10,000 South East school children now Water Smart thanks to RNLI sessions

The Water Smart education programme delivered by the charity’s lifeguards aims to ensure children have lifesaving information ahead of any visit to the beach. It provides them with key water safety knowledge to help keep them safe in and around the water.

South East lifeguards alone have already reached 10,000 school children and that number will continue to grow as Water Smart sessions roll out over the summer. Across the UK and Ireland, lifeguards are on track to reach a total of one million school children by the end of the year.

In the South East, lifeguards have visited more than 88 primary schools and 2 SEND schools across London, reaching pupils in Wandsworth, Croydon, Bexley, Greenwich, Bromley, Lewisham, Ealing, Southwark, Lambeth, Barking & Dagenham. Across schools in Sussex and Kent, the programme also gives pupils the chance to visit lifeguards on the beach, where they can learn more about staying safe in a real coastal environment.

The RNLI’s lifeguard team, who are celebrating 25 years of keeping beaches safer, have delivered their water safety education programme to thousands of schools in coastal areas, inland communities and across every capital in the UK to ensure children have lifesaving information, if they are visiting the beach over the holidays.

The sessions teach young people lifesaving skills such as how to Float to Live, what to do if they see someone in trouble, the role of lifeguards, and introduce the wider work of the RNLI.

Maisie Rafferty and Reggie Phipps are operational lifeguards on beaches in Hampshire and West Sussex and have been key individuals delivering these invaluable sessions across schools in the South East.

Maisie said: ‘Prevention is at the heart of everything we do as lifeguards. Giving children water safety knowledge at a young age can be lifesaving, it helps them recognise risks, know what to do in an emergency, and stay safer around the water.

‘We see first hand the positive impact these sessions have on young people, and how the messages they learn are shared with families and communities. Reaching more children with these vital skills allows us to prevent incidents before they happen and keep more people safe.’

Reggie added: ‘Teaching children simple water safety skills gives them the confidence to stay safe and know what to do if something goes wrong. A lot of children from the areas we teach usually have no idea about what any of the flags mean. It’s so inspiring to see how enthusiastic they get and how much they take away from each session.’

Through outreach programmes such as this, the RNLI and its partners have built an evidence base on the effectiveness of this approach which will support the teaching of water safety as part of the National Curriculum in England from September.

Sam Johnson, RNLI Water Safety Education Development Manager, said: ‘We were delighted when the decision was made for classroom based water safety education to be made statutory in primary and secondary schools. We have seen over the past ten years through delivering our education programmes how important it is for school aged children to being given vital water safety information.

‘As a charity dedicated to saving lives at sea, we are proud to have worked with others to make this happen and look forward to seeing how it evolves.’

The RNLI will continue their Water Smart programme aiming to visit schools all over the UK so they can reach as many children as possible.

Delivery of these sessions will go on until the end of the summer term around the UK.

-ENDS-

Notes to editor:

· The Water Smart sessions are engaging, fun and informative sessions designed for ages 7-14.

· RNLI lifeguards have been keeping our beaches safer since 2001.

· RNLI lifeguards have saved more than 2,000 lives – and given help to thousands more.

· Visit rnli.org.uk/RNLIlifeguardbeach to find your nearest RNLI lifeguarded beach.

RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Kate Barkley, Communications Placement – South East on [email protected]. Alternatively, please contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or [email protected].

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Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service. The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and around 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.