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.

Yabbers you don't know what will or won't make other children less safe.

Using children's whole names and providing information that identifies their school, thus locality are risk points around child protection.

So you don't know what will or won't put another child in danger, do you?

why deliberately set up an activity to create that risk, rather than just avoiding the risk all together?

Because you don’t safeguard one child by a wholesale avoidance of anything which poses a risk to that one child.

DD has a disability and this impacts her schooling. Do you expect her entire class to avoid things which put her at risk, or do you accept they assess and manage her risk based on her needs?

Yes, of course it is. Everything these days is a safeguarding issue to people who are paranoid.
Letting your child venture outside without you before the age of 21 is a safeguarding issue.
Protect, protect, protect!

My youngest sister left Year 6 in 2008 and had a leavers hoodie... so I’d say over a decade.

Yep, I left in 2006 and had a hoodie too.

My kids got these and loved them. I struggled to find their names they were printed so small and if I see other kids wearing them I certainly don't have a clue what their name is or what school they go to (which they may well now have left)! Opt out I'd also always an option.

And relax! This sort of over reaction always makes me think what poor teachers have to put up with.

Next we will be saying kids shouldn't wear uniform because people will know where they go to school.

It makes stalking easier. The hoodie will be old hat after a few weeks and nobody else will want something that personalised, so not as easy to recycle.

Blimey, its not safeguarding. I see what OP means though and all I'd say is it isn't compulsory to put any or all of a name on! My DCs only ever had their first name or nickname used.

To be honest, neither of mine have worn their school hoodies ever since the last day of term and I don't see other kids wearing school hoodies around and about either. I think the are just commemorative. Mine have got about 3 each now. One for primary, one for end of year 11 and one for end of school altogether. So 6 useless hoodies in total!!!! However, that's probably another thread altogether.

Yabbers well, depending on the severity of the risk and possible outcome, yes frankly and so do pretty much all schools.

If one child is allergic to nuts, the entire school is expected to be nut free. Ditto, other allergies. There was a child in my dd's school who was unable to climb stairs due to illness for a short period of time - her classroom was moved downstairs on a temporary basis.

I honestly can’t get my head around what some people get worked up about. How on earth can an 11 year old be ‘narcissistic’ for wearing a hoody?

When the form came home for DS’s he was absolutely delighted. It’s a nice momento of his time and primary and sets them out as the ‘big ones’ at school. I put £10 in an envelope thought no more about it and look his pic with it on the first day back after summer.

Yabbers you don't know what will or won't make other children less safe.

That’s why I’d rather trust the people who’s job it is to safeguard that child to assess and act accordingly. Be sure if doing this risked that child, it would not be done. Schools take this kind of thing really seriously. It’s not up to me to second guess whether what they do and how I respond to it. If my child wearing a hoodie is a problem to another child, the school won’t sell them.

You don’t know what will or won’t leave specific children at risk either. Their situation isn’t yours and it isn’t up to you to decide the PTA is wrong for doing this when you have absolutely no knowledge of their pupils.

If one child is allergic to nuts, the entire school is expected to be nut free. Ditto, other allergies. There was a child in my dd's school who was unable to climb stairs due to illness for a short period of time - her classroom was moved downstairs on a temporary basis

Exactly. They assess the individual risk to the child and act accordingly. A school wide ban on nuts is sensible if children have nut allergies as everyone having nuts impacts on that child. But if a child is at risk of falling in PE, they don’t stop all children doing PE. If a child is at risk of being hurt in the playground, they don’t keep all children inside at playtime. If a child is at risk of being found, they are kept out of social media posts or pictures in the paper, they don’t just stop putting any pictures in the paper. Similarly, if every child having a hoodie puts another child at risk, they won’t sell them. But they do.

You know what? My child isn’t at risk.

I have no issues with school deciding that they miss some activities in order to keep another child safe.

If that means no photos in the paper (check for one year, we put photos of scenery instead) etc, what does it matter? My child isn’t going to be harmed by not having a picture in the paper.

Quite. To eliminate the risk posed to some children through having full names on hoodies, the simple solution is to provide generic school logo/18 hoodies to everyone, not expect the families of vulnerable children to have them singled out.

Surely vulnerable children would just use a single name or nickname? No risk from having a hoodie with 30 names on it one being Connor.

JacquesHammer I completely agree.

No child will be harmed by having a generic logoed hoodie. And no-one will be singled out as 'different' either.

marymarkle sure, but why not do first names only for everyone then? Why should the vulnerable children be 'different' (yet again)?

but why not do first names only for everyone then? Why should the vulnerable children be 'different' (yet again)?

Yes this.

Personally I like the option of a form where the parent and child choose what they prefer.

Totally ott IMO

I am amazed someone upthread has only got three hoodies per child. My two have the three for y6, y11, and y 13 plus ski trip hoodies, mathletes, choir tours etc from school + sundry uni ones. Closer to 10/12 each and they weren’t even sporty. If theyd been in school teams that number would be nearer 20. They still wear the larger ones regularly and the older, smaller ones are boxed up with their ‘treasures’ in the attic. My lawyer DD cried tears of panic recently when she thought I had given some of them away.

Personally I like the option of a form where the parent and child choose what they prefer

That’s exactly what we did, but specified each child could only have one word or one word & inital.

Last year we just had first name and the last letter of surname. The names were SO small and printed within the number 18 so names were really hard to see unless really close up. My son loved his hoodie.

My DS had one of these. He's never worn it. Not because of any issues but because he doesn't want it washed in case the names fade! He's keeping it as a souvenir rather than something to actually wear. I wouldn't have had a problem tbh.

Oh and forgot to mention, the last letter of surname was optional. We had lots of communication from our PTA about what we wanted etc.

Yanbu. First names or nicknames ok but full names no.