LAUNCH OF VITAL BLACK COUNTRY WATER SAFETY PROGRAMME

The Black Country Water Safety Programme has launched in Wolverhampton, aiming to help reduce child drowning fatalities and ensure children are equipped with vital lifesaving knowledge allowing them to be safe in and around water.

More than 30 dignatories attended the event at Bert Williams Leisure Centre, including representatives from Active Black Country’s delivery partners, Swim England, the Royal Life Saving Society, Canal & River Trust, the four Black Country local authorities and local leisure operators. Perry, the 2022 Commonwealth Games mascot, is supporting the initiative and was also in attendance.

The fully-funded Black Country Water Safety Programme is designed to reach more than 4,000 children at around 80 schools to raise awareness and knowledge of water safety and improve National Curriculum Safe Self-Rescue attainment rates.

Ian Carey, chief executive of Active Black Country, said: “The critical need for water safety lessons was made crystal clear in the alarming findings of our annual school swimming survey in 2023, which revealed that 48% of primary school leavers – 7,884 children across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton – were unable to demonstrate safe self-rescue in water.”

A number of tragic child drowning deaths in and close to the Black Country over the summer have also shone the spotlight on the issue of water safety. They happened amid warnings from the Royal Life Saving Society UK about the risks of open water swimming in reservoirs, lakes, rivers and canals to prevent serious injury or loss of life.

The launch is the culmination of months of planning with programme partners after Active Black Country was awarded £200,000 from the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Inclusive Communities Fund in the spring to deliver vital water safety lessons for thousands of schoolchildren.

Aimed at Years 5 and 6, the package of lessons in and out of the water is targeting 20 schools in each of the 4 local authority areas where water safety attainment rates are the lowest.

Running from September to December, the programme includes 5 x 30-minute instructor-led lessons for children and water safety instructor led sessions for all the family which will take place at leisure centres across the region. A Resource Hub is available to all schools to support teachers to deliver water safety-themed dry side lessons.

National Curriculum requirements for School Swimming state that primary school leavers should be able to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations, swim competently, confidently, and proficiently over at least 25 metres and use a range of strokes effectively.

Headmaster of Bilston Church of England Primary School, Gary Gentle, gave a passionate speech about the “significant impact” the programme is already having on his pupils. Ten of them took part in a showcase water safety session at the swimming pool. Perry, the 2022 Commonwealth Games mascot, who is supporting the initiative, was on hand to add a bit of fun to the lesson.

Gary said the programme was empowering staff with greater knowledge to teach water safety, supported by the new Resource Hub for schools. "It's built confidence in children and encouraged safe behaviours in and around water. It will reduce the risk of children experiencing difficulty in the water and prevent the risk of drowning," he said. "I believe it will also empower children to make informed decisions about their own safety and the safety of others. That water safety education will instil lifelong learning – habits that children can carry on into adulthood."

Jo Talbot, Interim CEO at Royal Life Saving Society UK, said: “This is a fantastic initiative seeking to educate thousands of children at schools across the Black Country who may not otherwise have the opportunity and access to water safety education, helping to raise awareness and impart water safety knowledge upon children from a young age, which will be all the more relevant as we head into the colder months and the risk of drowning and cold water shock becomes more prevalent.

“As we see tragic drownings continue to take lives, it’s more important than ever that everybody has the tools to enjoy water safely this summer and beyond. More than half of accidental drownings have occurred at inland open water sites – and many of these drownings occur due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of open water safety.”

The Canal & River Trust’s learning & skills manager, Annette Simpson, said: “Being next to our canals and rivers can make children feel happier and healthier, but it is important that they know how to stay safe around water. It’s essential that children receive consistent and age-appropriate water safety messages as they grow and become more independent.”

Swim England chief executive Andy Salmon, said: “A key target in our strategy is to increase the number of youngsters who can swim as well as ensuring they are safe in, on and around water.

"Sadly, we know the Black Country has a high proportion of children leaving primary school unable to perform safe self-rescue or even swim 25m.

"By working collaboratively on the Black Country Water Safety Programme, we can showcase the many advantages being active in the water can bring. Swimming is a life skill that offers huge physical and mental health benefits but it can also improve the confidence and self-esteem of children and help them form new and lasting friendships.”