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Abertay research helps inform national efforts to strengthen water safety education
Abertay University has partnered with Water Safety Scotland to share free education resources designed to help children and young people stay safe around Scotland’s waters this summer.
Designed primarily for teachers working with children and young people, the complimentary practitioner materials can also be used by parents, carers, clubs and community groups to support water safety conversations and activities beyond the classroom.
The resources support Scotland’s Water Safety Code and provide a learning pathway covering every stage of the Curriculum for Excellence, from Early Level to Senior Phase.
The work is being supported by research funded by Water Safety Scotland and led by Dr Paula Murray at Abertay University, which explored children and young people’s knowledge of water safety in Scotland.
While the full findings will be shared following publication, the research was designed to establish a baseline understanding of children’s water safety knowledge and to support wider efforts to improve awareness, education and safer behaviours around water.
Dr Murray said:
Education plays a vital role in preventing water-related incidents. Our research has now been completed and will be published shortly, but it already reinforces the importance of making practical, accessible water safety education available to children and young people. These resources provide a clear and useful way to help young people build confidence, knowledge and safer behaviours around water, whether that learning takes place in school, at home or through clubs and community groups.
The resources have been developed as part of Scotland’s Drowning Prevention Strategy, which aims to reduce accidental drowning fatalities through increased awareness, education and partnership working.
The Water Safety Code, which is a three step code, encourages people to stop and think before going near water, stay together and stay close to others, and call 999 in an emergency.
With more families expected to visit beaches, rivers, lochs and other open water locations over the summer, the resources offer a timely opportunity to raise awareness and support conversations about how to stay safe around water.
Carlene McAvoy, Head of Policy at RoSPA and founder of Water Safety Scotland said:
Learning about water safety is a vital life skill that every child should have. We are incredibly fortunate in Scotland to have such spectacular coastlines, lochs and waterways, but enjoying them safely starts with understanding the risks and knowing how to stay safe. The educational resources, developed by Water Safety Scotland in partnership with Education Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, provide a consistent approach to classroom learning and help equip young people with the knowledge and confidence to make safer choices around water. We encourage parents, teachers and young people to make full use of these resources, alongside the wider information and guidance available through Water Safety Scotland, including activity-specific advice for swimming, surfing, paddleboarding and many other water-based activities. By working together to ensure every child learns the knowledge and skills to stay safe around water, we can help make Scotland safer.
The Water Safety Scotland resources are available free of charge and can be accessed by schools, teachers, practitioners, parents, carers, clubs and community groups across Scotland.
Water Safety Scotland was founded by RoSPA in 2014 and is a partnership organisation whose purpose is to influence, coordinate and lead the aims set out in Scotland's Drowning Prevention Strategy. The Scottish Government have funded RoSPA’s drowning prevention work in Scotland since 2012, including managing Water Safety Scotland.
