Water only at school- thoughts please

[lemony21]

I'd love to hear your thoughts about children being told to bring in only water to drink during school time.

EnormousTiger good for you. Your halo is in the post

There are always a few children for whom reasonable adjustments must be made. But apart from them, the use of the words hydration/dehydration about well fed healthy developed world children who have to wait between the start of school and break is bordering on the obscene.

My DCs have only ever taken water to school (sometimes with sliced lemon/line/cucumber/mint), so I would be in support of schools only allowing water. Just a personal view.

My nanny kids are only allowed water or milk and a treat drink on occasion.

School is sensible to stick to water.

Water only at DD's school.

They're allowed water bottles in class with them, and then have jugs of fresh cold water on the table at lunchtime.

Milk in KS1, and up to the top end of school if they want.

I feel more comfortable having regular sips of water so presume many children feel the same way.

Yes same at DC's school, don't see the problem really -water is fine.

Anyone got Wateraid as a banner advert at the top of the page?

I've been checking in and out of this thread today and have to say Bertrand you are certainly tenacious!

Three with ASD none will tolerate water but weak juice. Summer a couple of years ago class teacher tipped my four year olds weak juice down the sink and replaced it with water. The consequence of this was my child being admitted to hospital by the end of the extremely hot day after I'd picked her up from after school club with heat stroke and dehydration. All because of the water only policy.

It's not hard to get why children with ASD or SPD Might not like water and it's tiresome having To make a Sen disclaimer every single time you have an opinion.

Who'd be a teacher?

As soon as you make a wise rule like this - which really has to be for all barring serious medical exceptions - half the parents will say that their snowflake is special and can't cope.

These 'my children only get water at school so that should be the rule for everyone' posts really lack imagination and empathy. How hard is it to imagine that other children and parents are different to you and yours and realise that's OK? Why should your choices dictate those of others?

We had some water chiller things for a while, a few years back in our primary school.

Nightmare...

The got knocked , children pressed the lever without a cup/bottle under it, the drip tray filled up to overflowing several times in a day, it caused no end of arguments and was expensive to keep maintained!!!

30 years ago, my school used to sell shandy in the tuckshop! How times have changed .

We've gone back to water fountains...Now we just have to cope with children somehow managing to get water all over the floor, despite showing them exactly how to use it. And we still have arguments...About how long people are taking to have a drink. This, despite the fact children are allowed water bottles in the classroom!

Children are not allowed bottles on desks though. Some children use them almost like a pacifier, otherwise.

And of course shortly after, you get the inevitable " Can I go to the toilet?" And when one goes, they all want to go!!!

Still want to know what the school's decision has to do with the OP (apart from her role as a parent). Because if she's just a parent I'd have a problem with her dictating to me (as another parent) what my child should be drinking.

DS's school has a sensible policy on this I think. They prefer water, if you have plain water you can have it on your desk. If you have anything else (no fizzy stuff allowed or cartons - just squash or fruit juice) it sits on the side because of the risk of stickiness if it gets spilled. The teachers are all pretty good and giving the chance for a quick drink as they move around the room.

The HT basically said until the day she and the staff would be happy to only drink water all day she wouldn't inflict it on the kids.

The change of policy seems much less disruptive than the previous one where teachers seemed to spend a lot of time policing water bottles and there was inconsistency between classss. This also means that children who have issues with water don't stick out. DS's best friend won't drink pure water - ended up in hospital with fecal impactation, but will drink a vey weak squash and the previous policy meant his squash stood out to other kids and brought questions. I don't blame him either - tap water here is rank.

I am indeed skeptical that there are children who refuse water, outside of exceptional non-NT circumstances (which should not drive school policy).

There are very easy solutions to lukewarm water - buy a bottle with the ice cube insert, job done.

I've never understood squash. If you never give it to children, they don't develop a taste for it. I understand if parents like squash then the children would naturally develop a taste for it, but I've never met an adult who drinks squash.

museum my dc had a few friends who were brought up water/milk only with no sweets/treats etc. At 22/20 they are beyond excessive and causing themselves more harm with unhealthy living than a few treats ever would have caused. This progressed from almost snorting (and I do make a parallel) sugar at parties/other people's homes from a very young age.

There has to be moderation.

Pretty standard I think.

My dd is 14 - only ever drinks water certainly hasn't done her any harm!
All schools I have worked in have this policy - if children are thirsty they will drink it - even if they say they don't like it at home. Nothing not to like really.

Remeber when we were at school and water was only drunk at breaktimes from the fountain or at lunch.

Sorry, but it makes me cross to hear spoilt, pampered Westerners, with all the clean, healthy water we could wish for literally 'on tap,' complain about "not liking" it.

Tell that to the millions of people dying of thirst or disease from unclean water in the 3rd world.

by he way 'oh the roses' it is her choice to drink water - she has been offered other things but has always rejected them (even milk once she was weaned)
She has been known to have a few sips of hot chocolate when its really cold!!! So far I have never seen her snort sugary drinks or sugar (she rarely eats much apart from the odd piece of chocolate) but I will watch out for it !!!!!!!!!!!!

Standard practice.