Water safety is important for children of all ages and awareness is essential to prevent accidents and drownings.
Approximately 46% of drowning deaths are among children under the age of 14 with the majority of these occurring in June, July and August due to the warmer weather.
Even the strongest of swimmers can get into difficulties in the water outdoors. It is essential that children know about water safety and are supported to recognise and manage risks, including resisting peer pressure and understanding what to do if they, or their friends, get into trouble in the water - even very young children can learn how to be safe near water.
Spending a short time providing water safety education for the whole family can make a difference. It is important to have discussions with your children about water safety on a regular basis to ensure they are aware of the dangers and know how to enjoy water safely.
Teaching children about water safety
It’s never too early to start talking to your children about staying safe near water. Make sure your whole family knows basic water safety so they know what to do if they find themselves in the water unexpectedly or come across someone else who is in danger.
Remember to:
- Talk about staying safe when you’re out and about near water.
- Have open conversations with your children about water safety. Repeat safety messages regularly to help children remember what to do.
- Remind children to be SAFE near water and Stay Away From the Edge.
- Remind young children to hold hands, take two steps back.
- Explain the dangers of swimming in open water – such as strong currents, deep, cold water and things under the surface they cannot see.
- Ensure your children are equipped with appropriate clothing and sun protection.
- Be honest with your children about whether they are competent swimmers (can they swim 100m in clothes, float to live, and tread water?).
- Know where your children are at all times.
- Remind children not to be peer pressured into swimming where they aren’t comfortable, especially if they are not strong swimmers.
- Encourage your children to download the “what3words” app to their phone (if they have one) – they can use the what3words address to help emergency services know exactly where they need to send help.
- Remind children to stay together, look out for each other and discourage stupid behaviour.
Teach children the Water Safety Code
- Stop and think: Look for dangers – always read the signs and understand what they mean.
- Stay together: Never go near the water on your own – always have an adult with you.
- Call 999: Ask for the Fire Service when inland and the Coastguard if at the coast – do not enter the water to rescue someone else.
- Float: If you fall in or become tired, stay calm, float on your back and call for help – throw something that floats to someone who has fallen in.
Staying safe around open water
From the safety of a canal bank or the edge of a river, water can look extremely inviting. But every year children and young people get into difficulty because of dangers they cannot see.
As young people become more independent it’s even more important that they are aware of how to stay safe near water.
Being a strong swimmer may not save you if you fall into cold water. Knowing how to behave can save lives.
Learning to stay safe by water
Being next to water can make children feel happier and healthier, but it's important that they know how to stay safe. Children under the age of eight always need to be actively supervised in and around water.
Below you can find links to useful resources to help you in supporting young children to be safer when near water. These have been created with families in mind so that you can engage children of all ages in simple but lifesaving content.
Unseen dangers
Every every year young people get into trouble as a result of dangers they cannot see.
- Low water temperatures can cause the body to go into cold water shock and can claim your life in minutes, even if you are a strong swimmer.
- It’s difficult to estimate the depth of the water. It may be much deeper or shallower than expected and cause serious harm if jumping in.
- There are often no suitable places to get out of the water due to steep slimy banks.
- The ground shelves away very steeply so you can quickly become out of your depth.
- There is no way of knowing what lies beneath.
- Reeds and other plant life can get tangled around your limbs and keep you in the water
- Mud makes it difficult to walk even if you can stand up.
- Litter and waste such as pipes, shopping trolleys, sharp metal or broken bottles can trap your feet as well as cause injury.
- There may be underwater machinery to help operate the locks, for example sluices.
- Swimming in open water can expose you to serious disease such as Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease).
- There may be hidden currents. Flowing water can be especially dangerous and when the locks are in operation the water flows extremely fast.
What to do if you get into danger in the water
Low water temperatures cause the body to go into cold water shock and even hypothermia.
Cold water shock
If you were to fall into cold water, you are likely to be confused and frightened and your natural instinct will be to fight the water – to swim hard. But the cold water will make you gasp uncontrollably, your heart will beat really fast, you’ll lose energy quickly and breathe in lots of water, and eventually your muscles will become paralysed. You need to fight your instincts.
Float to live - be a starfish
If you float on your back you can keep your airways clear, control your breathing and allow the cold water shock to pass. Then you can call out for help, and you will have a much better chance of surviving
What to do if someone else gets into danger
Never get into the water, even if you are a strong swimmer. Instead:
- Stay calm. Always think before you act.
