school bans sun cream!

[luciemule]

The week before last, I posted about DD being made to sit in strong sun with no hat and because of that had bad sunstroke.
Then I commented on how they tell parents to apply sun cream before coming to school and not bringing it with you and reapplying it. I think this is probably classed as neglect if then, a child burns due to not having sun cream on. This week, the kids are out all day doing sports week and have various activities planned either in the playground with very little shade or on the school field with not much either.
It's ironic as the school sent home an Ambre Solaire sun fact sheet last friday telling of sun burn dangers!!1

see here

Summerson - that sounds really sensible.
How can two primary schools be so different??

In my Y6 class I pretty much demanded that children wore hats outside, brought sunscreen in for putting on before lunch/PE and brought water bottles. Now I'm at an optional uniform school I make them cover their shoulders before being allowed out in the sun.

When I am class-based (as opposed to cover) I have children's sunscreen in my desk and those who haven't got their own and know they aren't allergic to it are given a blob or two to apply themselves.

SE13 you are very sensible and Summerson your school sounds sensible too!

I went on a trip to an old castle with school (Y1 and 2) in the week. It was very exposed and very hot.

The teacher did try to have spells in the limited shade that was there but did not stop once to ensure that the children applied cream.

She even dismissed a child out of hand who had run out of water (bear in mind the children were at this castle from 10-2) at about 1 - telling him and others they could wait until they got back to class.

I ended up sorting that out.

Then a newsletter comes home saying that some children were 'ill-equipped' for their trip! The teachers had brought no extra water, not thought about where they would get water from, did not stop to encourage children to drink or apply suncream.

I think this is really bad when schools are supposed to be in loco parentis. It is their responsibility (just as it ours when our children are with us) to ensure children are protected from the sun not the 6 or 7 year olds

My point exactly debs40. It's stupid to dismiss some of us as being 'OTT' and that 'in our day it wasn't like' this etc but I see the school as being the carers of my children whilst I'm not there and that means I don't just hang up my right to say how they're looked after once the 9am bell rings. Some teachers on the other hand think they're only there to teach them the curriculum and not 'care' for them. (yes, that's a generalisation - I said many, not all)

fluffles I think Piz Buin only lasts 6 hours which is why you would need to reapply at 2pm.

"Some teachers on the other hand think they're only there to teach them the curriculum and not 'care' for them."

Lucie - the clue's in the job title. If you want to make demands about how your children are "looked after" then I suggest you home ed. School is not child care.

er it is child care by definition - you are in charge when the parent isn't there - it's basic common sense surely

i don't see the problem with letting the have it themselves

DD1 is allergic to most of the sun creams, but we have been using the P20 all day one. It is expensive but has been brilliant.

I used it on both girls when we were abroad last year and they didn't burn at all, despite being in and out of the pool all day.

eviltwins when I say carers of my children, that's obviously meaning caring for them whilst they are not in my care. Yes, my children have to go to school but legally, schools have a 'duty of care' to all the pupils it has. They are in, as southeast says, loco parentis.

Do you therefore ET send your kids off with no further thought of them all day? I very much doubt it.

It's not child care. Not in the way that a lot of parents think it should be. It's a place where YOU send your children to be EDUCATED. Teachers are not there to "look after" or "care for" your children.

The major teaching unions mounted a campaign several years ago which they called "Let Teachers Teach" The main point of it was to ensure that schools cut down on tasks which take up teachers' time unnecessarily (like bulk photocopying, chasing absences, writing standard letters - things which ought to be done by support staff or admin staff). Perhaps they also ought to add a clause about parental expectations. Schools may be in loco parentis (definted, btw as " the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent. ..." - note the word SOME) but that does not mean that parents have the right to demand that their children are treated at school in the same way that they are at home. That would be ridiculous, given the number of parents and therefore the number of different ways of parenting.

So what you're basically saying is "Let Teachers Teach" and don't worry if they burn in the sun or get sunstroke because that's not in their job dscription??

I don't think school is 'child care for my children'. I have to send them to school to be educated (I wouldn't home ed as,imo,it wouldn't give my children the skills they need to become savvy adults) however,that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be cared for by teaching staff.
Yes, I understand that teachers can't have a personalised care plan, inlcuding tv time and cuddles on the sofa, for each and every child but I think they should be able to see things more from a parents point of view when it comes to things like applying more suncream.
ET Would you honestly apply suncream once in the morning and no more for the whole day, whilst allowing your child to sit in the boiling sun at for 3 hours in the morning, followed by another couple of hours after lunch, with no hat, if you were at home?

No, of course not. But I do not believe for a moment that your DD was put outside for 6 solid hours. Sorry, but you're being completely OTT, totally disrespectful of the hard working teachers at your DD's school and frankly, very unreasonable in your demands. Teachers are there to TEACH. They are not there to "look after" your precious daughter. They trained for 4 years at university in order to give your child an education. Oh, and I would imagine a lot of them ARE parents. I am. A teacher AND a parent, that is.

