Do your children know how to stay safe around water?

Did you know that over 55% of parents surveyed said they would not be confident their child would know what to do if they fell into open water?

With figures indicating that around 25% of primary school pupils leave school unable to swim, there is a real fear that enforced pool closures during the pandemic over the last year will leave many more children than ever, lacking the ability or confidence to swim or self-rescue, should they find themselves in difficulty in the water.

The Nottinghamshire County Council Schools’ Swimming Service are supporting the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Drowning Prevention Week campaign, 19-26 June 2021, and we are urging all primary and secondary schools across the county to access the Charity’s free online resources to ensure their children have the skills to enjoy a lifetime of fun in the water.   The NCC Schools’ Swimming Service will also be delivering water safety sessions at the pools over the coming weeks for those schools that have bought into our service.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), fears that with lockdown restrictions lifting, families will flock to beaches and inland water locations this summer, without considering the potential dangers, putting themselves and others at risk.

As children (especially boys) enter their late teens, they become increasingly more likely to take risks, with more than 402 people accidentally drowning every year.

And for every drowning death that occurs, there are more than 10 near drownings, with many of these leading to life-changing injuries.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK have put together a digital primary school lesson for ages 5-7 and 7-11 please visit: Primary School Lesson | Royal Life Saving Society UK ( RLSS UK )

For more information and resources, and to find out how you can make sure your wider school community enjoys water safely please visit: https://www.rlss.org.uk.  We appreciate that there is an over-whelming amount of information, we will therefore over the coming weeks send out bite sized portions of information from the RLSS UK’s website.

If you require further information about the NCC Schools’ Swimming Service don’t hesitate to contact us: schoolsswimming@nottscc.gov.uk 0115 9772824