- There may be other people around, so shout for help as loudly as you can.
- Dial 999 and ask for the Fire & Rescue Service. Explain your location clearly – use road names, bridge numbers and describe any landmarks. Use What3words if you can.
- Keep an eye on the person, keep talking to them and stay near them. Encourage them to float on their back in a star shape.
- If you can, throw a safety line or rope to them. Otherwise lie down to make yourself more stable and use a tree branch, stick or an item of clothing to reach out to them.
- If your dog goes into the water, don’t jump in after it. Instead, encourage it to swim to the edge.
Water safety information for teenagers and young people
It's important that young people know how to keep themselves and their friends safe if they're spending time together by the water. Young people should feel confident in making safe choices around water all year round, so they know what to do if they or their friends find themselves in difficulty.
Below you can find links to useful information and resources for communicating water safety messages to teenagers.
Learning to stay SAFE
The Canal and River trust have created teacher led resources to help teenagers learn how to stay safe near water.
Printable resources
A one-stop shop of free water safety resources you can complete at home.
These will support you to deliver age-appropriate water safety advice and help children learn more about water safety through interactive activities.
Resources for schools
Water Safety Advice from Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS)
The RLSS believe that water safety information should be accessible to all. In an ideal world, every child would learn to swim. However, as this is not the case, our resources can be delivered in the classroom or at home, which means while there may be barriers to accessing water, every child can still benefit from water safety education.
Our water safety resources encourage a safe relationship with the water. We also hope it will inspire children to have a future relationship with water, with all the mental and physical benefits that being in, on and around water brings.
Follow the links below to our free water safety resources for use in schools, in a community setting and at home
For EYFS & KS1
For KS2
Secondary Resources
Water Smart Schools
Keeping Children Safe around Water
Empowering Schools with Life-Saving Water Safety Skills
Water Smart Schools is a free accreditation programme for primary, secondary, and specialist schools - helping students gain essential skills for life.
In our Child Drowning Report we found that in 2022, accidental drowning fatalities among children rose by 46% compared to the five-year average. Tragically, 35 children lost their lives—the equivalent of an entire classroom.
Every young person deserves access to vital water safety skills, regardless of their background. These skills not only protect them around water but also open doors to enriching water-based activities and play. At RLSS UK, we believe the most effective water safety education comes through sustained learning, where essential skills are embedded to encourage informed decision-making and responsible behaviours.
Developed by Experts
Built on ‘Health and Wellbeing’ curriculum aims and objectives, the Water Smart Schools Award provides a structured framework to help schools deliver high-quality, sustainable water safety education.
This initiative equips schools with comprehensive materials for classroom-based water safety lessons, featuring adaptable, tried-and-tested resources. The programme fosters whole-school and community involvement, provides School Councils with a meaningful project base, and enhances understanding of water safety issues both locally and beyond.
Achieve Bronze, Silver, or Gold Accreditation
Upon completion, schools receive an accreditation award certificate at one of three levels: Bronze, Silver, or Gold, each valid for two years.
Ready to Make a Difference?
If you're ready to take part—whether now or in the future—simply complete the form linked below to register your school
https://www.rlss.org.uk/forms/register-for-the-water-smart-schools-programme
Canal and River Trust
Find out about water safety
West Mercia Search and Rescue have created a very good resource that all young people could work through, possibly within PSHE or as whole school learning challenge during Drowning Prevention Week
This is a free online course that teaches the risks, how to help someone in water, and the basics of saving a life.
It’s suitable for all ages, and contains loads of information on dangers from water, and how to rescue someone who’s in trouble. It takes 20-30 minutes to do the online course… You even get a FREE certificate when you finish.
References and further resources
Department for Education National Curriculum Physical Education Programmes
Swimming ability, water safety education, and drowning prevention (2006) in Handbook of Drowning: Prevention, Rescue, Treatment.
Swim England Teaching Swimming and Water Safety at Key Stage 1 or 2: Water Safety Resource (2024)
Swimming and water safety in the national curriculum –Swim England 2019
Water safety organisations
The following organisations provide a wide range of water safety and drowning prevention resources for schools:
Cambridgeshire PE Advisory Service
Practical Guide to Keeping Children Safe Around Water
