AIBU to think school should have called me?

[tootiredtoadult]

So, I will take my error in all this but I feel school should have called me or kept DD age 8 inside or out at least shaded the kids.

To cut a long story short,y DD school have had. A sports week this week, but due to the rather British wet weather it has been cancelled, and all activities off, we received an email to say that they would be doing sports today.

In the usual morning rush and remembering pe kit at the last minute I packed her off to school.

She has come home sunburnt to hell. I asked "have you been outside ALL day" she confirmed they had, I asked "did they ask if you had sun cream on"? She confirmed "they asked and I said No, they offered me some but I told them I'm allergic to that one"
(well done for realising that DD)

The school clearly knew the kids needed sun screen as they were offering it out, I feel at this point they should have called me for my views on what they should do (I would have taken some into school for her) I wouldn't want her to miss out but I feel they should have kept her inside or at very least, put the kids in the shade where possible.

I appreciate I should have put cream on her this morning but I wasn't aware they were going to be out in baking sun all day doing sports.

Should I approach the school about this? WWYD?

Yes, that's appalling. Whoever offered her the sun cream and was told she was allergic should have taken the initiative. You should have been called, and if you couldn't get there to apply appropriate sun screen she should have been given indoor activities to do rather than stay outside and get burnt to a crisp. Severe sunburn is dangerous.

I'd be angry. I work with kids (not a school though) and we give parents a list of what to bring. Each day in summer I check that they have packed the items (i.e. are they wearing suitable clothes for the activities, do they have suncream) if they don't have sun cream I text parents a photo of the cream we're giving out and tell parents to please drop some in...I think they should have called you at least

I'd be angry too OP

But from now on, make sure she has sun cream in her school bag

I'd normally agree with you geologyrocks but in this case, there was one child with an allergy.

If the teacher didn't have time to ring the OP (totally understandable) then the child should've been sent to another class and kept in.

You knew it was sports day. You knew it was sunny. You knew DD didn't have sun cream and that's she allergic to some of them (making it less likely that school would have a suitable one). This is on you.

Geology rocks;
I am The biggest sunscreen preacher ever, my children have NEVER been burned or rarely get chance for a tan, because I lather them with sunscreen. I hate anything that can cause skin damage and skin cancer, However today has been one of those hectic days needing massive changes to usual routines. The weather has been shocking and I'll be honest it didn't even cross my mind in the cloudy dull cold morning.
Hence me accepting my mistake, however upon the school realising my (only human) mistake, they should have used their initiative.

But Thanks for your inappropriate unnecessary use of swear words there 👍🏻

@LillithsFamiliar it wasn't sports day

I think the onus is on the parent to provide suncream though easy to forget. Mine had the mini ones and had them everyday if she's not allergic to those, they fit in book bag. I wouldn't say anything.

If you teach 8yos then yes, you are responsible for their wellbeing, and it is your job to ensure that no harm comes to them. Let's not have the usual wah-wahing about how teachers can't be expected to manage a full class of kids without one of them getting hurt - that's your job, if you can't do it, leave.

I have taught Y1/2/3 and certainly wouldn't have had a child out in the blazing sun all day getting severely burned because she was allergic to the sun cream we'd had to offer - yes, her mum should have remembered to give her some in the morning, but she didn't, it happens, and it's the fault of whoever was in loco parentis when the sunburn occurred that the child is hurt.

But Thanks for your inappropriate unnecessary use of swear words there

no swear words in the post from geologyrocks?

@Oneminuteandthenallgone please see the first line..

You're a dick.

You were notified of the sports day. You should have realised the children would have been outside for the majority of the day. Regardless of the sports day actually, if it was a nice day you should have put suncream on your child this morning.

Do you really expect the school teachers to take a tally and personally ring every parent of the children who dont have sun cream in?

Yabu

Not seeing any swearwords at all?

@Oneminuteandthenallgone of this is a pernickety comment and it's because there is only one swear word then Yes you are correct there is no swear words, but calling some one a D*^ck when asking for advice having admitted their own errors is uncalled for.

Greensleeves it might not have been one teacher responsible for the DCs. When our school has sports week, a range of teachers and specialist instructors take different activities. The letter specifies it will be outdoors (hence why OP's school rescheduled when it was wet) and that DCs should have sun cream.

Whoever offered her the sun cream knew she wasn't protected - they should have ensured that she was either provided with appropriate sun cream (via her mum) or kept out of the sun. No excuse for letting a child get severe sunburn while in the care of school staff. It's bloody dangerous.

I would let this go OP. She was offered sun cream. To ring you presumably the teacher has to get access to records of parents. She can not physically do this when supervising 30 kids. Your DD was offered sun cream. Not schools fault that DD is allergic to many sun creams.

However today has been one of those hectic days needing massive changes to usual routines.

Thing is, the above sentence would have also applied to the teacher. I'm sure they will feel awful that your child was burnt and I would definitely point it out to them.

But it was a hectic day for them too and things get missed. You say you are only human and made a mistake... again, same applies to the teacher.

Personally as a parent, I think sun protection is my job.

Also impossible to keep her inside without also withdrawing a lot of other kids from sports day. They can not spare a couple of adults to be with your DD, when they need those adults to be supervising kids outside.

Did she have a hat?

If she had a hat that would mean at her least her face wouldn't be that sunburnt.

Yes its a pain but if your kids are allergic to sunscreen I probably would have sunscreen in their bags at all times.

@BlueBuilding I completely agree it is my responsibility and trust me I feel awful, Hence me say I accept my error in this, I just feel that upon realising my mistake, and realising DD was unprotected they should not have kept her out in the sun.
The school have my details to hand for other needs for DD so it wouldn't have been hard nor time consuming also a-lot of the staff members have my number as they know me.

I used to be a teacher myself and if we had the slightest inclination a child wasn't wearing sunscreen we either called the parents or kept them inside.

No need for two members of staff to be diverted fgs, she could have joined another class and read quietly, or sat wherever the school puts children who are sick and awaiting collection while they contacted OP. It's really not that hard to safeguard children properly. Pretty basic, in fact.

Oneminuteandthenallgone you're a dick is a swear, isn't it?

Some posters are being overly harsh, why the need for rudeness and swearing?

The OP knows that she slipped up, but she was caught out by the sudden change to sunny weather. Regardless of her mistake, the OP's DD spoke up to say she hadn't had any suncream, and then said she was allergic to the suncream they gave her. That teacher knew that she didn't have suncream on; she should have been kept out of the sun.

In future, you should make sure that your DD has suncream in her school bag.

Greensleeves I agree if this was a class sports day, but it was a school sports day. So surely all the classes would have been taking part? So no classes inside to put her in with.

@tootiredtoadult Nobody is saying it is okay that your DD got sunburned. Just that we can understand how it happened. Although under GDPR all parents contact details should be locked away somewhere secure, so they would not just be to hand.
But if you complain, what do you want to achieve?