Water Friendly Schools
Introducing Water Friendly Schools
The North East Healthy Drinks Alliance is encouraging schools across Banyule, Darebin and Nillumbik to become ‘Water Friendly’ by promoting water as the preferred drink for children and young people.
School leaders are ideally placed to encourage the development of lifelong preferences that will help students grow into healthy adults. Schools are also important role models for local communities, with an influence that reaches beyond the school gates.
Many schools are already promoting tap water as the drink of choice and we are building on this momentum with our Water Friendly Schools Challenge. The Challenge provides support and recognition for schools that promote tap water this year. Click here to register.
Why should our school become Water Friendly?
There are many benefits of choosing water as the main choice of hydration in the younger years, including:
- improved concentration and learning;
- good dental health; and
- cost savings.
How to become a Water Friendly school
There is no ‘one-size fits all’ approach to being Water Friendly. However, there are many useful strategies that can be tailored to the culture and goals of your school.
Scroll down to see tips and resources to support your school to become ‘Water Friendly.’
Healthy drinks information for:
- Primary and secondary schools
- Sports and fitness venues
- Workplaces
- Health professionals
- Individuals and families
Water Friendly Challenge:
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Contact Us:
Dana Thomson
Healthy Drinks Project Manager
Email: dana.thomson@bchs.org.au
Tel: 9450 2616
Water Friendly school ideas
Leadership, commitment and culture
- Gain support from your school’s leadership, board and broader community to commit to being a Water Friendly school.
- Have healthy drinks policy in place that is communicated and reviewed regularly
- Do not allow sponsorship, advertising or marketing of sugary drinks on your premises, at events and in school sporting activities.
- Promote tap water as the preferred drink option e.g. in lesson plans, newsletters, meetings and assemblies.
- Implement a whole-of-school challenge e.g. drinking tap water for one month.
- Ask your school leaders to model healthy drinks behaviours. e.g. be ‘sweet drink free’ for a week. Publicise throughout the school community, and encourage other staff, administrators and students to do the same.
- Permit students to drink water at any time, and to bring water bottles into the classroom.
Healthy physical environment
- Consider ways to improve student and staff access to free water, e.g. water coolers, water fountains.
- Review school canteen menus and try to remove any sugary soft drinks, fruit drinks or sports drinks and introduce healthier options. You can use the traffic light system to help you.
- Ensure healthy drink options are available and promoted on premises and at events, e.g. vending machines, canteens, fundraising and catering.
Child teaching and learning and supported staff
- Ensure teachers and staff have access to curriculum resources (see resource list below).
- Schools may like to participate in the VicHealth H3O Challenge by creating a staff team.
- Spread the word about the health effects of regular sugary drink consumption: Use this PowerPoint presentation to raise awareness among staff
Family and community partnerships
- Sign up to our Water Friendly Schools Challenge to be part of our regional movement.
- Source Water Friendly ideas and solutions from your broader school community.
- Promote the VicHealth H3O Challenge among the broader school community.
- Get more resources by becoming an Achievement Program School and working with the Healthy Eating Advisory Service.
School and teacher resources
There are a range of resources available to support schools:
- Our regional Student Poster and Video Competition
- The Rethink Your Drink at School fact sheet
- The Schools Achievement Program: a broader framework for school-based health promotion
- The Healthy Eating Advisory Service and FoodChecker: support for school canteen improvements
- Yarra Valley Water Choose Tap: incursions for primary schools and drink bottle fundraisers
- Critic’s Choice Awards: educational resources and competition for Years 5 to 10
- Barwon Health’s ‘STOP Rethink That Sugary Drink’ schools toolkit with lesson plans
- The Department of Education and Training’s Healthy Eating information
North East Healthy Drinks Alliance
