To say denying kids water is neglect

[YeahWhatevver]

www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/18649619.children-left-without-water-school-rules-confusion/

Kids back at school in Scotland. Local Authorities have left a lot of the COVID19 arrangements to individual schools.

Many pupils across the country describing how they weren't allowed to refill water bottles despite 20+ degree heat on the basis of some sort of concern over contamination. An arrangement that hasn't been communicated to parents!

Our DD7 took her usual 500ml bottle to school, drunk by midday, sat all afternoon thirsty, explicitly told by staff that no water was available and to bring 2 bottles tomorrow. She said there were a few who drank their water by break time.

Looks like its been sorted with a clarification from the LA to schools but AIBU to think that the kind of adult who thinks this is OK shouldn't be in charge of kids.

The hysteria and petal clutching on this thread is outrageous.

The is not a ‘wide spread failure of the duty of care schools’. What hysterical rubbish.

Parents still have a duty of care to their child. That includes making the effort to look up Covid guidelines on the school website and reading letters home.

If it is a hot day then send enough water. As a member of staff I also cannot refill my drinks bottle during the day because the water has been switched off. I bring enough water and send my child in with enough as well.

They are sat in a classroom. If they were out in the field all day it would be a different thing.

Are they not drinking any water at home?

Things were always going to take a couple of days to work out. A kid sitting without a drink for a couple of hours will survive. I do think kids should be able to drink during lessons but there is obviously a problem with shared surfaces at the moment.

When I was at high school in Scotland we weren't allowed water during lessons which was absurd. I remember going into school with a sore throat one day which dried up enough to cause me problems talking. I took a sip of water in a french lesson to allow me to actually participate and had the teacher shout at me for doing so. I was old enough then to know she was being a dick and just ignored her, but WTF goes through someone's head in that scenario? Fair enough say no food but no water was just a stupid, petty rule with no reason behind it.

FYI- NHS guidelines say 6-8 150ml glasses of water a day.

So 500ml water bottle plus another drink at lunchtime is perfectly fine. Unless parents at home are not giving them drinks before and after school!

FGS, we had a v small glass of water with our lunch when we were at school and the very small vile bottle of warm milk mid morning and that was that when I went to school, no one died, no one complained. If you were desperate you used the water fountain but I don't remember it being used much.

You child will be perfectly fine.

I used to send my 3 to school with bottles of water...invariably, they came home half full.

They've survived.

@boltzmannbrains

Ooo panda pops, back when you could by cream soda in school! And chip straws at break for 6p. Just no water bottles and nobody used the fountain because it was disgusting

I'm a teacher and I'm not sure why you aren't allowed to refill? Children used tap and I gave it a wipe every so often along with the surfaces? Hope I haven't been doing something wrong!

My son took his chances with the hand wash tape at school!

I do remember not drinking anything at school so I wouldn’t go to toilet. I had an accident in class because the teacher wouldn’t let me go, so I only drank half a cup at lunch (to get the school dinners down) for the four years I was at junior school!

People have different needs in regards to water and children should be able to access a drink throughout the day whenever they like. A bottle on the desk is perfect because it doesn’t disrupt the lesson. I wouldn’t call it neglect, but I’d be emailing the LA to complain.
To all the older posters talking/boasting about how little they drank... life and our understanding of the body has moved on because we now understand more. Why do you find that so hard to grasp?

It’s not neglect. A bit unpleasant on a hot day but come on

how little they drank... life and our understanding of the body has moved on because we now understand more. Why do you find that so hard to grasp?

It's not boasting that's just how it was and nobody seemed to suffer for it. I don't think anyone has said children shouldn't have water at school just that a couple of hours isn't going to cause any damage.

@BubblyBarbara

Back in the good old days we didn’t have water with us all the time, we weren’t allowed! And we weren’t obese and hardly anyone was fat. Not a coincidence imho

Water is 0 calories. I don't know what point you are trying to make.

