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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AUBU to think that the teacher shouldn't have only put sun block on the white children in the class?

121 replies

IfOnlyIKnewThen · 05/07/2019 09:05

Just that really. DD8 had sports day yesterday. This morning she asked DH if there is some sun block that is only for white children. When DH asked why, dd explained that one of the teachers called forward the white children in her class and applied sun block half way through the event. When some of the black children stepped forward and asked for it he said that they "didn't need it". Apparently one black child insisted and he relented. DH said that he is going to have a quiet word with the Head when he does the school run to check policy. Seriously hoping dd has the wrong end of the stick.

I have 2 dcs. I have never come across this before. Would others raise it with the school? Not sure it makes any difference but dd attends a very diverse school in London.

OP posts:
ChocChocButtons · 05/07/2019 14:05

The tv show “this is us” actually has a episode where they go to pool and the family have triplets white bio twins and a black child they adopt. They actually don’t put it on him and a black family ends up polity educating him that black skin needs it too.

Dungeondragon15 · 05/07/2019 14:34

Unbelievable that some ignorant people don't believe this - dungeonanddragon15 has to be the biggest idiot going "maybe a non white child said this".

I'm not ignorant thanks. My children go to a very multicultural secondary school and their friends who are dark skinned often do say that they don't need to wear sun cream. Obviously it probably depends on how sunny it is and they may be wearing it today but they don't cover themselves every time they go outside as dd who is very fair skinned would.

LloydColeandtheCoconuts · 05/07/2019 14:38

I love that show, ChocChoc. But their childhood was set in the late 70s/early 80s so there definitely a lack of awareness. I never wore sun cream, growing up in the 80s, on my black skin. We just didn't have it in the house!
You would have thought that people would be more informed.
Another teacher here who puts sun cream on students. I do work in SEN though.

saynotoselfid · 05/07/2019 14:40

Could it be that the parents of those children specifically requested they have suncream applied?

What is the schools policy? DS nursery policy is to provide your own cream (which is just as well as DS is allergic to 2 major brands) and nursery workers will apply. It states in their policy that if your child has darker skin then they still need protection and to kindly supply it.

blackteasplease · 05/07/2019 14:41

Teacher is very ignorant on this account!

Original poster
IfOnlyIKnewThen · 05/07/2019 16:03

Thanks for all your replies. I know some people have accused me of making it up because the detail doesn't chime with their experiences and expectations but I can live with that. Did make me laugh that someone suggested it would take a teacher 'hours' to apply it to all children in the class so this post must be fakeHmm. Only bothered me when I thought it was my DD that posters were accusing of making it upWink.

To respond to some of the queries- DH attended for the first couple of hours and didn't witness it. He left at about 11.00am and the children left the park at about 1.00 after eating their packed lunch there. Presumably if the allegation is denied some parents may have witnessed it. Many of the children in the class certainly will. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

Dh spoke to Head who explained that the teacher concerned was the a new TA. She said she will mention it to dds teacher so he can have a word. I'm glad about this as I wanted to get to the bottom of it with minimum fuss - either my daughter was mistaken or the TA needed to have it explained to them.

However, the Head also went on to explain that it shouldn't have happened at all. School policy is that they do not provide it in case of allergic reactions and parents are expected to apply it to children before school. They do not ask parents to bring it in. I have no problem with the school providing it or administering it, but only if that is school policy so was a bit shocked when Dh mentioned that. Tbh I would have followed it up with a couple more questions if I had had the conversation with the Head.

Having thought about it a bit more, I'm hoping that this is nothing sinister and is as Sweeny suggested up thread _TA noticed that some children were burning and took matters into their own hands. I'll probably get flamed but if that was how it all came about I have some sympathy for the TA even though I still think it was ignorant of them not to mention risky.

Will ask dds class teacher when I next do the school run what actaully happened as by then they would have had time to look into it.

OP posts:
Dungeondragon15 · 05/07/2019 16:11

If the school policy is that they do not provide it and children aren't not meant to bring it in then perhaps the TA was giving his own suncream. In that case, I can understand them wanting to limit it to the fair skinned children who were actually burning although obviously not advisable. It DDs school they just sat under gazebos to avoid the sun.

Helmlover1 · 05/07/2019 16:18

This thread puts me in mind of a scenario a few years ago when my friend and I got talking to a few people (who happened to be black) at a festival on a boiling hot day. My friend whipped out some sun lotion for herself and I and politely offered it to the group we were chatting to, to be met by ‘are you taking the piss??’ and accusations of racism.

Sometimes you can’t do right for doing wrong Confused

Xxalisoncxx · 05/07/2019 16:24

At one school my daughter went they happily applied it. The one she is at now, they are given there own lotion and have to apply it themselves- I’m assuming it goes on the school.

