Drowning Prevention Week runs from 13–20 June every year. Led by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) Royal Life Saving Society UK's Drowning Prevention Week, the campaign provides vital water safety education and lifesaving skills just ahead of the summer holidays to help prevent accidental drownings Drowning Prevention Week Resources - RLSS UK.

At Garswood we promote this in school to ensure our children are fully informed about water safety, however, we wanted to share this with you as parents and carers also.

Drowning Prevention Week, championed by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), is a vital opportunity to refocus on our children’s safety. While we all agree that "Water is fun!", this enjoyment must be balanced with a clear-eyed understanding of the risks involved.

Garswood is proud to support this initiative to ensure every family possesses the practical knowledge required to explore aquatic environments without fear. True safety begins at home by training ourselves to see water not just as a playground, but as a space that demands respect and situational awareness. Effective protection starts with identifying the specific locations where water hazards are most likely to be encountered in our daily lives.

The campaign aims to educate children and young adults (aged 5 to 17) The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) Drowning Prevention ... on the dangers of open water, such as:

• Cold Water Shock: Sudden changes in water temperature that can affect even the strongest swimmers.

• Hidden Hazards: Powerful currents, debris, and steep drops beneath the water's surface.

You must recognise that water hazards are present in almost every environment, stretching far beyond the traditional seaside holiday. Families should stay alert to the dangers posed by natural sites such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and streams, as well as man-made features like canals and swimming pools. Crucially, many accidents happen closer to home in domestic settings where we might least expect them. Garden ponds, hot tubs, baths, and even common garden water butts pose significant risks to unsupervised children. Identifying these potential traps in your local community and home is the essential first step in preventing a tragedy and ensures that the real-world impact of these hazards is understood before any family activity begins.

The Water Safety Code provides the most effective framework for keeping your children safe, and it is vital that you teach them the first two pillars immediately:

"Stop and Think" and "Stay Together."

Before your children enter any water, they must learn to pause and assess the environment for hidden dangers such as unexpectedly cold temperatures or powerful hidden currents. Furthermore, you must enforce the rule of staying with a grown-up or a friend, as constant supervision is the most effective tool we have to prevent drowning.

By making these habits a standard part of every water-based outing, you significantly reduce the likelihood of a child finding themselves in a life-threatening situation. While prevention is always our priority, we must also be prepared to act if an emergency occurs.

The Water Safety Code:

Learn and share the core water safety principles:

• Be Aware: Find out about local hazards and safety signs.

• Be Together: Never swim alone and look out for your friends and family.

• Call 999: Know exactly what to do in an emergency.

The Water Safety Code provides crucial, easy-to-remember rules to keep you safe in and around open water. The code focuses on four key principles:

Should a crisis arise, knowing how to react in those first few seconds can be the difference between life and death. The final two steps of the Water Safety Code—"Call 999" and "Float"—are the most critical skills for any individual to master.

If someone is in trouble, you must alert the emergency services immediately by dialling 999. If a child falls into the water unexpectedly, they must resist the urge to thrash about and instead "Float" to manage the terrifying effects of cold water shock. You should teach your children to lean back in the water and spread their arms and legs like a starfish; this simple action keeps their airway clear and allows them to regain control of their breathing until help arrives.

These response techniques provide the skills needed to survive unexpected immersion and transform a moment of panic into a life-saving response.

Sustained education is a continuous journey, and as parents, you are the most influential teachers in your children’s lives. We encourage all families to visit the Royal Life Saving Society UK website at www.rlss.org.uk to access further resources and engage with the life-saving work of this national programme.

Garswood is dedicated to the shared mission of helping our community "Enjoy Water Safely" so that every child remains "Free From Drowning." By making these safety principles a permanent part of your family's routine, you are helping to ensure that water remains a source of health and happiness for every child in our care. Together, we can keep every child safe in, on, and around water.

For Joe and Sunnah....

In this emotional and inspiring interview, the courageous mothers of Sunnah Khan and Joe Abbess sit down to talk about their two children who tragically drowned off Bournemouth beach in a rip current.

Both mothers share their heart-wrenching stories, shedding light on the devastating impact of losing their beloved children.

Their bravery and determination to prevent future tragedies have led them to campaign with the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) for better water safety education for children.

DPW Social Stories:

Drowning Prevention Week (DPW) social stories provide step-by-step, visual narratives tailored for children and individuals with special educational needs (SEND). They detail safe water behaviors and what to expect during swimming lessons to ease anxiety and promote clear water safety awareness

Key Themes & Summaries

Social stories utilized during DPW typically focus on several actionable water safety milestones:

• Understanding Water: Teaching that water exists in different places (baths, pools, beaches, and lakes) and can look different.

• Active Supervision: Reinforcing the rule to always stay close to a trusted adult and ask for permission before going near or entering the water.

Why Social Stories are Vital:

For neurodivergent children (such as those on the autism spectrum), wandering and being drawn to water are significant risks. Social stories help prevent accidents by:

• Demystifying water environments to reduce panic (which is a primary danger in drowning).

• Providing clear, concrete rules that provide a sense of structure.

• Wearing Safety Gear: Explaining the importance of wearing a life jacket when boating or near open water.

• Safe Actions in Water: Walking through what happens during swimming lessons, such as blowing bubbles, kicking legs, and following the lifeguard's directions.

• What to Do in an Emergency: Teaching children not to jump in to help someone else, but to "Reach, