As part of the Inclusion 2024 programme, the Youth Sport Trust have been working with Swim England to create water safety training designed specifically for people working with students with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities. Three webinar sessions will be delivered in November which will cover the importance of water safety, highlight resources available and offer advice and guidance for integrating pupils with SEND into school swimming lessons

Sadly, drowning remains one of the most common causes of accidental death in children aged between 5 and 14 years and young people with SEND are at higher risk than the general population. Water safety training is designed to increase awareness of the dangers of water and aims to prevent more tragic incidents in the future.

As part of the Inclusion 2024 project, the Oscar the Otter water safety education film and accompanying lesson plans were released over the summer, designed to help children stay safe in the water. The entire film was co-designed with 15 Lead Inclusion Schools and their pupils, to ensure the character and presenter Oscar was engaging and friendly.

Over the last year, we’ve seen some great stories of schools who have used resources and tools created through Inclusion 2024 to raise the profile of water safety in their schools and local communities.

• Poltair School in Cornwall have embedded inclusive swim safe festivals across the county to support schools in providing structured water safety education. These festivals include understanding the water safety codes, the dangers of living near to the coast and other types of water and knowing how to respond in an emergency.
• Parkside School in Norwich has also been actively involved in promoting the importance of water safety with all pupils, including those with SEND. Over the last academic year, the school has educated over 25 schools and three swim school providers using the SwimPix resources. They’ve also delivered water safety assemblies in school and at local PE conferences and celebrated the success of the training through a Panathlon swim event, engaging local primary pupils with SEND. These activities not only increased pupils’ engagement and enjoyment in and around the poolside, but also improved the staff’s confidence in delivering water safety activities through the training opportunities provided.

To ensure the message around water safety continues to be amplified, the Youth Sport Trust and Swim England are looking to expand the impact of this project and ensure all pupils have access to high quality water safety education. With this in mind, we are delivering three free School Swimming & Water Safety Training sessions in November 2024. These sessions aim to equip attendees with:

• An understanding of the importance of school swimming and water safety training
• Resources available to adapt and profile within school programmes to maximise learning within school swimming
• Advice and guidance for integrating pupils with SEND into school swimming lessons

There are three sessions which will cover the topics above. You can sign up using the links below:

• Monday 4 November, 3:15-4:45pm. Virtual delivery. Sign up here
• Wednesday 6 November, 3:30-5:00pm. Virtual delivery. Sign up here
• Friday 8 November, 12:30-2:00pm. Virtual delivery. Sign up here

The training has been designed for teachers, teaching assistants, school swimming teachers and the wider school workforce to help them develop their knowledge in this hugely important area. Please sign up today to ensure more young people have the skills and knowledge to stay safe around water.