Save our Schoolkids water safety campaign back on the roundtable

THE campaign to boost swimming and survival education in Queensland schools will take a deeper dive when water safety experts gather for the third in a series of roundtable meetings.

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THE campaign to boost swimming and survival education in schools will take a deeper dive today when water safety experts gather for the third in a series of roundtable meetings to tackle the issue.

The stakeholder meetings, being held in Brisbane, were arranged by Education Minister Grace Grace after The Courier-Mail’s Save Our Schoolkids (S.O.S.) initiative earlier this year.

On the advice of national experts, it is pushing for comprehensive, benchmarked swim and water safety lessons in primary schools similar to those implemented in other states and territories.

The campaign aims to reduce drowning deaths by giving students the vital skills to survive in the water, recognise dangers and help others who strike trouble.

Today’s meeting is expected to include more detail about what experts believe Queensland children need to better safeguard them in our world-famous aquatic environment.

It is understood this could include a combination of classroom-based water safety lessons and a minimum number of practical swimming and survival sessions, with a focus on the younger year levels.

Final advice to the State Government on options for improving water safety programs is expected in August.

The roundtable will be attended by representatives from Surf Life Saving Queensland, Royal Life Saving Association Australia, AUSTSWIM, Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association, P&Cs Queensland, Principals’ Association, Independent Schools Queensland and the Queensland Catholic Education Commission.

The State Government, which invests $1.5 million in swim programs compared with more than $9 million committed by the Victorian Government, says 98 per cent of state schools have swimming in some form.

However, it does not know how many children learn swimming and whether all schools achieve the minimum national benchmark advised by the Australian Water Safety Council.

The minimum benchmark set for primary students in the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2016-2020 is used in other states and promoted throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

It advises that children should be able to swim 50m continuous freestyle with correct technique, 25m continuous survival stroke of any nature (breaststroke, backstroke or side stroke), float for two minutes, perform a survival sequence dressed in swimwear, shorts and a T-shirt, help rescue someone and answer questions about dangers in different aquatic environments.