The charity, which raises money for skin disease and skin cancer research, is aiming to get 100,000 signatures to have the issue of sun safety in early years settings and schools debated in the House of Commons.
At present no standardised policy covering the responsibility of sunscreen re-application in nurseries and schools exists. The decision about re-applying sunscreen to children is made by individual schools and local authorities.
According to the British Skin Foundation, the issue of children’s sun safety in schools was previously raised in the House of Commons in 2009. A survey of 1,000 parents was also commissioned by MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Skin, which revealed that almost 40 per cent of pupils have suffered from sunburn while at school.
The petition calls on the Government to clarify the parameters of responsibility of re-application of sunscreen, and ensure there is no confusion between parents, nurseries, schools and local authorities, as to who is responsible for what aspect of a child’s sun safety.
Matthew Patey, chief executive of the British Skin Foundation, said, ‘The recent hot weather was a potent reminder of the potential risks children face on a daily basis. Our biggest aim with the petition is to stop children from burning. With confusion surrounding who is responsible for making sure children are protected during schools hours, and how much a nursery or school is allowed to get involved, it’s understandable that parents are concerned, especially when you consider how much time children spend outdoors.'
He added, ‘We are not advocating sunscreen as the sole means of sun protection, but as an additional method of protecting the skin from burning-the first line of defence is always clothing. When responsible parents dress their child appropriately for the sunny weather and apply sunscreen, they are still faced with the conundrum of re-application later on in the day. With younger children especially, this will require adult supervision. Until this issue is resolved, children will continue being hurt unnecessarily, so we’re hoping this petition will mark a starting point for change.’
