To think water safety needs to be made into a bigger thing?

[MeltingPregnantLady]

This summer several young teens and young adults have drowned jumping into or swimming in areas of open water having fun in the heatwave and cooling off seemingly oblivious to the risks involved (as teens and young adults often are!).

I live reasonably near the coast and at no point have any of the schools done any water safety education - even basics - in class. We have because we feel it is important however not all parents will think like us. Should there be some kind of drive either in schools or in the press or at waterfronts telling people just how dangerous seemingly safe areas of water can be?

My daughter recently did a canoeing activity with guides over 3 evenings. Day 1 was just water safety things like dangers of cold temp in reservoirs, hazards of hidden underwater objects etc. It would make sense if a similar could be taught in Schools.
I vividly recall the don’t play about on the railway line talk we had in a School assembly 30 years ago, man giving it ended the talk about a boy who had been killed saying it was my brother all the girls were in tears.

I guess you ‘stop’ when you’ve covered the things certain age groups might do that are dangerous. We already cover drugs, sexual health, fire and first aid and every year teenagers are dying because the dangers of open water swimming are not covered thoroughly.

This is a parenting issue, not down to the schools who have enough to cram in within a day without taking up more parenting slack.

If you feel so strongly, arrange with a water charity to have leaflets and posters sent in or commission your own.

We already cover drugs, sexual health, fire and first aid and every year teenagers are dying because the dangers of open water swimming are not covered thoroughly.

That’s a pretty serious charge to levy against schools. Teenagers are dying because schools aren’t doing a good enough job on water safety?

Drugs, alcohol, safe sex etc are throughly covered too. Teens still take drugs, alcohol and have unsafe sex.

Teens take risks. That’s a natural part of adolescence.

Didn’t say because schools don’t cover them thoroughly PurpleDaisies. You don’t need to tell me how pushed schools are for time to fit everything in, I am well aware of that.
Yes, I am sure there would still be deaths, as with drugs etc, but at least schools would know they had played a part in preventing more.

I was trying to explain this to my dd but didn’t really know what to say about what is the biggest danger. Can anyone help? What is the biggest risk about jumping into reservoirs etc? Is it cold water? Why? What happens to the body? Is it that gasping thing you do in cold water? Is it worse when the air temp is hotter? Does the same thing apply in the sea or are reservoirs worse because they are still and deeper?

Of course you're right, only a fool would disagree. Water safety skills are so easily taught too.

There’s even a ready made www.unitedutilities.com/about-us/recreation-sites/reservoir-safety/reservoirsafetyteachers/

Teachers Guide from United Utilities.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/jul/07/how-to-teach-water-safety

I can’t access the posters, lesson plans etc as I am not a teacher. But this^^ looks quite comprehensive if you happen to be a teacher!

Primary schools have compulsory swimming lessons, part of which is covering treading water etc. I’m sure the instructors cover water safety as part of the course. In high school so much is covered in the phse lessons and assemblies throughout the school year, I’d be surprised if (especially in the summer term) that nothing was mentioned. I remember at school there being boys who drowned at the river near our town during the summer 😕

There's no reason it couldn't be covered in an assembly, there's no suggestion of adding hours of work to the curriculum.

There definitely is an attitude prevalent of "why spoil the fun" or "I did it when I grew up and I was fine" etc. I've seen it locally when someone pointed out the dangers of kids playing in a local lake. Not a couple of weeks later an adult died in a different nearby lake. People are still swimming in there though!

*Why is it always the responsibility of schools to teach this stuff?

Surely the point is - Why not? When a child has died, it's no comfort to sit back and blame the parents when relatively easy action taken in school might have prevented it.

We had a safety session as part of dds swimming lesson BUT parents complained as it ate into swimming lessons as they were talking at the poolside.

It was an excellent session, the kids were encouraged to show how they could shout and wave for help, what the safety flags at the beach meant, how to help others if they see someone in trouble.

