain schools / education streams that we accept, and non UK education is taken on a case by case basis as comparison is obviously hard.

I've always been told that Australian education is considered inferior to the Uk.

I can't say I know much about it, but could it be that whilst Aussie teachers can get cream on the children, the children aren't having as good an education as they would here? And we refuse to spend the time doing it.

Countries do things differently but also have different standards of education.

I think the problem is, that op made up mind about non effectiveness of all day sunscreen, but a lot of parents think that's enough for normal English school day. (+ hats)

I think there's nothing wrong in asking for special arrangement to help her apply sunscreen, but demand to change school policy sound bit too much for me.

But have you been in the sun for 4 hrs or about 30 mins - some of that in shade? I realise your dd has trouble applying the cream to her face but in fairness I doubt any child would do it without missing bits. I'd look at getting a good hat - maybe one that ties/velcros under the chin if they don't stay on.

They say in our newsletters that teachers aren't allowed to put sunscreen on children and that any they bring in the children must apply themselves. This is at an infant school and my 5 year old would not apply it properly so I use ultrasun once a day on him and so far no sunburn.

Also I can't speak for anyone else but I haven't fallen for clever marketing. I've looked at the evidence that I've used a cream on my very fair, ginger haired child and he has come back from school neither tanned nor burned. I'm very conscious of sun safety having fair skin myself and neither of my fair skinned kids have ever burned so I must be doing something right. Sun safety is more than just about cream though. Good hats are essential. And my kids know to seek shade on very hot days.

I'm in Oz. At my DS's school the teachers don't apply sunscreen to the kids. We're expected to apply before school and the children do it themselves during the day if needed. They were taught to do it from age 2 and up at Childcare though, and are pretty adept at not getting it in their eyes.

Their school hats are massive, and we have a no hat no play rule. No hat means sitting in the principal's office for the whole of recess, lunch, and sport if they have it. Tbh it's generally hot enough in summer that they seek out the shade anyway.