Students to slip, slop and slap into school

By Jemma Jones

Jan 8, 2025

With plenty of high temperatures heading into the school year, students need to be sun-safe to protect their skin. Photo by Contributed

As students return to school, the persistent hot weather and strong UV rays continue to pose a sunburn risk, which is why the Victorian Government has provided a few easy steps to keep students sun-safe this upcoming term.

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The Cancer Council reports that childhood UV exposure greatly increases skin cancer risk in adulthood.

However, instilling sun-safe habits in children can significantly reduce this risk.

Over 97 per cent of Victorian early childhood services and 90 per cent of primary schools have implemented written sun protection policies to safeguard students.

And, while the familiar ‘no hat, no play’ rule has been a staple in Australian school yards for generations, hats are just one part of comprehensive sun protection for children.

SunSmart have advised young people that when the UV reaches 3, they need to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide.

Slip on some sun protective clothing as the more skin covered, the more protected skin is from harmful UV.
Slop on some SPF50 or 50+ sunscreen in places where skin is uncovered, follow the sunscreen directions and reapply at least every two hours.
Slap on a wide-brimmed hat to protect the scalp, face and ears from being exposed to UV radiation.
Seek shade where possible to create an extra barrier between skin and the sun.
Slide on some sunglasses that are labelled with UV protection and large enough to cover eyes and fully provide sun protection from all angles.

To help parents keep children stay sun-safe, SunSmart has developed a free app that provides daily UV and sun protection alerts, ensuring you know exactly when to cover up.

Visit the SunSmart or Education Victoria websites for more information on how to stay sun-safe this summer and into the school year.