I felt really shame faced as ive never taught my dds this, ive always watched them likea hawk! I taught them about rip currents and deep cold water,but not practically walking them through it.

I think of myself as a fairly competant parent, but i do miss stuff - the basic safety and first aid i learnt was through cubs/guides/aircadets though.

Surely the point is - Why not? When a child has died, it's no comfort to sit back and blame the parents when relatively easy action taken in school might have prevented it.

Who is blaming the parents? These things are usually tragic accidents where someone impulsively does something stupid that they know is dangerous.

You’re very naive if you think an assembly in school would have “easily prevented it”.

Mail a link out to parents in a newsletter too, perhaps? We get updates on what PHSE they have been learning with any relevant links for further info.

I live on a dangerous bit of coast. There have been deaths over the years and numerous people getting stuck in the mud ever year and the rescue services being called out to rescue them.
There are signs everywhere on the beaches telling people about the dangers and where not to go. They are ignored.
Leaflets are put in caravans about the dangers for the holidaymakers to read. They are ignored.
It's so exasperating to read in the local news about how many times the rescue services are required every week never mind every year.
The hot weather just makes it worse.
You can try and teach people all you want but if people don''t want to be told or think they know better then you are fighting a losing battle.

We can’t know if an assembly on anything will stop a child doing that thing. We can know that we have done everything in our power to get an important message out there.
We see the awareness being spread on the news, local and national, so we need to make sure as many children and young people as possible see that message.

I live near a bug quarry where we regularly swim. It’s difficult to tell the D.C. not to swim there as they know we swim there but we have covered where we swim and where we absolutely don’t swim. How to get in and out safely. Not jumping off the ledges but walking down the slope. They do swim there as generations of local people do.

It worries me in this weather when we have teenagers and families coming who have no idea about quarry safety and just swim anywhere they like. I do try and talk to them and most listen but some genuinely think you are exaggerating.

I wonder about some parents taking ANY responsibility for their kids these days. It seems schools are taking up the slack for more and more parental irresponsibility. I'm surprised they still have time for education!

It would be wise for schools to cover water safety though.

Parents need to teach their children that failure to respect the water gets you killed. Not living up to your responsibility here gets your children killed.

I think it's a nice ideal that we always step in at every possible point where someone might fail in their personal responsibility, or accidents might happen, but the reality is that we can't have a 100% hit rate even if we try.

Water's a really good example. There is no way you escape the understanding that lakes, rivers the sea will kill you if you aren't careful even now.

I wonder about some parents taking ANY responsibility for their kids these days. It seems schools are taking up the slack for more and more parental irresponsibility. I'm surprised they still have time for education!

Absolutely, and the more schools/state are empowered to step in for parents that basically can't wipe their own arses let alone look after their kids, the more totally unreasonable chances they get to lecture and inconvenience the rest of us.

Good case in point being that chance to take your kids on a holiday full of educational merit eg to visit Rome, only to be fined/stopped because of other people who let theirs bunk off.

The RNLI do offer sessions in schools but the schools have to invite them in to do so. Ask your school to do this.

I think it should be covered in schools. The Primary 7s (age 11&12) locally go to an event aimed at keeping them safe. Road safety /railways/electricty/fire etc. 5 minutes about how to rescue someone from a swimming pool with the equipment that would be at a pool.

We live on an area where almost every child from the age of 9 or 10 is swimmimg in the river and jumping in. There was nothing covered at all about how to keep themselves safe doing this and what to do if something goes wrong.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS) runs some good courses and is a great source of information.

Unfortunately many parents are very complacent about the risks. And I think it’s worth pointing out that most people who drown never intended to be in the water at all. So while we should be concerned about children jumping in, we should be just as concerned at falling in.

One of the training officers at the sub aqua club I belong to recently ran a free water safety course. Only about a third of the kids booked in turned up. The resources are there if people would only make them a priority.