Water provision

Contents

Introduction 3

Benefitsofwaterprovision 3

Whatiswaterprovision? 4

Stepbystepplan 5

Waterprovisionchecklist 13

Integratingwithotherschoolfoodprojects 13

Curriculumlinks 14

Sourcesoffurtherinformation 16

Introduction Benefits of water provision

Thisguidanceonwaterprovision

willsupportyourschoolinreviewing,

improving,andpromotingwaterin

schools.

Forthemajorityofprimaryschools,

allowingpupilstodrinkwaterthrough

thedayisnowcommonplace.

Inpost-primaryschools,water

availabilityislessvisibleandwater

maybeseenbypupilsasaless

attractiveoptionthanalternative

drinks.Researchshowstheamount

offluidconsumedbymostyoung

peopleisbelowtherecommended

levelsforgoodhealthandwellbeing,

andthataninterventionplanis

desirable.Whereschoolshave

improvedwaterprovisionandhave

developedaneffectivepolicyfor

promotingwater,pupilsconsume

morewateronaregularbasis.

Providingandpromotingwater:

• createsaplentifulsourceoflowcost

refreshmentthroughouttheday;

• encouragesgoodhealthandwellbeing

amongpupils,staffandotheradults;

• reducestiredness,irritabilityanddistraction

fromthirst;

• canhaveapositiveeffectonpupils’

concentrationthroughouttheday;

• demonstratestoparentsandtothelocal

communitythattheschoolvaluespupils’

healthandwellbeing;

• raisesawarenessoftheimportanceof

adequatefluidintakeandhealthyeatingas

partofahealthy,activelifestyle.

3

What is water provision?

Accesstowaterisafundamentalhumanrightandnecessaryfor

goodhealth.Schoolscanencourageconsumptionofwaterby:

• supplyinggoodqualitywater;

• providingwaterfreeofcharge;

• permittingaccesstodrinkingwaterwhenrequired;

• ensuringitisaccessibletoall;

• promotinggoodhabitsthroughoutthedayandinparticular

followingexerciseandinwarmconditions;

• ensuringthathygienic,modernwatersourcesareavailableand

maintained;

• listeningtocomplaintsandsuggestionsregardingtheprovision

ofwater.

“I am drinking a lot more water now, probably about two bottles

a day at school… I’m drinking water at home and I’m getting my

parents to do it.”Year4pupil

4

5

Step by step plan

1. Getting started

Assessingcurrentwaterprovisionshouldbeundertakenbyyourschoolcouncilorschool

nutritionactiongroup(SNAG),aspartofawholeschoolapproach(seebooklettwo:

Establishing a whole school food policy).Ensurethatpupils,teachers,parentsandcaterers

areinvolvedinthisprocess.

Therearetwobasicstepstoimprovingyourschool’sprovision:

• recognisingtheimportanceofgoodwaterprovision;

• implementingpracticalmeasurestoensureaccesstofresh,cleanwateratschool.

Thepolicyshouldensurethatwaterisfreelyavailableandaccessiblethroughouttheschool

day.Waterconsumptionbyadultsshouldalsobepartofawholeschoolapproach,egensuring

thatprovisionismadeinthestaffroom.

Whenaddressingwaterprovisioninyourschool,youmayneedtoconsider:

• currentprovisionandconsumptionofwater;

• pupilandstaffunderstandingofwaterforhealth(asthismighthavecurriculumlinks);

• budgetandfundingavailable;

• physicalschoolset-upandfacilities,egdrainage,mainssupplyandelectricitypoints;

• managementofwaterprovision;

• curriculumlinkswithwater,especiallythroughscienceandtechnologyandhomeeconomics;

• linkstoNorthernIrelandWaterthroughitseducationdepartment.

Step by step plan

2. Providing water at school

Drinkingwatershouldbeapleasantexperienceforpupils,ratherthanonetobeenduredor

avoided.

Howmuchpupilsdrinkatschooldependsonthetype,location,number,attractiveness,

palatabilityandaccessibilityofdrinkingfacilities.Thereisnooneapproachforallschools.More

thanoneapproachortypeoffacilitymaybeappropriatewithinyourschool.Analysisofthe

site,usageandpossiblemanagementstrategiesareimportantwhenmakingachoiceandnew

facilitieswillneedtocomplementorreplacethosealreadyinplace.Thesefactorsneedtobe

consideredinlightofyourwaterprovisionpolicy.

Point of use water coolers

Pointofuse(POU)devicesusemainswaterthathasacoolerpoweredbymainselectricity.