It’s not neglect. Sure, it would have been nice to be told in advance, but it’s hard to think of everything that you might need to communicate in these difficult circumstances. So your kid brings in a bigger bottle next time. 3 hours without water (when they have had plenty in the morning) is not going to do any damage!

We're in Scotland too, three kids at secondary. This week hasn't been too bad as they've only been in for 2 or 3 hours.

Next week they are in full days. Access to all water fountains has been banned.

@Barbie222

I'm a teacher and I'm not sure why you aren't allowed to refill? Children used tap and I gave it a wipe every so often along with the surfaces? Hope I haven't been doing something wrong!

Possibly, depends what your school risk assessment says. I take it you have a sink in your room? Because most classrooms don't, and schools have stopped pupils using water fountains that would be accessed by many without supervision.

Ditto, re water fountains at our place.
Sensible parents sent in sufficient water with their kids throughout the previous warm weather throughout Lockdown, although we do have drinking water taps in each classroom.
I hope the OP has sent in an extra bottle today.

Never had water when I was at school in the 90s it's not neglect.

Our water fountains were locked down before lock down.

All parents have had emails or other contact home to state this ad make sure that they supply enough water for their children.

At primary school in the 60s we went all day without water, not even at lunch in case of spills. Milk at morning break but if you didn't have milk - lukewarm and souring in summer - that was it. We all survived. I hate all this constantly swigging from bottles.

I live in a neighbouring LA to the one mentioned here. DS2 came out of school very upset and thirsty on Wednesday. He's a thirsty child anyway and finished his bottle by lunch. There was a refill station but it broke and they couldn't use the classroom tap.
He's on the list for ASD assessment and this led to a bit of meltdown.
Yesterday I gave him 2 500ml bottles, one frozen, so that he didn't have the stress.
It's different enough for DCs at the moment as it is, without adding extra issues.

A frozen bottle as a back-up for later is a good idea - but, speaking as a teacher who's witnessed the fall-out of this numerous times, please don't do the same for just one bottle, unless you just freeze some of it and top up with water. Otherwise, the child wants a swig first thing and it's solid ice and they can't get anything out.

Our school doesn’t allow frozen bottles, the condensation is too much of a pain in the arse when it gets all over the table and books etc.

That's why I never allow water bottles on tables. Pre-Covid, they had to remain in boxes by the sink and they could go to get a sip during lesson time, provided I was not teaching at the time. Since Covid, they have to place them on the floor, behind the leg of the table so they don't kick it over and can again sip when they like, provided I'm not specifically teaching. Can't bear talking to kids who are perpetually sucking from a bottle like a baby with a dummy.
Personally hate those bloody metal bottles that prompt heart failure when dropped!

As a general rule of thumb, children aged 4 to 13 should aim to drink approximately 6-8 glasses of fluid a day, with younger children needing relatively smaller servings (e.g. 150ml glass for a 4-year-old and 250ml for an older child).

So, primary kid let's say 150ml x 8 glasses on a hot day. Total 1200ml.

500ml in water bottle for during the day. Let's assume a glass of something - milk/juice/water at breakfast and dinner, = 300 ml.

Only has to squeeze in 400ml between 3pm and 7.30pm bedtime at home. Not a biggie.

I've worked in schools for years and if I had £1 for every time a student has asked to leave class to get a drink I could afford to retire. Do it at break on your time, not on mine. None of my dcs have ever drunk the recommended fluid intake, and neither do I - maybe more during the summer break and in warm weather sure, but they're not denying them a drink AT ALL, they're just saying that no, little Johnny can't refill his water bottle willy nilly under the current restrictions.

@jomaIone

Is 500ml not a lot for a 7 year old to drink in a couple of hours??

Wouldn't say so, my lo today, when a lot cooler, has drunk a litre before lunch. Yesterday when it was much warmer, it was over 2 litres from morning to mid afternoon.