Drinking Water in Schools

[Jellybellyfish]

A couple of years ago our school installed water coolers and handed out water bottles to all the children. It was a big thing for the children to be hydrated as it meant they were better able to learn. Now it seems to have gone by the by. The teachers don't like the children asking if they may have a drink and they don't like them going to the toilet. More worringly, the bottles are only filled once a week! (My guinea pigs are treated better than that!) and don't ever seem to be washed!

My question is:- Does anyone know if there was a government incentive or something which started this off or was it just our school acting alone???

Don't most children take their own water bottle to school, which they are allowed to freely drink from?

I wish that was the case then I could make sure the bottle was clean and the water was fresh!

The children at our school are not allowed to drink from the bottle in their lunch boxes until lunch time and most don't like to ask their teacher if they can drink in class as they are often refused.

Our school encourages the children to drink water.

Dd1 (10) takes a bottle of water each day and fills up from water cooler as needed throughout the day, probably drinks about a litre during school hours and more at home

At DD (6) school, you take a water bottle in wich is left on the side at the classroom virtually hidden and out of the way (i know this because i help out every now and then) and then always comes back with no amount drunk out of it.
Yet they give out housepoints to children that frequently bring in their water bottles, bonkers!!

I wouldn't let my DC drink from a bottle supplied by the school and not washed regularly. That sounds quite unusual. Mine take their own in each day.

Our school has a water fountain in every classroom and the children are allowed to use it freely. They also have sports bottles given out full each day that are put through the dishwasher each night.

Very interesting - thank you. I'm going to find out what's going on in school and see if we can send our own bottles in.

Yeah I'm very worried about the hygiene issue. I help out at school and I know there are bugs that go about in every school but they do have quite a lot of sickness there and it could very well be those water bottles. I'm fairly sure they are never washed.

my DS and his older siblings school all let them take water bottles send a letter to complain if they didnt (government advice they should all have water readily available) then moan if they ask for water during lessons and refuse them to go to the loo (even when DD had constant urine infections made worse by the fact they stop them going)and then would leave the bottles out of reach on a window sill in the sun at height of summer how stupid are they....

Our school they have plastic cups witht heir names on and each day one of the groups washes them up as their before school activity (we run a soft start so they have a morning job if they arrive earlier

Its a very popular job as they get to 'play' with water :)

They have to pour their cup and drink it, then tip it away and put the empty cup back down on the tray

If they want a drink they are encouraged (quite rightly IMO) to wait until the activity they are on ends or it is VERY disruptive

I find it hard to believe they are refusing them bathroom breaks tho?