Theyhavetheadvantageofbeingplumbedintothemains.Theirappearanceismodernand

appealingtousersandtheyhavebeenfoundtoencouragereluctantdrinkers.Mostofferchilled

andambienttemperaturewater.Thesefacilitiesareusuallythemostpracticalwatercoolersin

schoolsastheyhavelowerlong-termrunningcosts.Theymaybeboughtoutrightorrentedand

canbeusedwithdisposablecups,conesorbottles.Installationcostcanbehighifthemains

waterpipeneedsre-siting.Regularmaintenance,everysixmonths,isrecommended.

POUcoolersrequirecarefulsitingonaccountoftheneedfortheirconnectiontoservices

(electricity,watermainsanddrainage)aswellasthefactthatpupilsgatheraroundthem.

Researchshowsthatthistypeofprovisionispopularwithusers.

Bottled water coolers

Theseapplianceshavealargeinvertedbottleofwateronthetopthatdispenseswaterbythe

userpressingabuttonorlever.Theyaresimpletoinstallandcanbecheaptorentorbuy,but

requireongoingpurchaseofbottleswhichcanmakethesecoolersexpensiveinthelongterm.

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Storageisneededforfullandemptybottles,andreplacingthesewillinvolvecarryingandlifting.

Thebottleshaveausebydateandshouldbestoredawayfromdirectsunlight.Theappliance

isfittedwithacooler,soapowerpointisneeded.Itcanbeusedtofilldisposablecups,cones

andbottles.Bottledwatercoolersmayhavedriptraysthatwillneedtobeemptieddailyand

thisshouldbeconsideredastowhowillberesponsibleforthisandwhetheritwouldcausea

temptationtopupilstointerferewithit.Thistypeofprovisionispopularwithusers,althoughthe

equipmentneedsattentiontoensureuninterruptedprovisionandcanbeexpensive.

Traditional water fountains

Thesedeviceshaveaspout,oftenproducingavertical‘fountain’ofwaterfromanopening

attheheadofthewaterdeliverypipe.Theycanbeuseddirectlyortofilldisposablecups,

conesandbottles,providedtheyhavetherightshapednozzle.Thejetfromthespoutmustbe

sufficientlyhightoavoidcontactbetweenthespoutandlips.Moreoften,pupilsdrinkdirectly

fromthespoutwhichwouldbeinadvisable.Theyareoftenunhygienicandunappealing.They

musthaveawatersupplyanddrainage.Itispossibletoaddrenewablefilterunitstothese

fountains.Themaindisadvantageofthistypeoffountainisthatifpupilsdrinksolelyfromthe

spoutitdoesnotprovideanadequateamountofwater.Ifthistypeofprovisionisusedin

schools,supplementarydrinksmustbeprovided.

Modern water fountains

Modernfountainshaveenhanceddesignfeaturessuchasswanneckdispensers,built-in

coolingsystems,filtersandattractivedesign.Theswanneckdesignisrecommendedfor

refillingbottlesandcups.

Modernwaterfountainsmusthavewastewaterdisposalarrangements.Ifchillingisrequired,a

mainselectricitysupplyisneeded.Filterswillneedreplacingatregularintervals.Thesefountains

requireregularmaintenanceandneedtoberobustindesignwithaminimumofmovingparts.

Juniormodels,lowerthanthenormalheight,areavailableforprimaryschools.Thistypeof

provisionisattractivetousers.

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Step by step plan

Taps

Iftapsareused,theseshouldbesupplieddirectlyfromthemainsandclearlylabelledas

suitablefordrinking.Theareamustbehygienic,withsinksthatarecleanandempty.Itis

possibletoaddchillunitstoimprovepalatability.

Disposablecupsshouldalwaysbeavailable.Pupilscouldrefilltheirownwaterbottles.

Dedicatedtapsfordrinkingwaterdonotoftenexistinschools.

Water quality

MainstapwaterinNorthernIrelandisofahighdrinkingqualityandcomplieswithallUKand

EUstandards.

Water bottles

Bottlesarethemostcost-effectivemeansofallowingpupilsaccesstowaterthroughout

theday.Themainadvantagesofbottlesarethattheycanbecarriedbypupilsorleftina

designatedarea.Theyarealsopopularwithpupils,especiallywhenplacedondeskswithin

arm’sreach.Bottlesmaybepurchasedandsomeschoolsincludewaterbottlesintheuniform

listtonewparents.Wherepupilsareinvitedtobringintheirownbottles,take-upmaybelow.

ConsidercontactingNorthernIrelandWater’seducationdepartmentwhichprovideswater

bottlesaspartofits‘WaterforHealth’talkatschoolsorwhenschoolsvisittheSilentValley.

