Brent schools opt for vandal-proof water coolers

Karen Wood, school meals support officer with Brent Council, said a lot of schools had had a problem maintaining adequate water provision because they had old, out-of-date water fountains that in many cases did not work." A spokesman for Aqua Pointe, which has supplied the water coolers in Brent, said even where schools were lucky enough to have water coolers, they often found themselves having to make-do with fragile units designed for office use and unable to withstand the bumps and scrapes they are subjected to in every day school corridor life. He said the Aqua Pointe vandal-proof bottle filler was designed to solve this problem. It has a stainless steel casing, high performance refrigeration and each unit can deliver up to 10 gallons an hour of chilled, filtered water at the push of a button. Added Wood: "At Brent we are committed to ensuring that pupils receive proper hydration at school. I particularly like the fact the Aqua Pointe unit has been designed with schools in mind and makes it easier for students to access chilled filtered water not just at lunchtime but throughout the day." Her comments were echoed by Brian Gruszecki, Whole School Premises and Logistics Manager at Alperton Community School, which has more than 1200 pupils and bought four extra units after successfully trialling two. "It's simple to operate, solid and looks good on the wall. Students are grateful to have ready access to drinking water throughout the day without pestering staff and availability in the canteens has reduced the mess from those big jugs of water," he said.