Children not allowed squash in school !

[LordSplodge]

It's also the schools job to look after the children in their care and the welfare of said children.

Also, peanuts can be harmful through inhalation and skin contact...but, glad you think that people with extreme allergies should be left to die!

Duty of care to make sure they are looked after whilst at school, as in kept safe. Not what they eat.

Somebody with a super-rare extreme nut allergy like that would know to take special precautions. But hey, don't stop with the hyperbole.

 

[Dis86]

Sure but you have to give some leeway. It's not the Victorian era anymore. And whilst I think a lot of parents are way too soft on their kids nowadays I draw the line at total obedience. You want some independence and challenging of authority instilled in your children.

There's a bit of a difference between challenging authority and drinking water instead of squash though isn't there...
Or, you know, eating your vegetables because your parents tell you to.
If your child refused to do every single thing you told them I bet you'd soon get sick of it.

 

[Dis86]

Duty of care to make sure they are looked after whilst at school, as in kept safe. Not what they eat.

Somebody with a super-rare extreme nut allergy like that would know to take special precautions. But hey, don't stop with the hyperbole.

That duty of care extends to mental and physical wellbeing. Hence why schools also have the ability to call in social services etc. Or in your mind does their duty of care simply end when the kid walks out the doors on an afternoon?

You also forget that as most schools are tax-payer funded they also have a duty of care in terms of the property within them, water dries without a stain (in most cases) if you went in to a school and saw carpets covered in juice stains...what would you think?

And are you expecting said person with a nut allergy to live in a plastic bubble?

 

[PlatinumLiam]

I agree with LordSplodge in that instead of schools complaining that children aren't eating healthy enough they should be focusing their time and effort on giving children a good education i would rather a child stay hydrated by drinking squash than not drinking anything and not being able to work.

 

[MooMoo444]

And are you expecting said person with a nut allergy to live in a plastic bubble?

Are you expecting people who don't have a nut allergy to act as if they do just because someone else MAY have a nut allergy?

 

[feedtheram]

I would query if the staff were also only drinking water. Given the negative effects of coffee certainly with added sugar I would expect they should also be banned from such harmful toxins whilst in school.

 

[Bobcat]

An interesting paper (The 2005 Sodexho School Meals and Lifestyle survey ) that states a lot of interesting facts on hydration of children in classes, the PDF is based on 2005 statistics, but thought it valid for the discussion.

http://www.montgomeryspring.co.uk/pdf-downloads/Drinking-in-Schools.pdf

Taken from the PDF -

"For those schools that do allow drinking in the classroom, many types of drinks are taboo. Thirty five per cent of schools discourage drinking fruit juice, half do not like pupils drinking any kind of squash and most discouraged any kind of carbonated drink – even sugar-free and caffeine-free variants. We acknowledge that there are sometimes practical reasons for this – risk of spillage, staining, sticky fingers, etc. It does need to be recognised, however, that limiting the types of drinks consumed in the classroom may have a negative effect on how much children drink during the day and, therefore, on hydration levels.

For instance, the suggestion made in some quarters to ban specific foods and drinks from being brought into schools would seem to be impractical and inappropriate. It would appear that the reasons behind the proposal are to control children’s dietary intakes, but rather than banning foods or drinks, surely the key to compliance and better dietary habits is education? Already, lunch boxes are fairly healthy on the hydration-front and, according to last year’s School Lunch Box Survey from the British Dietetic Association, 76 per cent of lunch boxes already contain water, squash, milk or fruit juice.

There are talks about removing vending machines from schools altogether, but that would be an over-reaction. It would be better to use them as a positive vehicle for enabling adequate hydration. Perhaps a selection of bottled water, dairy drinks, low-cal drinks and fruit juice might provide children with a sufficient choice of ‘healthy’ beverages that would encourage them to drink. Getting children to drink more frequently helps them to stay hydrated and water or milk are tooth-friendly for sipping between meals."

I don't have children myself, but i would have thought that a healthy balance is needed to keep kids hydrated through the day, if that means with a little added zing (squash) to the water to make it taste better (low-sugar) then i don't see the issue with this.