Effectivemanagementisrequiredforfilling,cleaningandreplacingofbottles.Waterquality,

costandtemperature(iechilling)arethemainissuestoconsiderandhygieniccleaningis

essential.Thequalityofthebottlecanimpactonitslifespan.Youwillalsoneedtodecide

whethertheyarefilledathomeorinschool.

Top tips

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• Waterbottlesshouldnotbeshared.

Labelthebottlewiththenameofthe

pupil.

• Useclearplasticcontainers.

• Ifbottlesarekeptatschool,theyshould

befilledinthemorningor,ifthereis

sufficientspace,refrigeratedovernight.

• Ifschoolstakeresponsibilityforbottle

cleanliness,itisadvisabletoseekadvice

fromthelocalenvironmentalhealth

department.

• Dishwasheractionortheuseofa

sterilisingagentshouldbesufficientto

cleandrinkingvesselsandbottles.

Absorbent matting

Absorbentmattingisrecommendedforusewithalltypesofcoolerorfountain.Itcomesin

differentsizesandshapesandismadeofnylon,whichisthermallybondedtorubberbacking.

Ifaswanneckfountainisbeingused,u-shapedmatscanbeplacedonthefloor.Matscan

absorbmorethanagallonofwaterpersquaremetre.Matsneedtobewashedregularly;

therefore,maintenanceandcosttoschoolswouldneedtobeconsidered.

Case study

Atasmallpost-primaryschoolwherepupilswereallowedtodrinkwateratanytimeofthe

day,includinglessons,fewdidastheywerenotawareoftheentitlement.Drinkinghabitswere

regardedaspoor.Aftertheinstallationofthreenewwatercoolersandtheprovisionofwater

bottlesforallpupils,waterconsumptionincreasedsignificantly.Pupilsnowkeeptheirbottles

withthemontheirdesksandtakethemoutontothesportsfieldsduringbreaktimes,PE

lessonsandafter-schoolgames.

“I never drank water before now, but I do now. Everyone’s drinking more. It tastes better

because it comes out of the cooler.”Year10pupil

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Care of bottles

Athome:bottlesshouldbewasheddaily

inwarmsoapywater,rinsedandlefttoair-

dryupsidedown.Thenozzleofasportscap

shouldbeopenedandflushedthrough.The

bottlescouldalsobewashedinadishwasher

takingcaretoseparatethecapfromthe

bottle.Childrencanbeshownatschoolhow

towashandcarefortheirwaterbottleand

teachersmayinspectbottlesforcleanliness.

Atschool:iftheschoolisprovidingthe

bottles,youmayprefertokeepthem

on-site.Youcanbesurethebottlesare

washeddaily,butitdoescreateanother

job.Insomeschools,thereareconcerns

overotherfluidsbeingputintothebottles,

soitisthoughtpreferablethatpupils

filltheirbottlesatschoolorconsider

introducingarulearoundthisissue.

Step by step plan

Researchshowsthatschoolshavetraditionallyreliedondrinkingwaterbeingavailabletopupils

inorclosetotoilets.Drinkingwaterintoiletsisnolongerpermittedasitisunhygienicanddoes

notpromotewaterconsumption.Dependingonthesizeofaschoolandlevelofwaterusage,

itislikelythatanumberofdistributionpointswillbeneeded.Foryoungerpupils,theuseof

shallowcratestostorebottlesinacentralplace,awayfromsourcesofheat,allowingpupils

frequentaccessandregularwaterbreakswillbeimportant.

Schoolsshouldalsoconsiderthefollowing:

• accessandroutestowaterforadultsandpupils,including

thosewithdisabilities;

• proximitytoastorageareaforsuppliesandcleaning

apparatus;

• theneedforsurveillanceorsupervision,egdistribution

pointsinopenareassothatpupilsaresafefrombullying

andmisbehaviour;

• theproximitytoadequatedrainage;

• theproximitytoamainswaterandelectricitysupply,if

required;

• thecleaningandmonitoringofthedrinkingfacilities;

• accessforpupilsengagedinPEandsimilaractivities;

• theproximityofitemsthatarenotcompatiblewithwater.

Safety

• Waterandelectricitydonotmix.Mostclassroomshaveelectricalapparatus.Procedures

mustbeenforcedtominimiserisk.

• Becauseofthepotentialhealthandsafetyrisk,nocupsorbottlesofwatershouldbekept

nearcomputers(orotherelectricalequipment)orusedinsciencelabs.