Original poster
IfOnlyIKnewThen · 05/07/2019 16:25

I agree Dungeon I think I can understand where the original thought came from, although once the other children started asking for it he shouldn't have said they didn't need it. Of course he shouldn't have provided it to any of the children at all, but once they did my thoghts are 'in for a penny in for a pound'.

OP posts:
Hithere12 · 05/07/2019 16:43

WHAT??! Hmm The UV Index is 6 today! Fair children will burn. So no one should be offered sunscreen because of political correctness?

Original poster
IfOnlyIKnewThen · 05/07/2019 16:53

Who said anything about political correctness Hithere12?

OP posts:
cuppycakey · 05/07/2019 16:56

Is this in the UK? Confused

School staff would absolutely not be allowed to apply sun cream to the children.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 05/07/2019 17:17

Is it a private school? Round here teachers definitely cannot apply suncream.

Dungeondragon15 · 05/07/2019 17:31

Of course he shouldn't have provided it to any of the children at all, but once they did my thoghts are 'in for a penny in for a pound'.

If it was his own he wouldn't have had enough for everyone though so I can see that he might try to ration it. Bit odd to "call forward all white children" if that is what he did though as some would have sun cream on already.

usernameuser · 05/07/2019 17:48

Did make me laugh that someone suggested it would take a teacher 'hours' to apply it to all children in the class so this post must be fake

I wasn't implying the post was fake, just that your DD may have been mistaken. I still think to apply suncream to a class of 30 would take ages!

Feenie · 05/07/2019 18:00

have you ever attended a safety induction about the guidelines in a UK public school recently? Do you even know what the safeguarding guidelines are?

Every year. During the myth busting session the point about not being able to comfort crying children always comes up and is always dismissed as total and utter bollocks. Of course you can!

jellycatspyjamas · 06/07/2019 16:55

*Is this in the UK? confused

School staff would absolutely not be allowed to apply sun cream to the children.*

Repeat after me “England is not the UK”, there would be no issue with school staff doing this at my child’s school (and many others) in Scotland. Hmm

Hithere12 · 06/07/2019 17:44

IfOnlyIKnewThen

Black children wouldn’t burn in 18 degree heat. Fair children would. Do you think it’s better to let the fair children burn because it’s offensive to not give everyone sunscreen?

cuppycakey · 06/07/2019 17:52

Apologies jellycat Blush

museumum · 06/07/2019 17:53

People with lighter skin need more suncream topped up more often. That’s not racist it’s just fact.

My non-white friends have generally used far less suncream than me, with many using almost none in the U.K. unless a full on beach day or heatwave.

Original poster
IfOnlyIKnewThen · 06/07/2019 19:13

Read the thread Hither and Museum. Or at least my posts. In London it was 26 degrees on the day in question and the children were spending time in the open sun. All children need protecting in that heat.

However the schools policy was actually not to supply sun cream to ANY children. The TA refused to give sun cream to the black children when they asked for it. If he wanted to break the rules to protect children he should of done it for all of them. They all needed protecting. That is a fact. Fortunately the Head is a sensible woman and agrees. However she is equally concerned that the TA blatently broke school policy and supplid sun cream. Parents consent had not been sort first, nor had parents been given the opportunity to confirm whether their children had any allergies to take into considerstion. Presumably you would be happy for teaching staff to flout school policy and take risks with the health of their charges and their own careers.

OP posts:
Dungeondragon15 · 06/07/2019 19:33

Read the thread Hither and Museum. Or at least my posts. In London it was 26 degrees on the day in question and the children were spending time in the open sun. All children need protecting in that heat.

I have read your post and your thread and I think that you are actually very unreasonable. Yes, if the school were supplying the suntan lotion they should give it to everyone but this was clearly not the case and the TA must have been using his own. He wouldn't have had several bottles which is what would be needed to give it to everyone so it made sense just to give it to those who would most likely burn. Someone who is black could probably be in the sun for 8 times longer than a fair skinned person without burning and they have a much lower risk of skin cancer.
It wasn't wise for him to do so because it isn't the school policy and because people like you make complaints about this sort of thing but actually he did the fair skinned children a favour and it is a bit of a joke that you are suggesting that he took risks with the health of their charges.

Hithere12 · 06/07/2019 20:50

The black children wouldn’t have burnt in that weather. The white ones would have. People like you, making complaints, would have caused the white children to burn when all the guy was trying to do was out of his own pocket help protect the children.

cccameron · 06/07/2019 23:13

Unbelievable. The poor sod probably saw a couple of pale kids burning to a crisp and was trying to help then didn't want to carry on applying to everyone in the class when they didn't look like they needed it. Then some fucking busybody like you comes along making complaints to the head and causing him problems, maybe even his job. Well done you.