What would you do re summer preschool policy?

[Happy3487]

My son who is nearly 4 attends a local pre-school within a private nursery and their summer 'policy' is that children must wear long sleeves, have socks on, leigonnaire hat and sun cream on.

I do all of the above except the long sleeves (purely because i can not find any for sale that are summery and are within my budget) the only lobg sleeve white cotton thing i can find is a school shirt...which i have got for him and put this in his bag (but looks silly on him as is really smart)

Therefore i send him with short sleeves that cover his sholders.

The pre school staff have pulled me up on this several times. I tell them that i am worried about him overheating

Anyway the last few times i have collected him the preschool have made him wear his hoodie jumper. The temperature has been mid 20's. When i have collected him he has been obviously hot- i.e. clammy, red faced and feeling very hot. Yesterday i collected him and he told me he didnt want to wear it but one of the staff members told him he had to.

Prior to that the preschool had put on one of his winter long sleeve tops which must of been in the bottom of his bag... it was dark colour and thickish material...this was on a day when it was nearly 30 degrees outside.

I am fuming that they let him clearly over heat.

The staff dont lead by example and are usually there in shorts and a nursery polo shirt.

I dont know weather to raise this with the nursery/preschool owner or ofsted or something similar... what would you do?

Thanks in advance

Op lots of people have kindly searched and given you links. Saying he never once got burned previously is bonkers, kids can burn in 20 mins and nursery have a duty of care. Goto a different nursery if you don't like the sun protection rules at this one. Or simply get the right tops, they aren't expensive you could order today

My policy is long sleeved tops too. I buy some for the children every birthday and Christmas, so parents can add to their supply.

They aren't obvious, but they are out there. I'm shocked the shops don't have more with all that we know about skin cancer. It's not just burning that's bad, even a tan is bad.

OP going again the grain I agree with you.
It's a strange rule. I've 2 children that have attended 2 different nurseries and 2 different pre schools (youngest is still there) and I've never heard that rule.
A hat and sun cream is fine in my book.
My 3 year old hasn't worn a long sleeve t shirt since march!

Loopy - the OP's ds was wearing suitable clothing - a t-shirt and shorts for hot weather is the most appropriate clothing.
The Nursery policy is the OTT one.

My nursery has a sun safe award and part of that is that parents are asked to dress their children in appropriate clothing, which is long sleeved tops and trousers
Most ignore this, like the op
Sun cream should be your last defence against skin cancer not your first

Yesterday I had to cover ( im manager and normally not in ratio)as we were a member of staff down. We had 28 children between 3 of us. Perfectly legal as 2 are early years teachers at level 6 which means the ratio is 1'13
We were in the garden and the sun came out, so we got the box of suncream and starting applying to the children that needed it- most if them as the parents ignore the advice to west long sleeves
So that's one person applying suncream so not able to fully supervise the garden.
Then a child started with a nose bleed and had to be taken in to be treated and his parents rang to inform them.
That left one person supervising a garden of 26 children as both other members of staff were in a one to one situation

If all the children were already wearing long sleeved tops then the children's welfare and safety wouldn't be compromised
Just something to think about

Yeh but the remaining children might have all been passing out from sunstroke due to overheating in long sleeved tops. Did they have to wear long sleeve tops during the recent heatwave when the temperature exceeded 30 degrees?

You don't pass out from overheating just because you're wearing a light long sleeved top! 😂😂😂😂😂

A long sleeve top, long trousers, and a hat Which presumably has to be one that covers the back of neck too....that would make me pretty bl**dy hot in 30+ degrees

Have you been to many really hot countries? Whenever I'm in African countries or hot US States most people are wearing clothing that covers their skin. You wear light linen and stay a lot cooler than having bare skin exposed to the sun.

Exactly loopy. We're not talking about covering up with jeans and a jumper and a woolly hat. It's light loose materials, to protect the children from cancer and sunburn.

Yup, 34 degrees where I am right now - long sleeved tops and long trousers is the standard attire. Covered skin stays much cooler than exposed skin

Anyway, OP, the policy might seem silly to you but it's up to you whether it matters so much that you will withdraw your child or you will stick with it and sort out some suitable attire for him

We get so little sun here it just seems so joyless to insist on covering everything up when it does briefly appear. The feel of sun in your skin is so good. And we do need a bit of vitamin D. I can understand a policy like this in eg Australia where the risks are greater.

it's to protect the children's skin, the staff skin is more mature and may not need the same protection and they are able to reapply during the day.
A child wouldn't be too hot in a long sleeve t shirt, and they are everywhere, in all the shops.
it's the policy of the nursery, you suck it up or find another one.

The preschool are way OTT. Don't they top the kids up with sunblock during the day? (Disclaimer, my dc's went to a nursery who applied suncream to everyone).

Our nursery just requires they cover their shoulders. They provide hats and sunscreen.

I would complain that they used the jumper over the white shirt you provided (and would make it clear it would be to replace the t-shirt not to go over it).

A white cotton shirt would be quite cool so just send him in that until you find some other options.

Have you tried requesting tops for sale on your local FB children's selling groups?

I think it's slightly ott to suggest a child's skin exposed to sunlight will result in sunburn or cancer! I dress my child in shorts and Tshirt and light sandals, apply suncream and keep them out of the hottest sun of the day known to be 11-3. Common sense surely.

It's not that it will result in sunburn or cancer. It's that it could. And why would you rather put sun screen on than a shirt. Sun screen gets absorbed into their skin. Do you want that?

What parents choose to do with their own children is of course up to them, but if you send your child to a setting which has a 'dress code' then you should follow it, or question it

I'm not saying that parents shouldn't follow the dress code specified at their chosen school I'm just saying (in my opinion - if you'll allow me to have one) that the dress code here seems slightly OTT. Sensitive subject clearly.

Not sensitive. Just finding the easiest way to keep children safe in the sun. As I said, each parent can choose for their child.

Our nursery ask for shoulders to be covered and leggings rather than shorts if they go to the forest school, but most (mine included) still wear shorts. We are asked to apply long lasting sun cream in the morning and the staff ask us to confirm this as we drop them off. We leave a labelled bottle in our child's drawer as instructed and the staff reapply this at lunch time. The children play outside almost all day, but most of the time in the shade, huge gazebos set up on the playing field for activities and another over a paddling pool. The babies play outside too, often just in vest and nappies, but again in a completely coveted shady area. All the children and staff wear hats and all have water bottles outside. Blinds are kept drawn inside to keep the sun out, so when they do go in it's nice and cool. A completely sensible approach in my view, if all parents follow the sun cream guidance. No need for long sleeves or over heating children at all.

H+M Basics do light weight long sleeved cotton tops.

Primark have loads of them.

But plug - a lot of parents only want to use the zinc oxide suncreams and they need to be reapplied every 2 hours at the absolute longest.

Sounds v OTT re the rule, and terrible behaviour re putting him in jumpers. They should have put sun cream on at least for those days and called you to discuss, not just shoved him in weather inappropriate clothing. I'd be too.