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3. Siting water in school

Schooleffortstoimprovewaterprovisionandencouragetheincreasedconsumptionofwater

willbehamperedif:

• accesstotoiletsisrestricted;

• thetoiletsareoff-putting:dirty,smellyorpoorlymaintained;

• apupildoesnotfeelsafeusingthemduetoanti-socialbehaviourorfearofintimidation;

• pupilsavoidorrestrictdrinkinginordertoavoidusingtheschooltoilets.

Itisimportantthatpupilsareallowedtogotothetoiletwhentheyneedto,especiallyifthey

arebeingencouragedtodrinkwater.Restricteduseoftoiletfacilitiescanleadtopsychological

problems,constipation,wettingandurinaryproblems.Encouragetheuseofthetoiletatbreak

andlunchtimetominimisedisruptiontoteaching.Pupilswhodonotneedtogotothetoiletat

leastonceatschoolneedtodrinkmore.

Thereisevidencethatincreasedavailabilityofwaterandencouragementtodrinkregularlydoes

increasetheneedfortoiletvisitsinitiallybut,asgoodhabitsaredeveloped,thisneedrevertsto

normal.Itisimportantthattoiletshavecleanandwell-stockedwashingfacilities.Thisincludes

warmwater,soapandhygienichanddryersforusebypupils.

Case study

Asmallruralschoolhadawaterdrinkingpolicyinplace.Toimproveconsumption,awater

coolerwasinstalledineveryclassroom.Previously,pupilshadfilledtheirbottlesfromatapand

keptthebottleswiththemintheclassroom.Pupilsandstaffagreethatbyhavingcoolersin

everyclassroomaccesstofresh,chilledwaterhasimproveduptakeenormously.Pupilsfound

thechilledwatertastierandmorerefreshing.Thecombinationofeasyaccessandappealhas

greatlyinfluencedtheirconsumption.

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Step by step plan

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Waterawarenessandconsumptioncanberaisedinschoolby:

• askingtheschoolcouncilorSNAGtodiscussideasforpromotion;

• developingcampaignsandposterproduction,egacompetitiontodesignthebestposter

wouldbeagreatwaytoraiseawarenessoftheimportanceofwaterinschool;

• havingwater-onlydaystoexploretheissues;

• arrangingasponsoredswimforawatercharitytoemphasisetheissues;

• enteringtheschoolinaregionalcompetition.NorthernIrelandWaterrunayearly‘Waterfor

Health’competition;

• promotingtheavailabilityoffreewaterwithinschoolcatering;

• writingapressreleasetogenerateinterestinlocal(andnational)press;

• promotingwaterdrinkingontheschoolwebsite.Apop-upmessageoneachpageofthe

websitewillemphasisethemessageuntilgoodpracticeisestablished;

• ensuringthatallnewslettersanddocumentsgeneratedintheschoolpromotethemessage

thatdrinkingwaterisgoodforyou;

• informingparentsregularlyaboutwaterprovisionatschool;

• usingadultsaspositiverolemodels;

• holdingahealthdayorweektopromotewaterandhealthiereating;

• startingacurriculumprojecttosurveypupilandstaffconsumption,beforeandafterwaterpromotion;

• gettingpupilstomakeapresentationontheimportanceofwateratassembliesorinclass;

• arrangingvisitsfromspeakers,forexample,alocalhealthprofessionalorsportspersonality

orNorthernIrelandWater;

• inclusioninthewholeschoolfoodpolicyandintegrationintohealthyschoolsactivities.

Partofyourwaterpolicyshouldbetoreviewwhethertheobjectivessetoutforyourschoolare

beingmet.Forexample,youcould:

• considertheattitudesofpupils,staffandparents;

• reviewtherobustnessoftheequipment;

• calculatetheamountofwaterconsumed;

• collectcommentsandsuggestionsondaytodayoperationsandmanagement;

• recordmistakesmadeandlessonslearntalongtheway.

5. Evaluating success

4. Promoting water in school

Water provision checklist

Areyouclearaboutthebenefitsofimprovingwaterprovisioninyourschool?

Areyouclearaboutwhatyouwanttoachieve?

HaveyouinvolvedtheschoolcouncilorSNAG?

Haveyouconsultedandinvolvedpupilsandparentsindecisionmakingfromtheoutset?

Haveyoudecidedwhereandhowwaterwillbeprovided?

Doallpupilsandstaffhaveaccesstowateratalltimes?

Iswaterconsumptionactivelyencouragedbothinclassandduringbreakandlunchtime?

Arepupilsawareofthebenefitsofdrinkingmorewater?

Doyouhavea‘codeofconduct’inrelationtowater?

Doyouhaveaprocedureforrecordingwhetherpupilsdrinkenoughwater?

Haveyouestablishedasystemtoensuregoodmaintenanceandhygienicstandardsof

waterfacilities?

