Swimming Instruction and Water Safety Education

Resources

• VCAA swimming and water safety teaching resources – sample swimming and water safety activities have been developed to support teachers to identify the content descriptors, focus areas and achievement standards where swimming and water safety could be included within a health and physical education teaching and learning program
• Swimming in schools – provides an overview of the Victorian Government initiative and funding, which assists with the delivery of quality swimming and water safety education for students. Included in the Victorian Curriculum as part of Health and Physical Education
• Life Saving Victoria Toolkit – a website commissioned by the department to provide resources, training and professional development for the education sector as well as the aquatic industry to facilitate schools meeting the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum F-10 Health and Physical Education in relation to swimming and water safety education
• LSV on Arc Learning – LSV page on Arc Learning listing upcoming events and professional development for teachers, and a link to the LSV education team

Water safety tips

• Life Saving Victoria have provided water safety tips which can be discussed in the classroom or provided to parents/carers via school newsletters. The information is the same in each of the documents, they are 3 different formats:
  • Water Safety 1
  • Water Safety 2
  • Water Safety 3
• Beachsafe – Surf Life Saving Australia website and app providing information and conditions for every beach in Australia, including patrol services, hazards, facilities, weather, swell and tide details. The website is available in over 200 languages
• Kangaroo Beach – Water Safety Education – short clips from the ABC TV series, endorsed by Surf Life Saving Australia, demonstrating water safety for specific situations such as rips, waves and rivers.
• Vic Emergency – Get to know our Warning Signs – a range of materials, available in multiple languages, to help educate on the warning signs of bushfires, floods, storms and extreme heat
• Swim Club Australia – Worksheets designed to encourage students to use their imagination and utilise their water safety knowledge taught in the classroom
• Water Safety Education books by Louise Lambeth – written by a surf lifesaver, available in 5 different languages and endorsed by organisations such as Surf Life Saving Australia and Royal Life Saving Society Australia

Case studies of school water safety initiatives

Case studies of various schools’ swimming programs provide examples of cost-effective ways of delivering swimming programs in line with the Victorian Curriculum and are available on the LSV School Swimming and Water Safety Toolkit.