Press Release
STA CALLS FOR MORE WATER SAFETY PROGRAMMES
26th October 2007
In response to the tragic drownings in Algarve this week, the head of one of the UK’s leading swimming organisations is calling for water safety education to become a compulsory part of the school curriculum as well as being fundamental in all learn to swim teaching programmes.
Speaking on the eve of the Swimming Teachers’ Association 76th annual conference, which will held in Leeds this weekend, Roger Millward, the Chief Executive said: “Children need to be taught how to behave safely in and around water, and understand the potential dangers. Not only may it help them save their own lives one day, but also the life of their parents, as their natural instinct is always going to be one of jumping in the water when they see their child in danger.”
“Already this summer, there have been too many children and adults who have tragically drown in our pools, rivers and seas; and with drowning still the third most common cause of accidental death among children under the age of 16, surely it is now time to seriously think about water safety education in our schools, rather than just swimming per se.”
“The biggest problem is that swimming is thought of as a sport, but it is much more. It is a key life skill, and it should be the entitlement of all children to be taught to swim in the same way as they are taught to read or write. If a child is not introduced to football or netball at school they miss an experience. If they don’t learn to swim, and are not taught about water safety they can lose their lives,” Mr Millward continued.
“The current Key Stage 2 requirement is for all children to be able to swim 25 metres. Not only is this not enough, but it can also give a child a false sense of confidence in the water – the children most likely to get into difficulty in the water are those that can swim. Again this illustrates why water safety education needs to support learn to swim programmes in our schools,” concluded Mr Millward.
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