OP - Speak to the head of the school, write a note or ask them to visit you at home, so you can explain your side as a parent.

 

[fez]

I have never met a parent whos child doesn't like water. Sorry, let me rephrase that. I have never met a parent who doesn't pander to their special little darlings every whim whos child doesn't like plain water.

Its ridiculous how parents react to the simplest of requests from the school. Given the choice between juice and water when I was younger, I would have taken the juice 100% of the time. We didn't have it in the house 99% of the time so I drank water. Its pretty simple. I know parents like to think that their child is a special case that only they know how to deal with but most of the time they have caused the issue they are having to deal with.

Its a strange rule I will admit but its quite insignificant in the development of your child.

 

[LordSplodge]

There's a bit of a difference between challenging authority and drinking water instead of squash though isn't there...
Or, you know, eating your vegetables because your parents tell you to.
If your child refused to do every single thing you told them I bet you'd soon get sick of it.

My child is now an adult. A well rounded adult that even eats his vegetables. He's never been a fan of water on its own and I never saw a reason to crack down on that because he was getting plenty of healthy fluids down him.

Trust me I believe in strict discipline (the wife calls me Victorian ) but I also know its important for a child to have some freedoms in their own life. In my case I thought it was acceptable for my son not to drink plain water if he didn't do so. Back then school let him drink squash (actually even fizzy pop too, shocking!) so him getting water when not at home wasn't an issue. This is why I didn't get a squash ban. They're nearly all no added sugar and are mostly water.

That duty of care extends to mental and physical wellbeing. Hence why schools also have the ability to call in social services etc. Or in your mind does their duty of care simply end when the kid walks out the doors on an afternoon?

You also forget that as most schools are tax-payer funded they also have a duty of care in terms of the property within them, water dries without a stain (in most cases) if you went in to a school and saw carpets covered in juice stains...what would you think?

And are you expecting said person with a nut allergy to live in a plastic bubble?

I've worked for an LEA in the past. I know all about duty of care in a school and where the blurry line of it ends. Complex issue indeed but not one that involves the policing of lunch boxes.

Schools worried about juice stains to save the tax payer? Hmmm. I'll speak to my wife about that (she works in a school) as I'm sure she's worried about juice stains and not the paint stains, glitter, glue, and a million other things that stain that the school themselves provide to educate the kids!

People with serious allergies and other life threatening illnesses (I'm included in the later camp) have to be careful. The cannot expect everybody else in every situation to be aware that something or some situation may expose them to serious harm.

There's a difference between mitigating harm and overreaction.

 

[Schlong&Stable]

Robinsons Orange contains 0.6g of sugar per 100ml concentrate, which is 1/10th of a can of Coca Cola. The orange is diluted down of course, so compared to a bottle of Coca Cola it is 1/50th. It may not be as 'healthy' as plain water, but it's not unhealthy by any stretch of the imagination.

That said, it's up to the school what pupils are allowed. If you don't like it, tough. Why do kids need a drink outside of lunch time? When I was in school you drank at lunch time and that was that.

 

[LordSplodge]

I agree with LordSplodge in that instead of schools complaining that children aren't eating healthy enough they should be focusing their time and effort on giving children a good education i would rather a child stay hydrated by drinking squash than not drinking anything and not being able to work.

Hydration is important. Just like having a healthy breakfast. It should be encouraged. Non-sugary drinks should be fine. So squash, juices, water, fizzy pop without sugar. All should be fine.

I'd rather have my child educated to a high standard than have the school wasting time on policing what he eats.

Are you expecting people who don't have a nut allergy to act as if they do just because someone else MAY have a nut allergy?

Apparently.

Its a strange rule I will admit but its quite insignificant in the development of your child.

Not if their education is being compromised because the school is wasting resources on policing what they eat.

 

[LordSplodge]

Why do kids need a drink outside of lunch time? When I was in school you drank at lunch time and that was that.

Yeah, why should kids be well hydrated. I mean dehydration has no negative effect on learning. At. All. Does, it?

 

[Dis86]

Are you expecting people who don't have a nut allergy to act as if they do just because someone else MAY have a nut allergy?

