School Water Bottle

[BreezyGreenRobin]

Could somebody please help me with where I stand. My daughter is in year 2 at a state primary school. Her school has a very strict uniform policy and the children are required to have lots of items with the school logo on them. The school ask that all children use a standard school water bottle which is made of plastic and has the school logo on. As a family we are trying to reduce our use of plastic container for all of our food and drinks. I have therefore sent her into school with a plain white metal water bottle. I must add that nowhere in any of the school's policies does it state that the school logo bottles are mandatory, the head teacher has said that this is a verbal policy. I have now had several emails from my child's class teacher and the head teacher stating that her water bottle is not regulation and she is not allow to drink out of the one I have sent in throughout the day this includes during PE lessons. All other children are allowed their bottles on their tables during lessons and to take them to PE. I have raised my concerns regarding micro plastics with the head teacher and was simply told that this is not an issues. The chair of governor's has said that she is not able to get involved.

What can I do?

Can you buy a clear plain water bottle like this:

WUERKIYA Clear Water Bottle, 2-Pack 750ml BPA-Free Plastic Reusable Sports Bottles with Straw, Flip-Top Lid, Perfect for Biking, Running, Hiking, Gym, School, Yoga, Office : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

The school sounds insane.

I know you think you are being an eco- warrior and standing up for the awful tyranny of the education system but seriously the teachers and school think you are a pain in the butt. They have far more important issues to deal with than someone who can't see that their personal preferences don't trump school rules. Trust me, you will have bigger battles than this to fight, keep the goodwill as long as you can.

The school is being ridiculous imho.

We should all be trying to cut down on the use of plastic.

The metal ones are much better as they can be double walled to keep drinks cool too.

And also used to split the skull of the child next to you, an added bonus!

I'll go against the grain and sympathise, @BreezyGreenRobin .

I don't like water at room temperature. I like my water to be icy cold. So a plastic water bottle really doesn't float my boat. Even with ice cubes inside, they'll have melted by afternoon and water will be lukewarm.

Bleugh. I'd rather thirst.

I’d be worried using same bottle, kids so easily pick others clothes, bags etc. shared water bottle wouldn’t be nice

I’d say the feeling is mutual somehow 😂

Come on, they’re being ridiculous.

‘What can I do’

You can use the schools complaints procedure, following each stage fully. It will be on the school website. Quite a long process involving the panel of (volunteer) governors.

However, most likely outcome is a tightening of school policy around water bottles. This may ir may not recognise the ‘use of plastics’.
This will at least give you a voice.

Fair enough they want a clear bottle. But I wouldn’t be buying a bottle with a bloody school logo on it, especially if that wasn’t written down in any policy anywhere and was just “verbal policy” (which I assume means shit they’ve made up on the spot).

Generally speaking I always back the school, but some schools do seem to make it difficult to support their nonsense.

Ah remember growing up in the 80's where no one cared if school children didn't drink a single drop of water all day!! Simple times!
Anyway I'd just get her the school bottle. It's not something I'd bother going into battle with the head about, and the governors!!

However, a child can wack a child and cause quite a lot of pain with a metal one! So this may also be a factor!

I find this insane! My child is starting school this year and it is this kind of stuff that makes me dread her starting in the school system.

Why should the school decide and force your child to consume the microplastics that come off a plastic water bottle? I don't have experience of all the water bottle issues other commenters have mentioned but surely there has to be a better way?

I thought there would be a more forward approach but maybe everything is reactive because of the pressures schools are under.

I suppose in the grand scheme of things, a plastic water bottle during school hours only might not cause significant harm in the head scheme of things but I hear you OP, why should the school have a say over above yours when it comes to your child's health?

I live somewhere waterbottles aren’t regulated and this has never been an issue ime.

Metal bottles are so much better. We tried the school issue plastic one and it was so crap, it leaked and the water was as warm as bath water by the end of the day…. Gross! It also broke after about 3 weeks.
We use a metal one now but our school doesn’t prohibit this. I think your school is overstepping here with this. I can absolutely see their reasons for it but it’s a silly rule in my opinion. Just tell them to check it only has water in it if that’s what they’re concerned about.

Not all no. My DD's old primary had branded clothing but it was optional. DD just had the branded cardigan and supermarket polo tops, same for PE, i didnt use branded items.

They did get a branded water bottle for £1 but hers broke quite quickly and they were allowed to bring in their own water bottles.

Same with DD's high school, only the badge and tie have the school logo the rest is non branded, same with the PE Kit.

It seems I am in an overwhelming minority here but I am with you. My children drink out of glass where it is safe or stainless steel. To me this speaks to a larger issue of the feeling of a loss of control of decision making over your children’s lives - that bothers me too as a mother of a primary age child that I have to send to school. If it were me I would raise the point again in a polite but firm way and explain that you feel strongly about this given that your child will be drinking from this very regularly. If you can’t beat ‘em join em - find a smaller one and disguise it in the plastic bottle!

If it was a single use bottle then fair enough, I would agree but as it is a reusable bottle the reducing plastic use doesn't really count. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill and single her out by making such a fuss over it!!

It’s one bottle.

Pick battles, hills to die on and all that …

It is a ridiculous policy to police water bottles. Our school provides plastic bottles (which aren’t compulsory but are encouraged) but my DD won’t drink warm water and she has to drink loads as she has medication for chronic constipation. We have been allowed a metal insulated one that we can ice as she won’t drink otherwise and the school got fed up with the soiling incidents (she is fully toilet trained but has regular issues with leakage unfortunately when she is constipated).

I don’t think you have a leg to stand on without a stronger reason though. You have to choose which hill to die on with school. Mine was an incident over not providing the salad on a menu that was advertised….

@BreezyGreenRobin oh my Gxx, these are ridiculous rules. When are these schools going to relax these draconian rules. Are yiu in North Korea. You should be able to buy what ever water bottle you want, and logo items should be a choice. Really shocked that parents put up with that nonsense.

You can stop being difficult for the school and your child.

The school policy is there and it’s so all children respectively have the same. Your metal water bottle is great, but it opens up everyone else then to have a water bottle of any description.

You don’t understand it now because your child is year 2. It will make more sense when they are older.

Just do it. Stop being a PITA.

Are the school allowed to do this if they are charging for the water bottle? Doesn’t guidance now state primary schools should keep branding to a minimum and the DCs should be allowed to drink water.

Than perhaps the school should actually deal with those far more important issues rather than waste their time and resources trying to force a parent to buy one more branded item.

I love it when schools make ridiculous rules, and then people turn around and complain that people are “making them” enforce it. They do have the option of not making stupid, overbearing rules in the first place.

The school are being ridiculous, and they are not following the government guidelines discouraging unnecessary branding.

It always used to be the case that uniforms in primary schools were unenforceable anyway. I don't know what the law is now. But insisting on a branded water bottle is ridiculous. There is an increasing body of research showing the dangers to humans of consuming microplastics.