PDF (Sun Protection / Skin Cancer Detection Report for the South ...

I
Bristol
Business School
Schools and Parents of School Children
Insights from Literature
There is an apparent contradiction between the active role undertaken by schools as part of
Australasian programmes such as SunSmart and the current UK situation where sunscreens
may be regarded as medicines and not permitted on school grounds, as evidenced by the
following media coverage:
“School stops boy using sunscreen” (BBC News, 4 May 2004) – this article relates
specifically to a school in the Bristol area.
Further, there is some concern evident that, where children are permitted to bring sunscreen
to school, teachers will not assist them in applying it for fear of being accused of child abuse
25 . In addition, a 2007 study indicated that 95% of schools in the south-east of Ireland had no
documented sun protection policy (Channel 4 News, 9 July 2007). This study undertaken for
the British Association of Dermatologists also found that 100% of schools scheduled outdoor
activities between 10.00am and 2.00pm. Here the need for joined up thinking is paramount:
recognising the benefits of outdoor play, balanced by appropriate sun protection. We can find
no equivalent data for the South West region. There are government policies relating to UK
schools that are statutory, such as the child protection policy, which is part of the Education
Act 2002. However, having a school policy regarding sun protection is not a statutory
requirement for schools: (www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/p/policies/). This would
appear to be an aspect of sun protection that warrants urgent investigation.
There are considerable resources available to schools via websites such as Cancer Research
UK’s SunSmart pages http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sunsmart/ , however we can find no
information regarding how frequently this material is accessed, how useful it is to schools
and parents, or what information is sought and valued by them. It is recommended that, as a
priority, research be undertaken with schools in the SWPHO area to obtain this data in
conjunction with the investigation of current school sun protection policies noted above and
an investigation of actual or perceived barriers to the effective implementation of
recommended sun protection strategies such as those advocated via Cancer Research UK. We
fully recognise the difficult regulatory environment that schools operate within, and the
multiplicity of directives and policies that teachers are expected to implement. Given this, the
need is for a simple solution: perhaps a letter home to parents requiring their children to bring
in sun cream to be used on sunny days.
Two contrasting case studies are provided overleaf. The first is the Australasian SunSmart
programme which has resulted in incremental improvements in attitudes and behaviours over
time. The second is a smaller, somewhat isolated UK intervention that, in common with
several other interventions raised awareness but did not alter behaviour.
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