Some UK Schools Still Don't Allow Kids To Bring Sunscreen, Experts Call For Change

Some parents are urged to apply sunscreen before school, leaving children unprotected for most of the day.

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

With summers getting hotter and rates of skin cancer rising, it might come as a surprise to hear some UK schools have policies in place that do not allow children to bring in their own sunscreen for reapplication throughout the day.

At some UK primary schools, for instance, parents are encouraged to apply sunscreen to their children before school – and that’s it.

Yet even sun creams claiming to be long-lasting wouldn’t last the entire school day, nor would it outlast after-school clubs.

Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, said if kids are in direct sunlight (which they typically will be at break and over lunch) “sunscreen should be reapplied every three hours”.

Government guidance says that in early years childcare settings (typically under-4s), sunscreen should be applied generously and reapplied every two hours. The NHS advises the same.

But for children in primary school, there is no blanket guidance.

Marie Tudor, CEO of national skin cancer prevention charity SKCIN, told HuffPost UK that applying sunscreen before school, while important, “is highly unlikely to provide adequate protection throughout an entire school day, especially during the summer months when UV levels are........

© HuffPost