Health Checks at School

surreysaver

FBaby wrote: »

Not it isn't different. The NCMP (National Child Measurement Programme) is part of the healthcheck programme.

Yes. Part of. As per your quote. The opt-out only applies to the NCMP. Not the whole healthcheck. Read your quote.

surreysaver

mumtosix wrote: »

Surreysaver, I don't make the rules, the government does. I have just related what the school told me today. The health checks are there, opting out is a parental choice.

I know. The (local) Government makes the rules. I'm just saying you need not believe what you are told by them is the truth.

FBaby

surreysaver wrote: »

Yes. Part of. As per your quote. The opt-out only applies to the NCMP. Not the whole healthcheck. Read your quote.

Funny how you forgot to point this out though despite the fact the OP included checking height and weight in their first post.

surreysaver

FBaby wrote: »

Funny how you forgot to point this out though despite the fact the OP included checking height and weight in their first post.

And hearing and sight, for which consent is required to be sought..

Cloudydaze

surreysaver wrote: »

And hearing and sight, for which consent is required to be sought..

What sane person would object to a harmless health check on a child?

The 5yr old nephew of a friend was diagnosed with a brain tumour after a school eye check picking up an abnormality. (His mother had taken him to the opticians 4 months before.)

Pick your battles. Seriously. Getting worked up over admin technicalities of the difference between opting out or consent? One day you might have something to really fight for.

Please check out https://www.headsmart.org.uk

surreysaver

Cloudydaze wrote: »

What sane person would object to a harmless health check on a child?

What sane healthcare 'professional' would perform checks on someone without consent?

Any responsible parent can get checks carried out on their children. doesn't have to be with a school nurse.

Person_one

Cloudydaze wrote: »

What sane person would object to a harmless health check on a child?

The 5yr old nephew of a friend was diagnosed with a brain tumour after a school eye check picking up an abnormality. (His mother had taken him to the opticians 4 months before.)

Pick your battles. Seriously. Getting worked up over admin technicalities of the difference between opting out or consent? One day you might have something to really fight for.

Please check out https://www.headsmart.org.uk

Thanks for posting, really puts things into perspective.

Cloudydaze

surreysaver wrote: »

Any responsible parent can get checks carried out on their children. doesn't have to be with a school nurse.

My friend's sister took her son to the opticians 4 mths before the school eye check and nothing was picked up.

Why wouldn't you want your child to be checked at all the available opportunities? Why risk it?

IrishRose12

Surreysaver I have no idea what your actual problem is with your child's school or the government but let me tell you something. For well over 20 years now these checks have been happening in schools all over the world. I can't for the life of me understand why you have such a problem with a professional doing their job and checking that nothing has been missed in the development of your child. It happens to EVERY CHILD at the age of 4/5 years old, and it's COMMON KNOWLEDGE that this happens. It's just the same as your children having to get their injections at certain stages in their younger years, as well as their pre-school injections.
Remember the nit-nurse?? yeah, that's the same person. Only you didn't know that at the time I bet. - But then again apparently you know everything so maybe you did.

For someone who claims to know everything it completely baffles me that you did not know or expect this health check in your child's first school year!
I don't know, I'd hate to know how you would react if someone wasn't doing their job and wasn't checking up on your child and the rest of their classmates.
It's checks like this that help prevent cases like those poor children who have been missed in the world and who have died as a result of schools and health services lack of interest, or plain stupidity that they don't want or bother to do the job they are paid for.

I've been grateful for the school nurse coming in and checking up on my children in their first year of school. I have nothing to hide, and I've nothing to be embarrassed about. Nor do my children. I'm just glad to know that the children in the school are being looked after, are safe and are not being ignored. I TRUST the school and it's staff, and even though I have been to both my children's health checks in school, I would have no problem at all of my child going to the school nurse for a quick check-up or to accompany her friends on their visit.
The school nurse doesn't tell the children anything about their results so this rubbish about worrying about talking to them about their weight etc is just that.... rubbish.
As I said this has been happening in schools for decades now, so if you didn't know this would be happening at some stage this year, then I have no idea where you have been living all these years. If you did know about these checks, and still didn't send word into the school to inform them that you didn't want your child to go, then again, not the school's fault or problem.

And with that, I'm away from this thread, as I cannot believe that there is complaints about something that happens in schools every single year. And the fact that it is a complaint that a child is being checked on to make sure they are OK, that they are safe and healthy. God forbid a child's health and well-being is being focused on in a school setting!!

FBaby

Surreysaver I have no idea what your actual problem is

I wonder the same too. It is one thing to have personal views on any matters, but to misguide posters in a patronizing way goes beyond that.

This is what you wrote:

You are obviously not a healthcare 'professional', then, otherwise you would know that it is assault to perform procedures on people without consent

Didn't bother to specify that this excluded weight checks. You then added:

Depends upon the reasons for asking them to step on the scale. Define 'medical procedure'. If it is for medical reasons, it is a medical procedure.

And your point is? Where does it say there that a nurse can perform medical procedures on a child without parental consent?

No need to go back for more. The reality is that you don't know what you are talking about. Talking about assault when referring to guidance agreed by the Department of Health is really not helpful to posters who don't know any different.