Water: Safety

(asked on 17th February 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure that water safety education is included in the national curriculum for primary and secondary schools.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 24th February 2023

Swimming and water safety is a compulsory part of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2. There are no specific statutory requirements for secondary schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons. Compulsory health education requires that schools teach a sound understanding of risk and provide pupils with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions on their wellbeing and health.

The Department is working in partnership with members of the National Water Safety Forum, in particular Royal Life Saving Society UK and Swim England to support schools to teach primary and secondary pupils important aspects of water safety.

This support includes online lessons on Oak National Academy and resources for pupils in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, launched by the National Water Safety Forum, as part of the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Drowning Prevention Week in July 2022.

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