- Published:
- Friday, 11 December 2015
Hundreds of Victorian school children will learn life-saving swimming skills as part of a new trial announced by the Andrews Labor Government today.
The $100,000 trial will involve about 200 grade 5 and 6 students from the Banyan Fields Primary School in Carrum Downs, with students taking part in ten swimming lessons to learn ‘survival skills’ such as treading water, floating, rescue strategies and basic CPR.
The program is designed to help prepare students for emergency situations, such as falling into water unexpectedly, and will also teach children about the possible risks around the water.
The trial will be run at Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre which is testing children’s swimming abilities in the Frankston area to determine current capabilities and set a benchmark against state and national standards.
The lessons will take place before school in 2016, following feedback that a crowded curriculum was one of the barriers to running lessons during school hours.
In May, Life Saving Victoria ran a ‘before-school swimming and water safety program’ trial with 68 grade five and six students at two primary schools in Shepparton. The results found that almost 90 per cent of students improved in at least one practical swimming skill and 84 per cent could float by the end of the trial.
An estimated 60 per cent of Victorian children leave primary school unable to swim the length of an Olympic-sized pool of 50 metres continuously.
Between 2000 and 2014, there were 229 drowning and near-drowning incidents involving children aged 5-14. Thirty-two of these were fatal and the remainder required hospitalisation.
The Labor Government invested $9.8 million in Life Saving Victoria in 2015-16 to help reduce the number of drownings each year.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Emergency Services Jane Garrett
“The Andrews Labor Government is proud to be helping our kids learn life-saving swimming skills with this trial.”
“Losing a child to drowning is an absolute tragedy and we want to make sure our kids have the skills they need to stay safe in the water.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“We recognise there are challenges for schools when it comes to fitting swimming lessons into a busy curriculum and that's why we are running this pilot before the school day starts."
"We look forward to seeing the trial’s results as we consider ways to further improve access to swimming lessons.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Sport John Eren
“Victorian kids love their swimming. It's a great way to stay healthy and happy, but learning valuable skills in the water are essential to staying safe.”