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.

The dirty filthy, thick idiots.
A child is going to end up seriously ill then it will be everyone elses fault but theirs. You can get really bad illnesses from dirty water never mind an upset tummy.
It will change,when they get told it has to by their bosses.Complain as has been said.

I fully understand the reluctance of the school to allow parents to send in ready filled bottles, having dealt with spillages of hidden lemonade on books. However, I can't see any problem with children taking in a clean bottle from home. Surely it would be quicker for the water monitors to fill clean bottles every day than to swish them round and refill? I'm sure that the parents/children would remember bottles soon enough!

I would write to the HT to get a copy of your conversation in writing and start a paper trail.

I would go on to add that you would like her to reconsider her policy of bottles only being properly washed washed out every fortnight and given a brief rinse by a child on a daily basis, even when a significant number of the children are off with bugs that are not killed off with a quick rinse. In addition children are not able to get bottles properly washed when a child points out that he water has gone green and is obviously a health risk.

Point out that as a result of this you want to raise this as a safeguarding issue and that you believe that you believe the school are failing in their duty to safeguard the children. As such, you would like to know what they are going to do to rectify the situation and that you would also like to see their risk assessment for the use of plastic bottles.

Next I would get the doctor to write a letter if she volunteered to.

Then I would contact the education absence officer at the local council. If 18 kids are off this week and all suffering like your dd then their absence figures must be through the roof. They should be able to help.

Start a parent's Facebook group if there isn't one and raise this as an issue.

Contact the food inspectors at the local council who would normally check restaurants. Ask their advice and see if there is anything they can do to inspect them (if they are happy with that what would they be happy to let go that they shouldn't? The inspectors have (I think from seeing programs on tv!) gadgets that will measure bacteria levels. Ask if there is any way that you could bring them a sample to check - then borrow a bottle (preferably the mankiest looking one you can see, and not just after they have been washed) to see if they can check for the bacteria - numbers and types.

Last resort - talk to social services. If a parent was repeatedly making their child drink putrid water and they kept getting ill, they would be very interested. If a headteacher is inflicting this on a school they should be able to do something or at least know how to kick up a fuss!

Is it true that, as posted up-thread, schools no longer keep drinking fountains? That was the norm in primary, and possibly secondary, in the 80s/90s?

I'm unsure how the water turned green though.

I take a plastic bottle (Evian or whatnot) drink the water in it and just fill it up from the tap in the morning and take to work. It doesn't get cleaned inside. I chuck the bottle out after a month for a new one but never seen it turn green.

If you're in the uk all state schools are covered by a school nurse. They won't be based in the school but education dept in council can connect you to them.

Council is also where environmental health are located. What you are describing is a public health hazard because children don't exist in a vacuum, they're also taking those bugs home to families with young babies, elderly relatives and immunocompromised people, not to mention everywhere else they go.

Onwards - ridiculous post by you
A the gp offered, a letter from a MEDICAL professional about a MEDICAL issue makes sense

B if ANYONE in this scenario is adding pressure to the nhs it's the school!

D&v as pp correctly stated is a description of symptoms which have numerous varied and often mutating causes.

"Sounds like they haven't reported the cases they've got." Yes I was thinking same. Certain illnesses and symptoms are legally "reportable" I wasn't sure if this also applied to schools but certainly when I worked in residential homes it was.

In your position I would

Withdraw children until situation resolved
Contact council and report to environmental health dept

Report to governors and ofsted - sod complaints procedure public health endangerment overrides in my opinion

@Naty1 but surely if they change the water then they’d have seen it was green and washed it first? Or is it for the students to change their own?

Bunbunny's post is the way to go; don't go straight to OFSTED and whatnot because they will expect you to have exhausted all other ways to get this sorted first. Have your action plan to hand when you speak to the head though.

I suggest you check which governor covers health and safety and then contact them. Copy in the chair and the head. We have a dishwasher at school but couldn’t manage to wash cups daily . Our children bring in bottles from home, fill them and then take them home to wash. We try to check that they are washed at least weekly but some parents don’t bother.

Definitely contact environmental health for your area. Children do pass gems around each other, but this is ridiculous, there could be assorts of stuff in the dirty bottle. YADNBU OP. Good luck.

When I was a teaching assistant, each class had a set of plastic beakers. At morning break and afternoon break, I used to hot wash all the beakers. Only took me a couple of minutes, I’d fill the sink with hot soapy water before break and it would take me the first two mins of break to wash them properly. I think beakers are much more hygienic as easier to clean, although I guess bottles are less likely to be spilled. We only let the kids drink at the sink or on the carpet though (whenever they wanted, though everyone got a drink before breaks). If I were still a TA I’d probably get a steriliser for the classroom as I’m a bit germ-phobic but I didn’t know they existed before having my own child!!

Steeley you would think so, but op does say monitor so im assuming it's a child changing it. Op doesnt say how old her child is either. I could imagine a young child just refilling a dirty bottle. Especially if they never have to give them a proper wash.

Brown im surprised it is as little as 14w! But even so wouldnt account for ops children being sick several times since xmas i think they said. But possibly in the long term.

I take a plastic bottle (Evian or whatnot) drink the water in it and just fill it up from the tap in the morning and take to work.

You should never refill plastic water bottles—the plastic starts to break down once they are opened and will leach chemicals into the water.
Get yourself a proper reusable metal bottle instead! £7ish at the supermarket!

Haven't read whole thread. Schools have to have a food hygiene rating, you can report this. www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/enforcework/report

Bars, etc have to wash drinking vessels at a high temperature to kill microorganisms.

Better link www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/report-problem

Sounds absolutely disgusting btw. I would report it.

boak

YANBU. Washed once a fortnight if that ... gross.

I think you could justify withdrawing your child from school until the policy is changed, except they'd probably just lie through their teeth.

Sounds vile. I would definitely report this. I would expect my dc to have access to clean bottles. It’s a minimum standard.

The bottles are washed every fortnight?! OMG that is disgusting. No wonder the kids are going down ill. If I were you,I would contact the environmental health department at your local council ASAP. I think they would be interested to hear about this.

I'd put bets on the water bottles only being washed every half term or even never
If they haven't got a proper system to keep them clean every day then they probably don't ever get cleaned

Wow! That's unacceptable. I wouls def report to environmental health & ask them to do a hygiene spot check. My dc school expect a bottle if water in everyday although at lunch they are expected to fill a beaker and have moaned about the cleanliness. I did go into school and spoke to them about hygiene & viral transfer- it seemed to help. Mine still won't drink from the beakers tho.

Ugh that’s gross. Is there a Facebook group for parents? I’d copy and paste your post onto there as I’m sure the parents of kids with tummy bugs would be very interested. If others complain they might change their mind.

At DS school they have to take in a clear water bottle marked with their name, which then comes home every night. I don’t see what’s wrong with that system. It’d be much easier for the school!

It's grim if they are sharing water bottles between the 2 week washes. And they should have washed your daughters that had been sitting there. I had green water in a water bottle at work that I left when I went on leave.

However I don't wash my DC's water bottles any more than every couple of weeks, if that. I rinse and refill every day. Wash occasionally.

I would be very surprised if the water was actually green, However I work as a supply teacher and have frequently witnessed the sharing of plastic cups which never get rinsed and dumped in or left at the side of the sink. Thankfully not all schools are the same.

I would be infuriated if a school did this to my child.

Ofsted
Food standards Agency
Public health England
School governors
MP

Don't accept this!!!

Another example of schools thinking they know best and not listening to parents. What do we know we only gave birth to them? Seriously, the power trip some are on. This is basic hygiene and absolutely agree ref environmental health, PHE, etc.