No fun in the sun: Kids get a break

Dubai: A school has stopped keeping children outdoors during midday breaks after the mother of a pupil complained that children's health was being put at risk due to scorching temperatures.

South African expat Mariela Peterson had earlier complained that she was "angry and disappointed" by the rules at Regent International School in The Greens, which kept children outdoors at break time until temperatures hit 42C.

Taking note

The Views resident Mariela said: "I had written a note saying my son Michael should not be out in the high temperatures and got a call back from the principal."

She said an argument ensued. "He told me we would need to get a medical note for Michael stating he cannot go out in those temperatures. And we did."

Although Michael could now stay indoors during the hottest times in the day Mariela was worried about the health of other pupils at the school.

She said: "I was told by the principal [Danny Lyons] that he prefers children to be outside in the fresh air, but when it gets above 40C and it's humid it's difficult to breathe and I really believe that the health of these children is being placed at risk."

Michael described being out in the sun when it was 40C and above akin to walking in a hot oven. He said: "I don't understand why we have to be outside when it's so hot."

She was told by Lyons that the reason children were expected to be outdoors was that he did not have enough staff or the facilities for them to stay indoors.

In e-mail correspondence seen by XPRESS between Peterson and Lyons dated Monday, June 7, Lyons, said: "Our policy has been discussed at senior level, and remains that students will have outdoor play until temperatures rise above 42 degrees."

But Danny Lyons told XPRESS that the school had acted after listening to Mariela's concerns. He said he had to strike a balance between the need for children to be outdoors in fresh air and staying inside classrooms and the impact this could have on learning.

He said for the last three weeks the school had piloted a scheme where children stayed in classrooms during the midday break and found that it had no impact on learning. "We have listened to the valid issues raised and acted. We will discuss our policy on what temperatures pupils should be allowed out after the end of term."