Cancer Society Bay of Plenty health promotion manager Melanie Desmarais said sun-smart practices became ingrained in schools' cultures through the society's SunSmart programme.
"It becomes second nature. You wear your hats when you're outside, if you haven't got a hat you go under the shade, you eat your lunch in the shade," Ms Desmarais said.
There was now more awareness about skin-cancer prevention than five years ago, she said.
However, the cost of hats and sunscreen was too much for some families, providing a barrier for schools in lower socioeconomic areas. "We decided to provide for those schools where parents couldn't afford hats and things like that."
The Government is being urged to do more to ensure children are sun-safe at school.
Associate Professor Tony Reeder, who led the Otago University study, has called on the Government to step up. "It has become largely the responsibility of a charity, the Cancer Society of New Zealand, to introduce and sustain health promotion efforts in this area.
"We question though whether it should be a non-governmental group's role to shoulder the burden of achieving and sustaining universal uptake of SunSmart practices across all state and state-integrated primary schools."
The study of 189 schools looked at 12 sun protection criteria drawn from the Cancer Society's SunSmart Schools Accreditation Programme - including shade provision, sunscreen, hats and clothing, and curriculum content.
Fifty-seven per cent of schools said cost was an obstacle to shade development and 31 per cent to sunscreen use. Thirteen per cent reported limited support from parents.
Cancer Society Sunsmart Schools programme co-ordinator Louise Sandford said there were barriers to schools implementing sun-smart initiatives. "There's a difference between becoming signed up and being sun-smart."
The Cancer Society subsidised sunscreen for schools, but for some poorer schools even the subsidised cost could be a burden, she said.
Principals Federation president Paul Drummond said most schools had sun-smart policies. "It comes as a bit of a surprise that there would be large numbers of schools ignoring what is common sense ... I don't think schools need convincing."
He said the cost of providing shade at schools was prohibitive as it was not covered by schools' five-year capital funding programme.
Staying Sun-smart
Slip, slop, slap and wrap.
Between 11am and 4pm in the daylight saving months, keep children out of the direct sun as much as possible - indoors and in the shade.
Even in the shade other SunSmart actions should be used, as UVR is reflected by surfaces such as concrete, water and sand.
Dress your child in a broad-brimmed hat and close-woven clothing that covers the arms, shoulders and legs.
Use a sun cover over children's pushchairs.
Plan in advance - if there is no available shade, create a shaded play area.
Use a SPF30+ broad spectrum sunscreen and reapply every two hours.
- Source: Sunsmart NZ
