Saving lives through online education

Aimed at pupils aged 3-18, StayWise brings together the educational resources of the emergency services linked to the national curriculum so that pupils can learn about water safety as part of a maths or science lesson, or write an escape plan and how to keep safe during an English lesson.

The website offers free lesson plans, videos, and activity sheets to help teach young people about potentially lifesaving advice within core curriculum subjects.

And with many parents currently home schooling due to the pandemic, there are plenty of useful resources. Teachers can also set work from the site as part of a remote learning plan for parents and carers to follow.

Sam Johnson, RNLI National Water Safety Education Partner, said: ‘We are committed to keeping our communities safe and StayWise is a fantastic new resource for everyone to use.

‘Offering teachers, parents and the emergency services consistent and effective educational materials to help young people learn about a range of safety topics is even more critical when so many of us are isolated and need to make positive decisions in our day-to-day lives to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.’

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is the driving force behind StayWise with partners including the RNLI, Royal Life Saving Society, HM Coastguard, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the National Police Chiefs Council and the Injury Minimisation Programme for Schools.

Chris Bigland, NFCC’s Lead for Education and StayWise Programme Director said: ‘StayWise is committed to saving lives through education.

‘By working together with our partners, we have produced a consistent learning resource that educators from across the community can use with confidence, whether they are teachers, home schooling parents, or emergency service staff and volunteers.

‘We have released the site early to support home learning for 3 to 11 year-olds, but we’ll be expanding the resources available for older age groups in the coming months.’

The StayWise website is easy to use – just select an age group, subject or theme, to find a collection of resources to keep students busy.

Find it now at staywise.co.uk

Notes to editors:

• The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations around the coast of the UK and Ireland, and they continue to launch to those in peril at sea 24/7 throughout lockdown
• To support the RNLI’s lifesavers, go to: rnli.org/donate
• For more information, please contact Sam Johnson, RNLI National Water Safety Education Partner via email at [email protected] or contact the press office on 01202 336789 or [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, 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.