First and surnames on leavers hoodies is a safeguarding issue

[SavonDeMarseille]

Just found out the Y6 leavers hoodies (FFS since when was this a thing for Yr6!) will have the full names on their hoodies in the year number with their own name above the number and the school emblem and name on the front. AIBU to think this is a big safeguarding issue and should not be permitted. AI also BU or to want to take this up with the PTA who are organising this. Hoodies are worn all week on Yr 6 school trip.

Mitzi, They might see the hoody on another child or on social media though.

There people on this thread that are saying this is a risk to their non-vulnerable child though. I can't see it!

The schools here just have first name and year they left. Haven't seen primary though, only secondary.
Ours in Primary just took a marker in and all signed each others shirts or PE tops on the last few days.
my dd has one with all her house names on the back. They only tend to wear them a couple of times, soon put away for keepsake when they start next school.

Yes this is a safeguarding issue. A child who has an abusive parent or has been adopted could be traced to a school by the jumper.

It's a leavers hoodie. It kind of implies the child will no longer be at the school to be traced.

Are all the names listed or just the one? If it's all the names there's no issue (unless there's a child protection order in place for instance) as it will be tiny. My DD's just had a name of their choosing eg nickname

If it's anything like my uni sweatshirt the names are so small you can't read them unless you're really close up anyway.
I'd say not a safeguarding issue. You can probably opt out if you're worried though

A child's full name identifying them as being in a particular school does identify, to quite a small geographical area usually, where they live.

This is a problem for some children eg those children who aren't allowed to have their photo in the school newsletter or local newspaper for example.

OP was talking about full names being on hoodies. I assumed that what's the issue was. I think it's been established up thread that first names don't carry the same risk. And also that no-one loses anything by not having their surname on a hoodie provided/sold by the school.

If people are so desperate for their child to walk around with their full name on a hoodie with the rest of their class, they could make their own surely? Otherwise, let the school take sensible risk minimisation measures.

Otherwise, let the school take sensible risk minimisation measures.

Like asking parents what name they want.

I am on the pta and we have some children we cannot take photos of and we are looking at doing the same but have been told we can only do first names as of safeguarding issues with those kids

A real contentious issue. Your child won't want to be excluded but do you want their full name on it, maybe not for some. What with GDPR I'm surprised they are still doing it. My DC had them and to be honest never wore them after they left so complete waste of money and fabric really. Once at Secondary, never want to be associated as being having been at Primary! I'd definitely take it up with the HT and let them deal with the PTFA.

Leavers hoodies are usually given the week they are leaving primary school. Both my older DC have them ...surname and year emblazoned and school. They received them on the week they left. If you have an issue don't order one... but be prepared that all the other DC will be wearing them on the last day of school

@ShellieEllie GDPR is not an issue for this at all. The legal basis for processing the data would be consent. If consent is not given then the details cannot be used. Put the consent request with the payment details #simples

🙄

FGS - there just aren’t enough wet fish.

thehorseandhisboy talks sense. Vulnerable children are the ones marginalised by using both names as they can't participate.

Many, many children in care have Yooniq names. So sure, your Harry Mason walking around with his classmates names on him isn't at risk. But little Flangerella Boinkworthy has now been linked to the school by her Dad's cousin who sat next to Harry at the football. And whilst Flangerella has moved on to Park Street High, her little siblings Flangerina, Flangemella and Flannery are all suddenly put at risk at the school gate.

Yes, I know this can be minimised by schools asking what should be used, but some schools don't - ours didn't when DD had hers, that's for certain. DS is in the "no photo" list, yet they've managed to fuck that up and out him on the website three times so far...

Leaving hoody’s have always been a thing, I’m mid 30’s and even I had one leaving HS.

It’s in no way a safeguarding issue.

have you no moon in sky you kin thro shite at??? i am the mum that phoned jjb seven weeks in a row*long time ago/scene relevabt)asking "do you have any "es"?"i meant letters cos refused get my ds 1s first name on footbal top.sixth form???????????????/wow

I am one of these wet fish parents who dont buy the hoodie.

My child is one the annoying children who need safeguarding - in fact all my children do.

My children's birth parents could recognise their faces if they saw them - they have a distinctive disability which makes it easier to spot them - if they had their fairly unusual first name stuck on the back of a jumper that would confirm their identity - if you then put our surname with it they would know who our child now is.....

knowing what primary school they just left is actually a fairly big deal, it gives a huge clue into what community they live in, what high school they are likely to now go to, where to look for them.

If a birth parent had that information we would have to change schools, move house, move our lives.....we have already done this once when some idiot parent put a single picture of 1 of our children on the internet.

in the GP our children are all called out as my name....it protects them all.

in hospital waiting rooms they have a number which comes on the screen rather than their name - the doctor then comes out and calls my name...it protects them.

in public our children use nicknames, we very rarely use their full names. we never would use our surname and first name together.

children like mine exist everywhere - perhaps you simply don't know any who are this unsafe - or perhaps you do - their parents simply haven't told you. a tiny handful of my friends know the real danger we are in if we are found.

its a hoodie yes. if you put my kids name on it, on any piece of clothing it could lead to us being found. end of. why is that so difficult for people to understand?

The tops are useless anyway. It's bused a few times and that it.

Used not bused

sadwithkiddies

I read the posts up to the point someone said that children in need of safeguarding just wouldn't have a sweatshirt.

Fuck right off with that attitude - Like looked after and adopted children don't have enough difference to deal with, "fuck off, loser if you can't have your full name and school across your back then you get nothing".

Luckily our school was quite happy with just first names. I wonder how many people who are quite happy with this and dismissive of those children where there are known safeguarding issues would be happy to post their childs photo on facebook with their full name and the school they go to and make it public.

My son though adopted has no safeguarding flags (though I know plenty who do) but I would be extremely uncomfortable with this.

What with GDPR I'm surprised they are still doing
Why? It’s not sensitive personal data and it’s being worn by the person in question.

People do understand that, sad. Well I do anyway. What’s less understandable is the posters forming on about “safeguarding” issues wrt their own DC where nothing like your situation exists.

*droning on

And those rolling eyes and calling the likes of me and my fellow foster carers/adopters "wet fish"... don't you feel immensely grateful that you don't have to deal with this issue?

Do you feel satisfied that the right of the majority of children who would have no problem with all those details being paraded publicly trumps the right to privacy of those who have had infintely harder lives? Does that not make you squirm even a little?

At my dss' school, it was first names and surnames, but you had to say whether you wanted your child's name included (and spell it correctly for the PTA - data protection means the school can't give the children's names to the PTA, the children's parents do...). I see no problem whatsoever with this - just as parents whose children need safeguarding can't prevent other people being perfectly happy to have their own children photographed and, eg, on the school website, they can't stop other people getting their kids hoodies with lots of children's names on, they can only ensure their child's name does not appear. My children still wear their leavers' hoodies several years after having left the school.

FFS since when was this a thing for Yr6! Well, I got mine in 1998 so at least since then?

To get the full names the school will have been asked, because the PTA do not have the class lists, so the school will know which children are allowed their names published, if you don't want your child wearing one then don't order one but you will have either actually signed general consent for their name to be published, or not, in which case the school will either not include your child's name or more likely check with you first. It is not a safeguarding issue.