Calling all teachers/nursery educators/support staff…do you judge wrinkly soiled uniforms, unkempt hair etc?

[Donemain]

Do you notice children in class who have unkempt hair? Hair that needs a good cut?

Do you notice uniforms with food spilled down them? Dirty lunch bags or school bags? What about dirty nails?

Of course we notice, but we do not judge.

I am a secondary school teacher and I worked in an all boys school for 16 years - no I never judged . The kids would be rolling around at break and lunch , stuffing blazers in their jackets until they were creased to bits and covered in mud from football . Neglect has a totally different feel and many pieces of a jigsaw slotting together if that makes sense .
I have my own son now and sometimes he wakes up with crazy hair that I can’t flatten . The other day I had already arrived at breakfast club and notices he had wiped his toothpasty mouth on his shoulder !

"wrinkly" ? No, I'm not a fan of ironing
"food spilled down" - from today or the same stain 4 days later ?
Dirty nails ? depends what time of day it is and what they have had the opportunity to do during the day

However, it depends why you are asking.
Yes, school staff do safeguarding training and are taught what to look out for. Individually, if all else is well, there can be lots of reasons for a child being unkempt. Generally, if they have a concern it will be mentioned to the DSL and they may know a lot more about what is happening in the family, or may see if there is anything they can do to help.

I’m not a teacher but I volunteer for a childrens charity which organises activities, and this is all covered by the basic safeguarding training we do each year

Im sure the in depth safeguarding training that professional teachers do covers it in more detail, plus the build up a closer relationship with the children to know when it’s a worrying pattern vs an occasional thing or the result of play/busy lives

Yes of course - we’re trained in child protection.

Once in a while? I’d notice, say nothing and keep an eye on it.

Every day? I’d mention it to the CPDO.

No judgement - just concern in case the child/family needs support.