And actually, if it was the right sort of suncream, I would indeed put it on in the morning and then not re-apply. I think that's the point a lot of posters have made - this product does exist, which means that the responsibility to make sure the child has got suncream on falls to you - the parent.

They didn't all train for 4 year - many did a 3 yr degree in whatever they wanted and then did a year teacher training.
For what it's worth, I was actually going to do the GTP at DDs school, until I visited and realised I didn't agree with their very laid back approach to caring but over gritty approach to everything else.

You don't have an accurate concept of sun burn and sun stroke if you believe they have to be out in it for 6 hrs to either be burnt or get sunstroke.
I really didn't want to argue but what you say is truly flawed.

I don't blame schools one bit for this policy!

If it's the teacher's responsibility to put the suncream on a child, then if the child gets burned the parents sue the teacher/school.

It's not their job to put sunscream on your child.

It's yours.

As for sunstroke, you can ask the head to not let them outside during recess if you're so worried about it.

I always have DD apply once a day suncream before she gets dressed in a morning in the summer - on both school days and non school days. I have found both P20 and Ultrasun very good - and even better neither react with DD's skin, unlike many normal creams. DD can take suncream but this way she doesn't have to bother. She has a school suncap to wear at playtimes and takes her sunglasses. The have a small amount of shade from trees in the playground, but not much.

The school I work at does allow suncream but children must apply it themselves. We are not allowed to do it. The playground has a couple of shaded areas where we pull the sun canopies over. And we encourage all children to bring sunhats and sunglasses with them and to wear them.

luciemule - Yes most teachers do a degree and then do teacher training (PGCE) for a year - and they then have to complete a year (FT, longer if PT) NQT teacher, where they are regulalrly supervised, still training, etc. Beyond that they ae stll learning and training with various INSET and CPD each year.

Regardless, teachers and TAs must follow school and/or LEA policies. If the school policy is that they cannot apply suncream to a child. then it is that simple - they cannot and risk diciplinar action if they fail to follow the policies.

Are you positive the school teacher or TA didn;t remind everyone to grab heir hat and water the other day (today?) I say this as we always do - but still some childen will forget. I am afraid we don't have enough hands to carry spares for everyone. The children - especially by 8y - have to have taken responsibility for themselves in these cases. And generally no, they can't go back if someone fogets. You say it is 300m away - but that means the whole class/grou[p waiting, an adult having to leave the group to supervise your child (possibly leaving the pupil/adult ratio wrong) or taking everyone back. It isnt as simple as when it is just you with your own chld/ren.

Now some of what you say about your DD's school I do agree is wrong and unacceptable. But also some of it I believe is fine and acceptable. You have to decide which ones you feel are worth fighting and if they are worth the battle. But ultimately if you feel the school is letting you and your child down you hve to decide if it is the right school for your child.

Can someone explain what is different between the 1970's (when I was at primary school) and now?

Is there any evidence that the ozone layer has got thinner and is causing more damage?

I realise that the link between the sun and skin damage is clearer but - a light tan PROTECTS the skin.

We never wore sun cream at school or just in the garden - we wore it when we went on holiday and had long lengths of time exposed to the sun.

I think that if everytime your DC goes outside they have sun cream on - then the one time you forget and it is in the height of summer - then they will get burnt - if they have built up a light tan since spring time then this will protect them.

I bet the sun cream manufacturers are trying to push these sales!

I totally agree with the quote above "I think there is a generation of school children who have been guinea pigs in their use of sun cream."

I use an organic sun cream - it is applied at nursery and I apply it if we are going to be outside for a substantial amount of time over midday - but not for 30 mins in the park etc.

a light tan protects the skin from burning - is what I meant to say - I am aware that the tan itself maybe seen as "damage"

very interested in responses to this

We use Ultrasun, too. No problems at all and DD1 has milk bottle, sensitive skin.

Have used both P20 and Ultrasun once a days in the Uk and abroad, inc in 40+ degree heats of Vegas and the very hot and humid heats of Florida in summer. None of us have ever burnt with it, not even slightly. We apply it in a morning before dressing, wait 5 minutes and then dress. It lasts about 10 hours IIRR. It doesn't need reapplying after swimming either, although inFlorida when Dd wa sin the water park all morning, I did reapply when we came out after lunch - just in case.

DD reacts to most other suncreams but has never reacted to either P20 or Ultrasun once a day. Maybe it is the way they work with the skin?

Utlrasun totally worth the money! We also used it once a day in Houston, which is also majorly hot, and not even a slight colour at all.

And they were in and out of my sister's swimming pool all day.

Expat - I wasn't implying they should apply to the children; just allow them to have it with them in their book bags for applying at lunch time for example.

I'm fed up with being slated for caring so instead, here's a really interesting article from the Nature Journal about the inadequacy of sunsreens.

I wasn't slating you for caring. I was slating you for blaming the teachers at your DD's school when she is old enough to remember her hat for herself.