Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring schools to provide easy access to free drinking water.

The department takes the health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff very seriously. All schools need to be safe, well-maintained, and compliant with all relevant regulations. This is the responsibility of those running our schools, which includes local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies.

All schools must ensure their water supply meets the requirements of either the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 or the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, for maintained schools and academies respectively.

These Regulations set strict requirements that schools must provide suitable drinking water facilities and that they are clearly labelled and readily accessible at all times when schools are in use. The Water Supply Regulations 2016 requires water to be wholesome at the point of consumption and the School Premises Regulations reinforces this requirement.