FREE SUMMER TERM SWIM SAFE SESSIONS FOR SCHOOLS
Swim Safe For Schools, the UK’s FREE outdoor swimming and water safety programme for children in Key Stages 2 and 3, will be returning to beaches, lakes and sea pools across the UK this summer term.
Taking place just before the summer holidays, when families will be making the most of the UK’s great outdoors, the one hour sessions teach children vital skills for staying safe while having fun in the water. School sessions will be running at 9 locations across the UK, including the Lake District, Jersey, Bournemouth, Wales, Penzance, Durham, the Isles of Scilly and two locations in Plymouth.
Practical, interactive, educational and fun, each session includes a land-based safety lesson with a lifeguard and in-water tuition with a swimming teacher. Wetsuits, swimming hats and a free goody bag with t-shirt are all provided.
Swim Safe began in 2013 when the ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) and the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) joined together to teach young people the skills of staying safe in open water, an environment with more challenges and dangers than those found in an indoor swimming pool. As the summer holiday sessions grew in popularity, the programme was developed to include Swim Safe For Schools, exclusive sessions for school pupils during the summer term.
Swim Safe For Schools contributes to the national curriculum attainment outcome of giving children the opportunity to swim in different aquatic environments. The programme will provide them with the skills to perform safe self-rescue in those environments.
Sue Little, Head Teacher at Low Furness CE Primary School in Ulverston said: ‘We brought all our Key Stage 2 children along to a Swim Safe For Schools session at Brockhole in the Lake District last summer. The children and staff absolutely loved their Swim Safe session. Not only did they all have a fantastic time, but they also learnt some very valuable skills about how to stay safe while enjoying the outdoors, especially important just before the summer holidays.’
‘The Swim Safe staff catered brilliantly for our children with disabilities and were very encouraging to the nervous among us, ensuring that every child participated.’
‘I’d definitely encourage any schools local to a Swim Safe area to take advantage of this brilliant, free opportunity. We shall certainly be back this year.’
Teachers can find out how to book their class for a Swim Safe For Schools session by emailing swimsafeforschools@swimming.org or visit Swimming.org/swimsafe for more information.