Yeah. I am. Having seen someone go in to anaphalactic shock just from touching a desk that had a nutty breakfast bar on it previously.

You obv don't know or don't care that it is a serious condition that can easily be fatal.

Barring nuts from a closed environment (a school) where someone has such an allergy isn't a huge request.
I also draw reference to the thread on GD that points out such allergies are on the rise.

 

[fez]

I'd rather have my child educated to a high standard than have the school wasting time on policing what he eats.

He knows the rules now so why would the teacher have to waste time checking water bottles unless the parents are not heeding the rules.

I don't remember being allowed to drink in class at primary or secondary school. The longest you would ever go without a drink was an hour. Drink between lessons, drink at break time, drink at lunch time, drink before and after school. Seriously, its quite easy.

 

[LordSplodge]

Yeah. I am. Having seen someone go in to anaphalactic shock just from touching a desk that had a nutty breakfast bar on it previously.

Barring nuts from a closed environment (a school) where someone has such an allergy isn't a huge request.
.

Extremely rare to have an allergy that reacts so badly to the near presence of nuts. And yes seeing such things is tragic and exposure to risk needs to be minimised. Baring nuts (and I mean pure nuts) makes some sense, although if they react so badly it could have come from cross contamination form outside the school. Baring anything that may have been produced in a factory that cannot guarantee to be nut free is going to an extreme.

Like I said there are plenty of kids with potentially actual allergies or illnesses. It is impossible to mitigate the risk to them. A parent with a child like this has to take precautions but cannot counter ever risk, nor can the school.

 

[LordSplodge]

He knows the rules now so why would the teacher have to waste time checking water bottles unless the parents are not heeding the rules.
.

I'd put squash not water in my kids lunchbox on principal. As for hydration, studies show it is important to education. Having access to liquid in a classroom isn't exactly an onerous request, is it?

 

[Schlong&Stable]

Yeah, why should kids be well hydrated. I mean dehydration has no negative effect on learning. At. All. Does, it?

An adult needs to consume 1.5l a day (on average) to remain hydrated. If you're perspiring a lot from activity and/or heat then you need more. Beyond that however, additional water doesn't have any real benefit.

This culture of needing to constantly drink is nonsense.

 

[Dis86]

Extremely rare to have an allergy that reacts so badly to the near presence of nuts. And yes seeing such things is tragic and exposure to risk needs to be minimised. Baring nuts (and I mean pure nuts) makes some sense, although if they react so badly it could have come from cross contamination form outside the school. Baring anything that may have been produced in a factory that cannot guarantee to be nut free is going to an extreme.

Like I said there are plenty of kids with potentially actual allergies or illnesses. It is impossible to mitigate the risk to them. A parent with a child like this has to take precautions but cannot counter ever risk, nor can the school.

No, they can't coutner every risk, but they can counter some by...dun dun dun...asking people not to bring in foods that may contain nuts!

thus...greatly lowering the probability of said individual coming in to contact with nuts/nut oil in the school.

 

[fez]

I'd put squash not water in my kids lunchbox on principal. As for hydration, studies show it is important to education. Having access to liquid in a classroom isn't exactly an onerous request, is it?

I don't think it makes a big difference either way. What I do think makes a big difference is parents supporting the school rather than railing against it every time they do something that bothers you or your child.

If you get dehydrated in a hour you have medical issues. I have played sport to a high level since I was a child and we never took water out to lessons. You have a drink at half time and when you are finished. I would wager that I needed much more water than some kid sitting on his bum in class.

There are a million different things that make way more difference to a childs learning and development than the ability to sip on water at will. We never had it in class, in exams or during sport. We never had any issue.

 

[fez]

An adult needs to consume 1.5l a day (on average) to remain hydrated. If you're perspiring a lot from activity and/or heat then you need more. Beyond that however, additional water doesn't have any real benefit.

This culture of needing to constantly drink is nonsense.

Its the culture of "oh thats why my child isn't achieving". He has ADHD, he is dehydrated, he isn't fed properly, he isn't stimulated enough, he finds it boring.

Its all looking for reasons why someone hasn't done what they should. Excuses.