Keeping Barnet Safe Around Water

GLL is continuing to promote the importance of water safety across Barnet, helping children develop the knowledge and confidence they need to stay safe in and around water.

As part of our ongoing water safety work, Area Swim School Lead, Adam Paine delivered interactive sessions to 720 children across 23 classes, helping young people understand the risks associated with water and what they can do to keep themselves and others safe.

The sessions focus on key messages from the RLSS UK Water Safety Code, including how to stay safe around water, as well as the Float to Live campaign, which teaches children what to do if they unexpectedly find themselves in difficulty in the water.

To make the sessions fun and engaging, children also took part in an interactive quiz focusing on the different beach flags and what they mean. This gave children the opportunity to test their knowledge and helped reinforce the important safety messages covered during the session.

The response from children and school staff has been extremely positive, with children continuing to talk about the sessions and the messages they had learned after the talks had finished. Some schools have also requested that the sessions return in the future, showing the importance of continuing to provide children with regular and accessible water safety education.

Staying Safe in Pools and Open Water

Water safety is an important message all year round. Whether children are swimming at a leisure centre, visiting a swimming pool, enjoying a day at the beach or spending time near lakes, rivers and other open water, understanding how to stay safe can help them make informed decisions.

GLL is committed to helping as many children and young people as possible understand the importance of safe swimming and being aware of the potential dangers around water.

We are now looking to reach even more schools across Barnet and would love to work with schools that are interested in providing their pupils with a water safety talk.

If your school would like to find out more or arrange a water safety talk, please get in touch with the Barnet team - barnetcommunitysport@gll.org

Together, we can help more children understand how to stay safe in and around water.