Call for water-only policy at all schools

In Oct 2018, my husband organised a Collaborative Inquiry in Gisborne focused on “Health Matters!”
Nori Parata, principal of Tolaga Bay area school, couldn’t attend but she sent the following valuable info to the group, that really needs to be published in TGH in its entirety. I personally love it, as it is evidence based, with tangible proof of ‘Water only” policy for better health of our children:

"We became a ‘water only’ and ‘lolly free’ school in 2007. While health benefits was one of the drivers, the pressing concern was to modify behaviour as many of the students had quite out of control aggressive behaviour and mood swings which impacted on learning and learners around them. Its very difficult to teach a class of students who are ‘high’ on the sugar coursing around their bodies.
Students and parents/whanau were given these three simple (yet complex) reasons for the BOT’s new policy:
• Fresh clean water is the best drink for your health
• Sugar contributes significantly to tooth decay
• Sugar contributes to aggressive play and behaviour, and can interfere with the ability to focus on learning

We expected kickback from all stakeholders, but surprisingly we received very little. In fact the transition was easy and smooth. Just a couple of parents tried giving their kids colourless cordial in their drink bottles but the other kids dobbed them in. When we asked the parents why they had done it they said that they were worried their children wouldn’t drink during the school day – a fair and valid concern. We assured them they would drink and that we would monitor it, which we did. We put in new water fountains and allowed students to have water bottles in class.

There was an almost immediate change in student behaviour and focus once we became water only and lolly free. The school environment became a lot calmer, a lot less incidents of raised voices and aggression both in the classroom and the playground, and an increased ability to focus on learning and completing work.

I remember one time a wee while after we introduced the policy a teacher asked if her students could make chocolate bunnies and eggs at Easter time. I agreed it was a special occasion and that they could. What struck me most was the level of noise and aggressive play at morning tea time (11.00am) that day. It was very obvious what had caused it. So now even the Easter bunny has to be without chocolate at school! I have learned to have no exceptions to the rule on the school site or it confuses the students, and sometimes even the adults.

I expected more objection from the teenagers but again surprisingly it was minimal. Even now, 11 years on, we only get the odd one trying to flout the rule. But I make it harder for them as I ask for every student who brings lollies or fizzy to school to be sent to my office so that we can recall the reasons why the rule is in place. While students like coming to my office for positives they aren’t so keen on having to come for this reason. I keep a list of the students - in 2017 there were 21 students (obviously these are the ones that were caught) who came to my attention for lollies and fizzy drink. This year there have been six so far. I have no problem in tossing out bags of uneaten lollies.

I get annoyed with visitors to the school who bring lollies as inducements for the students – like the universities career drives. I don’t know why they think they should be allowed to bring in lollipops and little chocolate bars. They get quite taken aback when I say they are not allowed to give them out. I remember when Otago Uni came to talk to us about their Gout Research Project about 8 years ago and they brought lollies. Of course I said no to them. I was at a function recently where Dr Tony Merriman recounted his experience of this very incident. It brought a laugh to the crowd but he said it was not a laugh at the time!
The only exceptions to the ‘water only’ is the ‘milk in schools’ programme which is optional for students and the other is that staff do have tea, coffee and herbal teas available to them at morning tea and lunch.

We also have the ‘fruit in school’ programme – I know, we have ‘programmes’ coming out our ears! Anyway, I think its one of the best programmes which enables the students to have one piece of high quality fruit per day. I have no hard evidence but is it entirely coincidental that we have not had once case of impetigo (school sores) since this programme has been in our school? That’s about 7 years now. I like to think not. The dental therapist who has provided services to our school for over 20 years told me that there was a marked decline in tooth decay in our school since we had implemented this range of policies and programmes.

But life isn’t a breeze and just like any other school we have to keep working at it, maintain the standard, and reiterate why we are doing it.

One thing for sure – we will never reverse the ‘water only’ and ‘lolly free’ rule. Our next mission is to look properly at lunch boxes and try to make some sustainable changes that are realistic, including reducing or eliminating ‘one use plastic’. Lollies that masquerade as biscuits and treats drive me crazy, just as chippy packets and cling wrap.

I’m not a health fanatic (although I wish I was a bit more than I am), or a greenie, but I am an advocate for children being healthy, happy and learning at school.
Hope this is what you were looking for and good luck with the workshop/hui."