Primary school don't supply water

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My son is in a small primary school. The only "drinking water" tap is in the school kitchen. They used to have water coolers in each classroom with named cups but that was deemed to expensive so instead of going to jugs of tap in each room they told everyone to bring in a named bottle of water.
My son will drink water when he's desperate and if that's what's openly available then fair enough.

If I have to provide him with a drink each day then I'll put in his bottle what I know he'll drink most of, especially if the weather is hot. I chose an opaque bottle, not to advertise the fact and have been sending him in with his usual home drink of no added sugar Robinsons blackcurrant. Turns out I'm not the only rebel and enough have been doing this to warrant a "provide water only" in the school newsletter.

Any thoughts? AIBU?

If your son will drink water if he doesn't have a choice, why not just send him in with it?

I would send in a few bottles of water with him, that's really unacceptable though, what happens in the summer when it is very hot.

YABU what difference does a water cooler make? If he has a bottle of water then that's what it readily available

Yes, YABU. You were told to supply water, so supply water.

I quite like the fact that mine have to drink water at school without me having to listen to them whinging for squash meself. Drinking water is a good habit to get into.

We don't say water only for kicks. Squash when spilled causes a massive sticky mess, water it just dries and is fine, and it can also encourage ants. Great.

At my DCs school, children are only allowed water in their water bottles also. Don't believe the school provides separate water for drinking - never been an issue. They don't want juice as spillages are then sticky & attract ants etc.

I am a bhuge tap water fan. It's all we drink.
My son (teenage) was saying the school has stopped providing water bottles with school lunch and instead provide an inch or two of water in a tiny cup. No other water of any kind of available at lunch just diluted squash which we never drink loaded with additives, asparatame and colourings. All he wants is a whole pint of water from a tap. I am sure he can cope as he's a teenager but I do wish schools were much more rigorous on insisting on only water and provide enough of it.

I now take a pint class wrapped in a tea towel when I speak at conferences for a day as they never provide big enough glasses for all the water I drink. I then have to name it to stop it being taken! I've lost a couple that way.

It is quite a common thing for schools to ask for water bottles, even in schools where drinking water is readily available. And totally normal for them to insist it is water only for the classroom, lunchtime drinks are different. Mine are not keen water drinkers, never have been but in the summer take water bottles in, they drink them or go thirsty. YABU in my opinion.

So to answer, I think YABU.

Water coolers are expensive. Water is free and presumably they can top up their bottles from the tap. I'm not sure what the problem is or why you need to send him in with a different drink if he will drink water if that's the only choice available.

YABU because he's not one of those children who would dehydrate and then keel over if only water is available. He will drink it, so give it to him.

If the school had taps of drinking water or the coolers in the classrooms then water would be all that was on offer then.
If he is thirsty enough he will drink water.

I think YABU am afraid, As others have said it's just as much about sticky spillages as it is healthy eating at DS school - infact on the slip they sent home they even put 'we would rather direct our funds to pay for educational resources for the children than stained carpets and clean-ups' Think that's a fair point.

What's the problem with you providing a water bottle containing water though?

Yabu. Tap water is much nicer than bottled water that sat for x many days in the bottle....

yabu. Both mine take water in a water bottle each day.

Ds school they request each child brings water only water bottles and teachers will refill at breaks and lunchtime. Teachers said juice is a nightmare. If kids spill bottles which they do it leaves sticky mess and attracts flies in summer

Oh and juice is allowed at lunchtime because the dining hall has wooden floors at Ds school Get a good bottle though with ice stick in it because there is nowt no worse than drinking lukewarm water.

dont send juice in fgs

what IS it with water - none of us needed it when we were at school yet all survived

we don't provide any squash at home or fruit juice and never have. Largley as I cba to dispense it and kids could get their own water. Maybe fruit juice for visitors.

we have instead a water dispensing fridge with ice. there is NOTHING like it. Visiting kids adore it and my children never drink anything but water

At our school every class has a drinking water tap fitted, so there is water at all times.

We've had horrific ant problems in classrooms where parents insist on sending in sticky juices despite the "water only" rule. Lots of those ants managed to get into some lunch boxes too.

But hey, you carry on doing what you damn well please, and sod anyone else.

I agree that if water is the only drink available then tough, drink it. I didn't mean it had to be from a water cooler, tap is fine. But they don't have access to refill and I don't understand why this isn't available, I think it's a basic all schools should provide.

I didn't however think of the sticky spillage issue so thank you for that.

I don't understand. You are not happy that the school is not providing water. Which presumably means you would be happy if they were.

If you'd be happy with water if the school provided it, why are you not happy providing it yourself?

I don't think it's necessary to have a go at me for "doing what I damn well please" Clam. I thought this was a discussion board?!