Ds has got sun burnt at school

[RoooneyMara]

Ds is 10 and was on a kind of sports/open day today at another school.

No one sent a letter about it or anything.

He has come home with sunburn across his face.

Normally I tell him to stay in the shade when it is hot - clearly they weren't able to do this, being outside much of the day.

Hats are pointless when they are doing activities outside - they just fall off.

Suncream doesn't last very long...what can you do?

I feel really upset about it.

Thanks Pyrrah - that is really interesting to know.

I must say I usually put cream on them at 730ish so that would take them to 330 then I normally leave them if they are playing in the garden for half hour at home so they should be getting some sun.

I agree though that I would prefer to give them supplements than risk sunburn.

Agree with Pyrrah

There also seems to be a connection with diabetes. especially with darker skin people living in northern climates. My dad was from Cyprus and had diabetes and psoriasis. His psoriasis cleared up the only time he went back to Cyprus. Again psoriasis is another immune problem.

UVA star rating for P20 (factor 20), according to my new bottle is 3 stars, which is listed as good.

I can spot from a mile off all the children in my class whose parents are concerned with sun safety - their faces gleam slightly each morning with the sheen of suncream and there's a summer holiday aroma in the air. Those same children will be the ones wearing caps at lunch-time. The others? I have to assume their parents aren't so concerned.

OP, which parent are you? Sufficiently concerned to ensure your child is lathered-up in the mornings and knows to put a cap on? or one who wants the teachers to add the responsibility to their workload?

Ah, yes, of course, it's always the parents' fault when schools burn their children. There's nothing at all unreasonable in expecting a parent to spend a lot of money on all day suncreams which make their child itch and come out in a rash and which 99 days out of 100 are not actually required for the normal activities of the school day. It is obviously too much effort for the school to inform parents of when the 1 day out of 100 is coming up.

Just wait until the increase in cataracts results in advice for all schoolchildren to wear sunglasses outside... children will have to turn up at school with them glued to their faces.

You don't like schools and teachers do you rabbit?

I like teachers and schools perfectly well, I just react to people who may or may not be teachers complaining about parents' attitudes, as though there is nothing wrong with their own.

Sorry, it just seems to me from reading a couple of threads you are busy on that you make automatic judgements against school and seem to think schools are out to "get" parents. I may be reading you wrong, but that is just the way you are coming across to me.

I'm active on a couple of threads where I have felt automatic judgments have been made against parents, MaybeBentley, where I feel more measured comments should have been made. In my view, parents are inclined to get over emotional about their children and if you don't want to exacerbate that and antagonise them further, then you respect that is the case and do not act pettily in return by making snide comments about their parenting skills, particularly if you are acting in a professional role, not a personal one, and therefore ought to know better and ought to be able to control your comments better.

And in this case, suncream is a bugbear of mine. I hate the stuff and really do not think it is remotely reasonable to imply that I am only a concerned parent if my children have all day suncream on. I will therefore hit back at any teacher or other parent who attempts to imply that all concerned parents plaster their children in all-day suncream (particularly if they don't add that they also dose them up with vitamin D, because then I would think they are insufficiently concerned ).

If any of those rants were aimed at me, rabbitstew then I will point out that my post was merely an observation. I can spot children who are wearing suncream. It is visible and you can smell it. It is fair to assume that those parents are concerned that their children don't burn - maybe they're fair-skinned/freckled/redheads/whatever. Other children do not appear to wear it. They will be outdoors at lunchtime just as long. Presumably their parents don't think it's necessary - maybe they're olive-skinned/don't burn/whatever.
I was making no value judgement. Parents who feel it's an issue administer suncream. Parents who don't are less likely to.

And at the idea of "schools burning children."

clam - I'm sorry if you really didn't intend it that way, but what you posted came across as a value judgment, not an observation. OP clearly stated that her child did not normally get burnt at school, it was purely on this occasion because the school had taken the children on an activity which involved them being outside for a considerable time in a place without shade, doing sports without sunhats (I know my children have not been allowed by their school to wear sunhats when doing some sports, because they can't see so clearly with them on and the school gets fed up with hats getting blown off heads...), and, more importantly, without parents being forewarned. OP would have liked some warning so that, on that occasion, she could ensure her child did have suncream on for it and she asked for advice on how she could deal with the fact suncream normally wears off after four hours. At no point did she suggest the school should put suncream on her child, so far as I can see. You, however, appeared to imply that she was being all prima donnerish and expecting the school to apply suncream for her - that was certainly the impression I got from your crossings out. Or did you really mean to imply that it is too much effort for a school to send out a simple letter telling parents about such an event and asking them to ensure that their children bring in sunhats and/or suncream as it is an event which involves being outdoors for a large part of the day without shade? Because I strongly disagree with you if you think that is too much to ask.

