Energy drinks banned at schools in Hull and East Yorkshire because 'they make kids hyper'

SCHOOLS across East Yorkshire are banning energy drinks after they were blamed for making pupils "hyper".

Teachers at Thomas Ferens Academy, Endeavour School and Winifred Holtby School have warned pupils energy drinks will be confiscated if they are brought into the school grounds.

Pupils at Thomas Ferens Academy are not allowed to take the drinks into school as teachers fear they may cause anxiety and irritability.

Parents have been told they are not to send their children to school with the drinks.

Juliet Strang, principal at Thomas Ferens Academy, says she banned the drinks because they disrupted learning at the new school in Hall Road, Orchard Park.

She said they contained stimulants, which she believes affect the heart and brain. She also blamed them for causing anxiety and irritability.

Ms Strang said: "I have banned them because of the effects they have on students' behaviour. They make students hyper.

"They tend to behave less well and lose concentration and focus.

"That is the main reason but they are also banned because they are bad for your health.

"Some young people, if given free rein, will be drinking litres of these drinks a day, which could cause long-term health problems."

Ms Strang says she believes the chemicals in the drinks should be banned completely.

Since the rule was brought in, only few pupils have broken it, she said.

Pupils at Endeavour School in Beverley Road are also not allowed to take the drinks to school.

Stewart Edgell, head at the school, said: "The name is a giveaway. They give children energy, mostly because they contain high quantities of sugar.

"In some instances, it encourages children to be more lively."

Like at Thomas Ferens Academy, if pupils are seen with the drinks they will be confiscated.

At Winifred Holtby School, in Midmere Avenue, Bransholme, pupils are also not allowed energy drinks.

Three years ago, Beverley High School banned the drinks after some pupils were drinking up to three bottles per day.

Head teacher Sharon Japp said they were banned at the Beverley school because they contain high levels of caffeine and sugar that could potentially be dangerous.

She said caffeine is the main worry as it acts as a stimulant and affects the heart and central nervous system, it can also increase blood pressure.

Angela Martinson, head at Newland School for Girls, told the Mail the drinks were not banned in her school.

But she said girls were steered towards healthy options.

She said: "I have not specifically banned them but we don't sell them.

"We sell healthy drinks like fruit juice and we try to guide and educate the girls to make the right choice.

"We don't need to ban them, as we don't have a problem."

Other schools also say they also do not sell them at school but have no specific ban although they may move towards a ban in the future.

Vanessa Harvey-Samuel, city learning and skills manager at Hull City Council, said: "The governors of each school decide the rules regarding high-energy drinks. We know these drinks can affect pupils adversely and that they are less able to concentrate and more likely to be irritable and bad tempered.

"We support schools to encourage their pupils to make healthy choices so they are able to maximise their learning in school."