Here in UK Teachers are not allowed to put suncream on children so how..........

I don't know whether the world is indeed coming to an end, or humans are filled with non-compassion hearts as days go by.. This is atrocious and you should go with the petition. I think they should put a consent form, at least like parents of children whom are not so keen on the 'touch' of teacher to child, then their children shouldn't be put suncream at all by teachers. And those that don't mind to continue the trend. That is perhaps one of the best ways to handle. I used to have a friend working in the childcare industry and she told me that some parents dislike their children to be 'touched' by teachers. I think in this matter, it's something like that. Some fussy parents they are, I'd say. Good luck in your petition. I hope it will be successful..

This is a tricky one, Ellie. As I no longer have my own children of school age, I hadn't even thought about it and I certainly didn't know that teachers can't apply sun cream. I asked my daughter about this as she is a childminder. She said she has to get written permission from parents and then she can do it, but she can't give a teacher permission to do it for her own child. I suppose it might take quite a while if they had to do a whole class, so it's understandable from that point of view. Teachers can't give any medication either. On the odd occasion it has been necessary. she has had to go to the school at lunchtime to give her child prescribed pills. Perhaps there should be another role at schools now, for a nurse or some such. I can't see it happening though. Sorry I'm no help for your predicament.

I can explain this. I've worked in many preschool classrooms and all of the class rooms that I have worked in cannot put anything on a child, lotion wise, unless there is a signed document from a parent and the child comes to school with the cream or lotion. This is to save the butts of the childcare staff in case something would happen like an allergic reaction. Not to mention, some of the items, like sun screen can have ingridients in them that can make some children sick, or any child if ingested. There are a lot of things that go on in preschool classrooms and day cares that parents get frustrated over, but parents end up getting frustrated if you do something to their child that they didn't know about, or would be even madder if something happened to their child because of something they put on them.

I can understand precautions but wow that's a little too far. The only thing I can suggest for you to do is to protest against it. Can not even the nurse of the school put things like that on a child? Or atleast can't someone monitor the child! Before a break sunscreen or any other kind of protection from getting hurt should be put on and advised. Things like this should be taught in schools. My fiance and I don't have children yet so I don't know if this is a law here in the USA. I know as a child I would go to the nurse but as for putting on creams I think maybe I did that myself? I don't remember.

Hi ellie333... This sounds like one of the ridiculous laws they have in Canada and we have many more as well. In an effort on someones lame part to curb child abuse, they are in fact creating more...its called child neglect in many forms by totally disallowing contact of any type. This sun screen incident is one of many. If a child came to school crying, a very young child, and they had been abused, how could one not give a hug. There is a time and place for everything and abolishing everything is not the answer. I remember when my daughter who is now 27, was only 5 years old. She had to travel on the school bus to get to school. She was the smallest child in the school and even at 27, is under 5ft tall!..lol Anyways, she was so tiny she would struggle to get up on the seat of the school bus. The driver would lift her up and sit her on the seat til he got threatened with his job. He came to me to regretfully tell me he could no longer help her into her seat. He felt so bad. I knew the driver and had no problem with it. After all, how is she supposed to get up? The school had told me that perhaps the answer was for me to drive her to school. I said I couldnt as I worked, and she should not have to miss the daily interaction with her friends of travelling on the bus. The next morning when she boarded the bus, our problems were over. The driver had made her a little stool that she could step up on to get to her seat! My heart went out to the driver who felt so bad he made the stool, and my anger went out to the idiots who made the brilliant laws! If teachers there are not allowed to apply sun screen, then it should be part of protocol that they announce that kids put on their sunscreen and make sure they do.

I think sunscream is suitable for children yet. They have soft skin not like adults. They just avoid to sun outside so that their skin will not be burn. They will stay in their aircondition room and their play. They can just go outside for few minutes early in the morning but not in 8 above its really so hot.

Did your Mum smother you in sun screen Ellie? My Mum didn't. We didn't have hats either. My kids were not protected by sun screen. They were both healthy, active youngsters and never came home with sun burn - ever. We have a slogan here...slip, slop, slap which means slip on a shirt, slop on some sun screen and slap on a hat but the kids at school don't get to do that - they get hats with a skirt at the back to protect their necks - no sun screen, no long sleeves, their little arms and legs and faces are bare. There may be some long term effects there I agree but it didn't hurt us when we were kids.