I also think if you did not intend to make a value judgment that use of the word "concerned" rather than "parent of a fair skinned child" was very unfortunate.

It pisses me off that everyone is always so quick to blame schools for everything these days. If you want your child to be fully protected from the sun, send them in prepared, regardless of what they may or may not be doing once there. Schools have got enough admin to do these days without sending out hundreds of common sense reminders, which many parents ignore anyway. "It's cold, bring a coat," "it's hot, put on suncream." How much of a nanny state do we want?
If I'm worried/concerned (or whatever word you want to use) about my child getting sunburnt, I take appropriate precautions. I wouldn't be looking to the school to parent my child for me and blaming them if it didn't happen.

Yeah clam, helping kids cross the road, letting their parents know where they are, protecting them from burning their skin ffs, the demands on teachers these days are eeeeeeeendless.

"helping kids cross the road" Wtf? Coz most teachers will just shove 'em under the nearest lorry.

My point is, all those things are a question of safety.

clam - don't be pathetic. Sending out a letter that should be on the school system anyway, because this event took place last year, is NOT too much to ask. It's called communication, something which many schools are very poor at, presumably because they employ people like you. Parents do not ask to be sent letters every time it's sunny, or when it's going to rain, they ask to be sent letters when the school is taking their children out for hours on some weird jolly involving junk food and leaving the children out in the blazing hot sun, which is not, I hope, a normal school day, but something a "concerned" parent would reasonably expect to be made aware of in advance.

Ooh blimey.

I read Clam's post last night and sat there looking at it with a head tilt, wondering how to begin, and finally went to bed, but Rabbitstew has stepped up, so thankyou

You are right Rabbit. I am concerned, probably too concerned at times, about their welfare and we HAVE sun cream and I used it on Monday, when it was the proper actual sports day and that was because they told us it was happening. And he didn't get burned on Monday.

I don't expect them to parent my children. I expect reasonable notice for events where precautions are necessary, so that I, as the parent, can take them.

Mind you I was impressed this morning, child sat by office as I dropped off ds's hat which he had left at home (not a sun hat - a decorative one for a procession) and the secretary was asking her, 'what TIME yesterday were you sick?' as she handed her a bowl with a resigned look on her face.

I just know that she will give that child's parents hell on the phone

The OP's son is 10y. That is old enough to deal with sun hats and suncream himself.

All day suncream is only dearer initially ime. The bottles last longer so make them no different in price really in the end - my experience anyway.

It is a parent's responsibility to make sure that they provide their children with the things they need for a day at school. So as a parent you check the forecast. If it says sunny - send hat, sun glassed and cream. If it says rain - send waterproofs and wellies, and a change of shoes for indoor. If it says now - send gloves, coats and hats.

You may be surprised at quite how many parent do not do these simple things.

Oh - and always assume your child may be outside a lot, especially on nice days. It is far better generally for children to be outside and getting some fresh air, rather than being in the classroom.

Hula, if I let him apply it himself it would be finished within about 3 days. He is Not That Good at things like this...and if I sent it to school WITH him, which I don't think we're allowed to do anyway, it would also be all over his bag, work and classroom (and uniform) within hours.

Some kids can do this stuff, mine can't. But anyway...storm in a teacup really, they still haven't answered, and I'm sure that they won't.

Bllcks, Hulababy. I'm fed up with people saying 10 year olds are old enough to be utterly responsible and competent. Yours may be. Don't go commenting about the whole bl**dy contingent and their parents. Or are you a developmental paediatrician?

Schools, however, are packed full of adults capable of writing a simple letter.

Well quite, Rabbit

Thanks again for standing up for me, and for the point I was trying to make. I appreciate it and it makes me feel less mad/overreacting parent.

They are getting worse and worse at communicating. They cancelled an after school club yesterday, AGAIN without giving parents any warning at all, resulting in several stranded children I think...luckily I had turned up at the usual time anyway so just took mine home.

It's hopeless, really it is.

I'm a teacher and I frequently tell my class of year 6s to stay in shade, bring sun cream, hat, water. There is only so much I can do as a teacher. I can't physically apply the cream. I can't lend children my sun cream (in case of allergies). I can't make them wear a hat or stay in the shade. I do try though and I would be upset to be blamed for a child getting burnt. No comment on the weird trip though!