Arethetoiletswellmaintained,cleanandopenthroughouttheday?

Haveyouplannedapolicytopromotewaterprovisionandconsumption?

Haveyouplannedhowyouwillmonitorandevaluatetheimpactofyourimprovedwater

provision?

Therearemanynaturallinkswhichcanbemadetootherschoolfoodprojects,dependingon

yourschool.Linkstowaterprovisioncouldinclude:

• Ensuringthatallpupilshavefreeaccesstowaterinlinewiththenutritionalstandardsfor

schoollunchandotherfoodanddrinksinschools.

• Promotingandactivelyencouragingtheprovisionandconsumptionoffreewateratthe

breakfastclub,breaktimeandlunchtime.

• Promotingandactivelyencouragingtheprovisionandconsumptionofwater.Creatinga

waterinspiredthemeforthediningroomtopromoteconsumption.

• Encouragingpupilsandparentstoincludewaterineverylunchbox.Watershouldbefreely

availableforthosewhodonothaveadrinkintheirlunchbox.

Integrating with other school food projects

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Curriculum links

Waterprovisionprovidesacontextforawidevarietyofcurriculumlinks,including:

Primary

Personal development and mutual understanding

Theconceptofahealthylifestyleencompassestheimportanceofpersonalhygiene,andthe

provisionofwatertohomesandbusinessesandabasicutilityintheUK.

The world around us

Thereareopportunitiesforpupilstolearnaboutthewatercycleandcomparehowweather

conditionsinavarietyofcountriesaffectwatersupply.Specialistvocabularymightinclude

‘drought’,‘flooding’and‘torrential’.

Religious education

Thespiritual,moral,socialandculturalsignificanceofwateranditssymbolismindifferentfaiths

maybeexplored.

The arts

Art and design–pupilsmightreviewportrayalsofwaterusingdifferentmediabyothers,and

recordtheirownfirst-handexperienceandinvestigationtoexplorethethemeofwater.

Post-primary

Science and technology

Pupilscanlearnabouttheroleofwaterfluoridationindentalhealthandthecleaningprocess

forwater.

The arts

Music–watermaybeaninspirationformusicalcompositionorperformance.

Art and design–usingvisualtechniquestodisplaytheuseofwaterinoureverydaylives.

Physical education

Theimportanceofhydrationinphysicalactivityandperformancecanbediscussed.

Learning for life and work

Home economics–Theroleofwaterindietandhealthcanbediscussed.

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15

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Sources of further information

Thefollowinglistprovideslinkstofurther

resourcesandinformationthatmaysupport

youindevelopingyourwaterprovision.

Northern Ireland Water

www.niwater.com

NorthernIrelandWateristhesole

providerofwaterinNorthernIreland.

Theyhavearangeofinitiativesand

advicetohelpsupportschoolswhichis

deliveredbytheireducationdepartment.

ERIC

www.eric.org.uk

ERIC(EducationandResourcesfor

ImprovingChildhoodContinence)

providessupportandinformationto

youngerchildren,parentsandhealth

professionalsonbedwetting(nocturnal

enuresis),day-timewetting,constipation

andsoiling,andincontinenceinchildren

withspecialneeds.Resourcesfor

schoolsareavailable.

Bog Standard Campaign

www.bog-standard.org

TheBogStandardCampaignisan

ERICinitiativerunincoalitionwithother

organisations.Itaimstoraisethestandard

ofschooltoiletsforpupilsandforpupils

togotothetoiletswhentheyneedto.

Resourcesforschoolsareavailable.

Water is Cool in School

www.wateriscoolinschool.org.uk

TheWaterisCoolinSchoolcampaign,

aimstoimprovethequalityofprovision

andaccesstofreshdrinkingwaterfor

childreninUKprimaryandpost-primary

schools.Resourcesforschoolsare

availableonthiswebsite.

Water for Health Alliance

www.waterforhealth.org.uk

WaterforHealthisawaterindustry

initiativetoguideandinformhealth

professionalsandhealthauthorities,to

stimulateinterestandresearch,andto

helpmovewaterupthepublichealth

agenda.

Water UK

www.water.org.uk

WaterUKistheindustryassociationthat

representsallUKwaterandwastewater

servicesuppliersatnationaland

Europeanlevel.Itseekstodevelop

understandinginareasthatinvolvethe

industry,itscustomersandstakeholders.

ThisresourcewasoriginallydevelopedandproducedbytheHealthPromotionAgencyforNorthernIrelandaspartoftheSchoolfood:topmarksprogramme.ItwasjointlyfundedbytheDepartmentofEducationandtheDepartmentofHeath,SocialServicesandPublicSafety.