SUNSMART
POLICY STATEMENT
RATIONALE
Too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the
sun causes sunburn, skin damage and increases the risk of skin cancer. Sun
exposure during the first 15 years of life contributes significantly to the
lifetime risk of developing skin cancer. Australia has the highest rate of skin
cancer in the world, with two out of every three Queenslanders developing some
sort of skin cancer in their lifetime.
Skin cancers account for 80% of all new cancers diagnosed
in Australia each year and melanoma is the most diagnosed cancer for 15 – 44
year olds. Research suggests that at
least two-thirds of all melanomas occurring in Australia could be prevented if
children were protected from the sun during their first fifteen years.
With Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) levels being highest
during the hours that young people are at school, Loganlea State High School
realises the need to protect young people’s skin and educate them about
SunSmart behaviour, thus reducing the risk of skin damage from exposure to the
sun.
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this SunSmart policy is to ensure that all
young people attending our school are protected from the harmful effects of the
sun throughout the year, particularly between 10am and 3pm when UV levels reach
their peak. This will be achieved by:
- Increasing
student and community awareness about skin cancer and sun protection
- Encouraging
the entire school community to use a combination of sun protection
measures all year round
- Working
towards a safe school environment that provides shade for students, staff
and the school community
- Assisting
students to be responsible for their own sun protection
- Ensuring
that families and new staff are informed of the school’s SunSmart policy
- Creating an awareness of the need to
reschedule work commitments and outdoor activities to support SunSmart
practices.
OUR
COMMITMENT
Loganlea
State High School will:
·
Inform parents of the SunSmart policy when
they enrol their child.
·
Include the SunSmart policy statement in the
school prospectus.
·
Increase the amount of shade in the school
grounds, where possible by building shelters and planting trees particularly in
areas where students congregate eg. Lunch area, canteen, outdoor lesson areas
and popular play areas.
·
Ensure that shade provision is considered in
plans for future buildings and grounds.
·
Incorporate education programs that focus on
skin cancer prevention into the school curriculum.
·
Regularly reinforce and promote SunSmart
behaviour to the whole school community through newsletters, school homepage,
parent meetings, staff meetings, school assemblies, and student and teacher
activities.
·
Encourage teachers and staff to act as
positive role models for children in all aspects of SunSmart behaviour.
·
Encourage all students and staff to wear hats
that protect the face, neck and ears, and encourage the use of SPF 30+
broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen when students are involved in outdoor
activities.
·
Encourage students without adequate sun
protection to use shaded or covered areas at recess and lunch times.
·
Ensure that, wherever practicable, outdoor
activities take place before 10:00am or after 3:00pm.
·
Ensure that adequate shade is provided at
sporting carnivals and other outdoor events.
·
Ensure that SPF 30+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant
sunscreen is included in the school sports kit
·
Ensure that students can access SPF 30+
broad-spectrum, water resistant sunscreen everyday at application points within
the school.
·
Review the SunSmart policy annually.
OUR
EXPECTATIONS
Parents
/ Carers will:
·
Provide a hat for use in all outdoor
activities.
·
Ensure that their child’s clothing provides
adequate protection from UVR.
·
Provide SPF 30+ broad-spectrum,
water-resistant sunscreen for their child’s use.
·
Act as positive role models by practising
SunSmart behaviour.
·
Support the school’s SunSmart policy and help
to regularly update this policy.
Students
will:
·
Be aware of the school’s SunSmart policy,
participate in SunSmart education programs and contribute to regular updates of
the policy.
·
Take responsibility for their own health and
safety by being Sunsmart by undertaking the wearing of suitable hats, clothing
and sunscreen.
·
Apply SPF 30+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant
sunscreen twenty minutes before going outdoors.
·
Use shaded or covered areas when outdoors.
·
Act as positive role models for other
students in all aspects of SunSmart behaviour.
REVIEW
The
Principal and Parents and Citizen’s Association, in consultation with the
school community, will review the effectiveness of this policy every two years.
They
will:
·
Review the SunSmart behaviour of students,
staff, and parents and make recommendations for improvement.
·
Assess shade provision and usage and make
recommendations for increases in shade provision.
·
Review and update curriculum material
relevant to SunSmart Activities.