The importance of swimming lessons in preventing drowning

This year’s Drowning Prevention Week is perhaps more important than ever. With over 2 million youngsters missing out on the chance to go swimming during the pandemic, it’s vital that we get children back into lessons and confident in the water once again.

During Drowning Prevention Week from 19^th – 26^th June our lessons will look a little different to usual.  Our teachers will be using lesson plans developed with the Royal Live Saving Society (RLSS) to teach children the essentials they need to be safe around the water.  Fun activities and education will be built into the lessons and appropriate to your child’s stage and ability.

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Additional Resources

The RLSS also have a range of resources available on their website where you can read about Drowning Prevention Week, how to get involved and important water safety advice for holidays, open water swimming and much more. Visit the RLSS website for more information. 

Drowning Prevention in Action

Thankfully, we don’t hear about many incidents involving our swim lesson children, but we wanted to share with you a story that made us proud of both the child and our awesome swim instructor team at Places Leisure.

Katy, our brilliant swimming teacher at Loughton Leisure Centre

Katy – Swimming Teacher

“I have been teaching swimming for many years and with my younger swimmers I often play a game called ‘Jack in the Box’. This is a great game that encourages children to put their face under the water and help gain water confidence.

One day out of the blue, I was contacted by the parents of one of my pupils saying that that wanted to thank me for what I had done for their little boy. They had recently been away on holiday staying in a house that had a large garden. The children had been happily playing at the bottom of the garden when one child came running into the house saying that Leopold (my pupil) had fallen in a hole full of lots of water and couldn’t get out.

Thinking the worst, the parents ran to the bottom of the garden to find that Leopold had indeed fallen down an uncovered manhole which was full with water. They were relieved to see he was okay and managing to keep his head above the water level. Thankfully, they managed to pull Leopold out without coming to any harm.

Talking to Leopold after his ordeal, they were overwhelmed when he was asking how he was feeling he said, "I’m okay, I did what Katy had taught me to do in my swimming lessons – I did the Jack in the Box!’”