Some children may have to last as long as 18 hours without a drink during school-days, it was claimed today.
A survey of parents found high proportions claiming their children have limited access to fresh water at school.
And many parents – 27% – also admitted their children do not have a drink for breakfast. Another 23% said they did not give their children a drink to take to school.
Some 2,000 parents took part in a survey conducted by the Natural Hydration Council.
More than half said their children did not use water fountains. Some parents claimed the fountains were always dirty or broken while others said they were inaccessible.
And more than two thirds said their children would not be allowed to leave the classroom to get a drink during lessons.
Just 40% of parents stated that schools put water on tables at lunchtime.
Researchers said this created a picture of many children not getting a drink during the day-time.
Psychologist Dr Caroline Edmonds, of the University of East London, said: "Evidence suggests that once children arrive at school, 71% do not drink sufficient water throughout the day to counteract the risk of dehydration or even to maintain the hydration level that they had when they arrived at school.
"One of the barriers is that it is still not ‘cool’ or fashionable to drink water in school."
Researcher Dr Emma Derbyshire, of Manchester Metropolitan University, said the findings were "concerning."
She said: "Children are at a greater risk of dehydration than adults as they have higher water requirements in relation to their body weight. In addition, children don’t always recognise the early stages of thirst, which can make them particularly vulnerable to becoming dehydrated, especially during times that can drive up their body fluid losses, for example, in the school playground, or during warm weather.
"We should try to encourage children to drink water from a young age as it is one of the healthiest ways to hydrate, as it contains zero sugar, calories, preservatives or additives."
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