Hi my friend Ellie. I am a primary school teacher. I ask parents in the summer time to put sun cream on their child. Also I recommend their child wears a sun hat at playtime. The government tell the teachers that we must not touch the children. Once a fight happened and all I could do was stand between the two boys. I send a child to a first aid carer if necessary. They are able to put a plaster on. If a child is sick I have to ask for equipment in order for me to clean it up. My toddler son has to have catheter care. Two of the staff have been trained how to do that. The trained one does the catheter care and she asks another member of staff to help. Once he is at primary school then they will have to handle my son's needs. Hopefully by the time he goes to secondary school he will be able to do his own catheter. I suggest your son wears a long sleeved shirt just during playtime. Maxine

Hi Ellie, the whole school thing now befuddles me, it is ridiculous that a teacher you can trust is not allowed to help with putting the suncream on, it is really ridiculous how teachers are no longer allowed to do a lot of things they did when we went to school-what's the answer 'I do not know' any ideas 'am really sorry but no', wish I could of been more help,..Huggles LoLo

That's a tough one, I guess you just have to dip him in it and hope for the best. Sounds a little stupid that teachers can teach them but not take a little bit of care for them. I guess you better enroll him in a Global Warming class so they show him the importance of sunscreen.

Well, is there a form or something that allows the nurse at school to applied to your kid the sunscreen or just for the nurse to remind your kid to use it? That's what parents do in the usa because teachers can't give medication either.

I don't have kids, but a friend of mine has a 5 year old in school and just the other day with summer starting she was complaining about this rule too. So we have the same problem here in Florida, USA that you do. And we have more danger too due to our geography. I do not understand why there could not at least be someone (like we used to have a school nurse) that could be in charge. My friends son has fair skin which makes it even more interesting. I honestly thought the US lawsuit system was responsible for most of this stupidity. Interesting to know it has spread to the rest of the world.

I am a teacher so there are so many different things that need to be considered. The first is schools don't want to be responsible for causing either an allergy attack or something worse to happen. So the best policy is not to have the teacher touch the child. Before, teachers are able to reprimand a student. Nowadays, the teacher shouldn't even touch the students. I am a male teacher so that is even worse for me because of all the bad rap male teachers get.

I think your article shows perfectly how far the Uk has gone with rules and regulations. I'm quite glad i don't live there but i understand your situation. 5 year olds arent known for applying sun cream very well. Perhaps you could talk to the teachers themselves. Dylan

I think you should take it up with the health authorities, this just does not seem right. I think if the teachers cannot take care of the children's health on an outing it is neglect.

If they can't reapply the sunscreen they should make sure they play indoors or in the shade....like that going to happen....it's strange what rules they are now applying to handling children in schools....I actually was talking to my daughter earlier who is considering home schooling her daughter......she said that the parents aren't allowed to even see their kids' classroom during the day....if the child forgets something at home they have to drop it off at the office...and parents are not allowed on field trips.....you would think that a parent would have access to their children even if it is school....strange!

All these rules, there must be no child abuse ever! Well, we know that isn't true, the reason being that teachers applying sun cream has never let to child abuse that I know of. I realize that schools and preschools and day-cares have to be very careful about allegations and lawsuits, but generally a permission slip from the parent should suffice. When my son was in preschool I was told to apply sunblock before dropping him off and to leave a bottle of sunblock at the school so they could re-apply it during the day. I had to sign so many different permission slips, I am sure that the application of sunblock was included on one of them. I think that the prospect of a parent suing a school over a child that gets very badly burned would be more worrisome than a parent accusing them of putting cream on in an abusive way. A child could suffer a life-threatening burn at that age if out in a strong sun for very long. Every day I become more convinced that the entire world has gone mad.

My thought is that you can only do so much to protect your son from the sun's harmful rays. He will survive as most of us did, with no sunscreen at all. How long is recess, about 15 minutes? It's not as if he's sweltering in the heat of the sun for hours at a time, so dear mumzie, I advise that you relax.

Hi ellie, i think is just too stupid laws, in fact by not seeing to the kids well being in this heat, they are abusing them, so how about that one then, the kids can have sun stroke as the heat is so unbearable at that time of the day, you can't win these days can you? love and huggles. Tamara xxxx

I have a little boy the same age as your son, ellie. My son has learning difficulties so even if he was reminded to put the sun cream on he wouldnt be able to do it for himeself. So I plaster him in it before school and hope for the best. Yet everyday when the kids leave the classroom their teacher pats them all on the head to say goodbye. I dont understand how the rules say no to applying sun cream when they are all CRB checked anyway. Its ridiculous!