To think any parent would be horrified to learn their DCs school hygiene practises are this poor?

[LittleMooMoo]

I have DC at a highly regarded after small school. They've all been off with various illnesses since they started back in the New Year- and this week I have another with a vomiting bug and diarrhoea.

My daughter was off for 2 weeks straight and the school were pressuring me to bring her in for attendance reasons- when she returned on her first day back she looked really bad. I asked if she'd managed to drink much ( as she looked very dehydrated) and she said she declined water because her beaker (school provides plastic drinking bottles for all) contained green water- when she told the class teacher she was told to swish it out and put fresh water in. My DD said it smelt disgusting and made her feel nauseated. The next day I let her take in her own bottle and a note and her bottle was confiscated

I asked the class teacher why and was told it was school policy and no bottles were allowed from home so that they could be sure parents weren't filling them with fizzy drinks

When I told her about the rancid water and questioned her about who cleans to bottles and at what frequency she told me that the class bottles get hot washed every fortnight

So in between there are assigned bottle monitors who swill out the water (clearly not very well as my DD'S bottle water was GREEN!)

I was told they just didn't have time to hot wash bottles every night which I think is disgusting and unsanitary- this was backed up by my doctor who said she'd be prepared to write to the school.

Any thoughts as to what I can do?

The head has already passed a message on saying it won't change and I cannot bring in fresh bottles from home.

Also who are the bottle monitors , the children? As a child isnt going to think 'oh this kid has been off weeks so their bottle will be stale'.
Doesnt excuse the HT for not letting you take clean bottles in

Environmental health, Ofsted

FFS! That’s disgusting. I don’t use plastic bowls with my DOGS, because any vet or professional that works with animals, will tell you that plastic food containers hold germs, as they get older. They get scratches and nicks and the dirt and germs get stuck in them. They are going to end up with an extremely serious illness being spread around the children. This needs reporting, OP.

The school nursing team won't be based at the school OP, its part of your health authority. Your GP should be able to take this up with them, but in my area they are based at a local community hospital and you can call their office.

If you can, to protect your daughter and other peoples kids, sit down on Monday and start ringing round, google it, see what is in your area.

I dont think you can re-infect d&v?
As you become immune unlike bacteria. Though some causes can be bacterial. However possibly if the mouthpiece of the bottle is on the top if anyone V in the classroom, or where the bottles are kept then the bottle owner might catch the virus from the airborne particles or even maybe from the ill persons breath. The less they are cleaned the more likely this could happen.

No school nursing team
There must be an NHS public health team covering your area, surely? Who goes into schools and does things like immunisations, eye checks etc? I’d be ringing them and definitely environmental health.

noro virus & re infection

Highly regarded school? Bet they won't be if this gets out into the public domain. I would report them to environmental health and put my name to it I'm afraid and let other parents know how disgusting this practice is. If restaurants took this approach in hygiene then they would be closed down. Absolutely disgusting.

Absolutely disgusting I worked in public Health —environment Health will be able to take action on this please contact them asap

I'm pretty sure this would come under safeguarding given the possibility for contamination, so I'd be writing (not speaking) to the school safeguarding lead OP.

I dont think you can re-infect d&v?

D&V is a symptom not a disease. If the bottles are green they are full of algae, and goodness knows what bacteria, any of which could result in vomiting.

Would the teachers or the HT be happy to drink from these bottles? Seriously this school needs to get its priorities straight, I would rather had squash from a clean water bottle rather than drink water from a dirty bottle and risk serious illness.

I am totally over the top with hygiene at the best of times but this is beyond gross. Completely unacceptable and you are not over reacting, I too would report to Environmental Health and I wouldn't do it anonymously either!

I would be sending DC in with their own water bottle and an instruction to the school that it was not to be confiscated and letting them know that you would be contacting Environmental Health. If the school ignores you, keep your DC’s off school

Report your school to the local area school health team.

Regulations require schools to report incidents of flu or D&V to them when two or more people have experienced symptoms. Sounds like they haven't reported the cases they've got.

Also, your next step is to complain to the chair of governors and if you don't get satisfaction there then complain to Ofsted.

Your school must have their complaints procedure displayed on their website, but it will likely be as above.

Yes, this sounds really horrible. I would expect any water bottle to be washed every day. I would talk to the head of the PSA (at our school she has managed to get some quite significant improvements to the school environment through by approaching it subtly) and to the governing body.

Is it a private school?

This is horrific

I used to be a school governor, and one of my responsibilities was to ensure the school's H & S policies were up to date and complied with. This school is clearly failing here.

Suggestions:

1. Go ahead with the GP ketter
2. Write to the chair of governors and enclose a copy of the GP's letter
3. Contact your local council's environmental health team
4. Not sure if this would help, but it might be worth contacting ofsted
5. If it is a local authority state school contact the education department at the local authority
6. If it is an academy contact the people who run the academy chain
7. If all else fails contact your MP and the local paper

Write to the local paper and name the school. Ditto on twitter and facebook.

I suggest you go down the proper route before you name and shame the school on social media.

Can you take a picture of a dirty water bottle?

Are they not changing the water daily? I don’t understand how it’s gone green unless they’re leaving the water to sit in them. My eldest was provided a School water bottle and I generally just swill it out and refill daily during the week and wash it up on a Friday in hot soapy water and it’s perfectly fine. If they’re not giving them fresh water daily then something needs to be done, I wouldn’t want to drink days old water

Disgusting. Do not put up with that.

Id say this was safeguarding issue if its making kids ill - and it sounds like it is. report it to ofsted and get an appointment with the head!

steely op says the dc was off for 2 weeks and the day back it was green. So may have been the same old water or because some had been left 2w algae grew and because it then wasnt washed or rinsed properly it was still in bottle/water.
I guess that is the issue with not washing frequently, that a child goes off and it misses the washing.