Sun Safe Schools Programme at Meldreth Primary School

Meldreth Primary School is proudly participating in the Sun Safe Schools national accreditation programme. This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of your child during school hours.

While we recognize that some sun exposure is beneficial, Sun Safety is an essential health and safety matter. Children spend a significant amount of time outdoors, especially during the warmer months. Between 11 am and 3 pm, when the sun's ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is strongest, children are at higher risk of sunburn. Without proper protection, young skin can burn easily, causing cumulative damage that can greatly increase the risk of skin cancer later in life.

Skin cancer remains the UK's most common and fastest-rising cancer, but the good news is that around 90% of skin cancer cases are preventable. With your support, we can take simple steps to protect your child, help them enjoy the sun safely, and promote healthy lifestyle choices.

We encourage you to review our Sun Protection Policy, available below, which outlines our efforts to provide a Sun Safe environment, implement protective measures, and educate children on sun safety.

How Parents Can Help

Your involvement will play a key role in ensuring effective sun safety for your child. We ask parents to:

• Provide sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30, which is broad-spectrum (protecting against both UVA and UVB rays), and if the sunscreen has a UVA star rating, it should be at least 4 stars. Sunscreen should be clearly labeled with your child’s name and either brought to school daily or kept at school.

• Provide a sun hat for your child, which should be either broad-brimmed (bucket style) or legionnaire to shade the face, neck, ears, and cheeks. If your child forgets their hat, we will have spare hats available for them.

Education and Awareness

As part of the Sun Safe Schools programme, all children will learn about the risks of sun exposure, how to reduce the risk of sunburn, and why it’s important to protect their skin to reduce the risk of skin cancer. The programme is designed to be engaging and educational, ensuring that your child learns how to enjoy the sun safely.

We look forward to your support in helping us ensure that every child at Meldreth Primary School can enjoy the sun safely, while taking steps to protect their health now and in the future.