reception health screening

[lulu2]

I have a consent form to sign and return to school for my dd in reception for health screening. The consent is ongoing until she is 18 yrs old and i don't want to sign it but if i don't give my consent will it cause problems?
I don't want to sign it because i am a capable parent able to bring up my dd in a healthy way.
Any thoughts?

is that where they weigh and measure them, check their eyesight, etc. I signed ours didnt see a reason not too.

never heard of this before. What sort of screening? And how can it be ongoing to 18 if it's a primary school?

I can't see why you woouldn't want to either

If you don't mind them doing it this year but are wary of giving continuing permission, you can always send in a letter specifically giving them permission for doing a health screen this year only.

I think they do preliminary eyesight and hearing checks at these sessions, don't they? I'd find that a useful thing to get out of the way in school hours no matter how healthily I am able to bring up my children.

it says that the consent is upto 18 yrs so i guess it just follows her into secondary school as it is for the Nhs not the school.
Yes it is for hearing,height and weight.

thanks portandlemon. it is the fact it is ongoing consent and the wording is "to include hearing,vision, height and weight."
Maybe i am being a bit OTT so may just do as you say and give consent for this year only.

Not sure why you wouldn't wnat to sign in that case.

Depending on the wording of the form, you are giving consent for the School Health Service to monitor and screen your child. That would include height, weight, vision and hearing checks in Reception and height and weight in Year 6.

You can refuse consent to all or any part of the screening, so could give consent for vision and hearing screening but not growth for example.

Some areas word their forms so that by giving consent you are also allowing the sharing of information between health professionals.

Also worth knowing is that the School Health Service is responsible (with your permission) for the emotional and physical health and wellbeing of all school aged children. They take over where the Health Visitor leaves off. The purpose of the School Health Service is to provide health care for school aged children, not to parent your child in a healthy way on your behalf.

Its only for screening, not treatment. I cant really see a reason not to agree to this.

Personally I would not agree to this because it is my job to look after my children not the schools.

They already have regular opticians checks and hearing tests, and I certainly do not need them being weighed and measured - I deliberately avoid that after seeing what hell the HV put my friend thro with a perfectly healthy, petite child who did not conform to their ridculous weight charts.

I think you should always think very carefully before you do anything that makes your dc "different' from his or her peer group. It won't do nay harm, even if they've recently been to the optician to troop down with his friends and look at some pictures with the nurse - it might be a bit lonely and sad if it's "everyone down to the hall - no little lulu, you stay here with the TA and do some drawing"

And, actually, do most children have hearing tests after they've 'passed' the baby ones? I know mine don't.

Our school nurse picked up ds's long sightedness, so I am very grateful to her. He had two previous tests with our local optician (dh and I both have poor eyesight) both of which came up as normal, but I think that the optician just wasn't skilled enough with children (he is very long sighted). My eyesight was also picked up in a school screen, my parents were pretty good on the whole, but they had no idea my sight was an issue (I was about nine). Screening tests are very valuable IMO, and have nothing to do with how good or bad a parent you are. I can't see any reason to reject them, and it's not as if they happen very often. If you have issues about them it may be worth asking for more information on what happens, asking to be there for the tests (I attended ds's, but not dd's) or giving permission only for what you think is OK (ie if it's the weighing that's the issue then not giving permission for that).

Some children do have hearing checks after passing the baby ones as there is no accounting for hearing loss caused by colds, ear infections etc. Some children appear to hear well but when checked actually do not hear a full range of sound - very important to detect for school. My DS was picked up as having a degree of hearing loss (all now sorted) which I had not noticed - until it was picked up and then it occurred to me that I had ever so slightly been speaking louder to him - again without really noticing.

It's routine stuff - hearing and vision little lulu could always opt out of if she's been seen and checked already. Height and weight are to detect children who run the risk of becoming obese (or are already overweight) as there are lots of programs running now which could help and support them.

My parents were extremely capable people bringing me up in a healthy way: it was still the school who picked up on my eyesight problems. Because I never told them I had a problem and it wasn't immediately apparent, they never thought to take me to an optician.

I agree. I can't understand this "nothing to do with the school" attitude.

If you don't consent I recommend that you take her for eyesight and hearing tests etc yourself. We recently noticed ds1 had a squint and he was referred to the eye clinic they also found he is long sighted and could hardly see anything clearly and now at 3 wears glasses. If he didn't have a squint we would not have realised his vision problem until those tests in reception and if we did not consent to them god knows how long it would have gone on for before we realised. Children are brilliant at disguising ear and vision problems.

But why wouldn't you consent...?

As a School Nurse I really resent the implication that we are interfering, or attempting to replace the parents in any way. Allowing School Health access to your child for monitoring and screening in no way replaces health intervention by parents, it is there to supplement it.

Also School Health is not the remit of Education, it is Health.

School screening picked up my ds's hearing problem.

I consider myself a responsible parent, I don't see that as clashing with a school check.

Its your child if you don't want the additional reassurance then don't consent.

But I do find it a bit odd TBH.

i love the way when i ask for opinions on mumsnet that i get called odd because i question something. I think not questioning and going along with the masses is not always best.
Sidge i meant nothing against school nurses.

Hey ho

I think people are finding it hard to see what is bad in there being ongoing health screening of children while they are in the education system.

I too am confident that I am capable of keeping my children healthy. But I still appreciate that by using the screening available there is a safety net in case I miss anything (the hearing and eyesight tests are particularly relevant in this case).

If you are worried about it going to age 18, can't you just cross out that bit of the form, reword it in ink (to whatever is acceptable to you), and then sign?

Questioning is good. Not going with the tide is good.

But opting out of something harmless and potentially useful for no good reason is a bit daft - sorry! And you haven't really explained why you don't want to have your children's eyesight checked at school!

Aren't their checks, so simplistic that they are almost valueless ?
Why would you not want your child weighed. I couldn't give two hoots. Thus, I signed the form.