Out of interest is there anyone else who thinks that schools do things that should be left to parents?

[hurricane]

Do you object to the following being carried out by appropriate professionals in schools (assuming you are kept informed of these things taking place and results of any tests etc)?

1.) vaccinations (like BCG)
2.) eye tests/ dental checks
3.) PSHE
4.) sex education
5.) cooking classes/ healthy eating
6.) PE

If yes, why?

[PortAndLemon]

Oh, I agree, Mercy -- just that Reallytired was (to an extent and I appreciate that this is itself an oversimplification of what she said) implying that the choice was between a three-year-old being vaccinated with no one to comfort them and dying of measles, which IMO is over-emotive and inaccurate (this isn't an anti-MMR rant: DS has had the first part of the MMR and isn't due for a booster yet).

[Hulababy]

Don't object to any of them.

[mrsgboring]

No, don't object to any of these in schools, though I will be telling DS (when he's old enough for PSHE) that just because teacher told him doesn't mean it's right or the whole story.

Weighing and measuring in school and jabs for little ones, I can see the point though. It's dodgy ground, in an environment where they're tested, graded and ranked - they may feel like they're being graded on height and weight too.

[idlingabout]

No objections to any of them.
Not sure either whether the list varies at all from what went on when I was at school from 1965 to 1979. We got vaccinations like rubella, bcg at secondary and I remember getting the polio vaccine on a sugar lump at primary. Mind you there were misguided parents back then who refused to let their daughters get the rubella jab because the little idiots were 'scared of needles'.
Think it slightly ironic that some take the view that these things don't belong in school whilst at the same time bemoaning the loss of the 'nit nurse'.

[Reallytired]

I am glad that my son had his MMR in the doctor's surgery and was sitting on my lap when it was done. I am sure that when he has his BCG at secondary school he will be big enough to cope on his own.

Its very easy to forget that a lot of the diseases that children are vacinated against used to kill children. All you have to do is walk through a graveyard to see how many children died in infancy 200 years ago.

As far as medicals goes at school it depends on how synpathetically its done. I disagree with children being told the results of medicals publically. The results should be sent home in an envelope and the carer should make the decision on whether to share the information with the child.

Would you not want to know if your child had a hearing or sight problem. Its very easy for a mild problem to be missed and even a mild problem can stop a child from learning.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Do people really object to PE in schools?

Isn't the common complaint that there isn't enough PE in schools?

[Quattrocento]

Other way around. I think the school expects too much from parents. I think they should do more, not less

[TheFallenMadonna]

For example...?

[colditz]

PE is not PSHE

As for having a hearing or sight problem, I will screen for that myself, and I don't consider the school environment to be an appropriate one in which to have physical problems brought to light, nor do I consider school nurses to be as competent as qualified opticians and audiologists, and I had ds1 see both before he started school.

[colditz]

PHSE is 'personal, social and health education.'

[TheFallenMadonna]

Number 6 on the list. PE. I was asking about that one.

[Quattrocento]

More in the sense of do prep after school rather than bring it home and have me having to explain fractions to them

Oh and those horrible reading scheme books - never had one in my life - ended up perfickly literate - such a pain and such dull books - enough to put anyone off reading for life

Oh and ferrying to hockey club and swimming club and netball club. Why can't they just bus them from the school and back again? EH?

And those hideous school fair things. What are they for? Why do they require me to bake? Why can't they just leave me alone?

[TheFallenMadonna]

Is prep private school-speak for homework?

[colditz]

Sorry, I missed that. No, i don't think they do too much PE, but I think they get far too much "cake is baaaaaaaad" bleated at them.

[yurt1]

I don't agree to vaccinations in school and do not give consent. Would be absolutely livid if any of the boys came home having received one in school.

[hurricane]

Right, Colditz, so teachers should ignore concerns about their students' hearing, eyesight etc because 'the school environment is not an appropriate one in which to have physical problems brought to light' should they??

Of course, in an ideal world it would be parents who would pick up any problems first but without schools, teachers and health professionals who visit schools many, many problems would go unnoticed.

As a teacher I have picked up at least 2 cases of students with hearing impairments. And someone I know had her child diagnosed with a speech delay after the school raised concerns with her.

There are many good reasons why teachers and health professionals might pick up issues before even the most caring parent e.g. they see the child in a different environment where it might be easier to see a child is short-sighted because they can't see the blackboard than a parent would see this. They have years of experience and can compare against their knowledge of where a child of a particular age should be developmentally etc etc. Recent research has shown that parents are often not aware that their child is overweight where a health professional could pick this up easily.

[ChasingSquirrels]

I wouldn't object to any of those, although concur with the point on vax for small children.

[Blandmum]

My exceptionally poor eyesight ( I can't see the big letter on the top of the chart) was only detected by a school screening as my mother was too dim to notice that I couldn't see things. As it was it wasn't picked up until I was 8. God alone knows what would have heppened to my education if it wasn't for that check up

I'm sure that lovely mumsnetters would never be like that {smile] but not every child in the UK is fortunate enough to have a mumsnetter for a mum

[hotbot]

agree with colditz, my child , my responsibilty.
like pe tho, nothing like a run around to burn off some energy and get the brsin in gear

[Blandmum]

x posted hurricane

[hurricane]

Why no to vaccinations yurt?

I think there's a real lack of awareness of the sorts of challenges faced by a lot of schools, parents and children.

When people say, 'Well I'm a great parent and have loads of time and ability to teach my child about sex/ cart them to the doctor's for vaccinations/ get their eyes tested' that's just such an I'm alright Jack attitude. Lots of parents can't or don't do this and who ends up suffering?? Primarily the kids unnecessarily and unfairly.

[hurricane]

Yes, Martian, loads of kids grateful for the intervention of schools. Friend of mine had his colour blindness detected at school (remember those coloured spots they give you where you pick out the numbers?). That's actually quite hard for parents to spot because the child thinks their view of the world is normal. Then his friend had his dyslexia diagnosed at school. They once went shopping for a lipstick for my friend's wife together.

[yurt1]

Because my eldest son is severely autistic. I don't think vaccinations did him any good at all. Ds3 has the same gut problems as ds1. I believe that they are more at risk than most kids in the population. If and when ds2 and ds3 receive any vaccinations they will not be given 5 at once, or 3 at once. They may only be able to get tetanus by having a DT, so I won't say they won't be given 2 at once as that might happen. I would want to physically check the ingredients on any bottle to know exactly what is being given.

At some stage ds1 will have to leave home and go into the care of the local authority. When that happens I know we won;t be able to prevent him having any vaccinations - social services will presumably be able to give him what they want as he won't be able to not consent. I know there's nothing we can do about that, but I can delay that day.

For me giving vaccinations at school is a bit like someone who has a fully breastfed baby passing that baby into the care of a nursery and a nursery just deciding to give a bottle of formula because they think it's a good idea. That wouldn't bother me that much- I know there are plenty of people on mumsnet who would be furious- presumably because they feel it risks their babies health. That's how I feel about vaccinations being given to my children.

[colditz]

No, I did not say teachers should ignore their concerns, and if I appeared to give that impression, I apologise.

What I mean is that I do not want my child herded in front of a school nurse, told to read off a chart, listen to a tape with clunky headphones, and be marked by someone without me even being present.

I believe that if a teacher has concerns, these should rightfully be flagged with the PARENTS, not the school nurse! The school nurse is not my child's mother, I am!

[ChasingSquirrels]

I think vax are something that should have to have consent, but given that I also think they should be offered in school. I was assuming that would be the case in the OP.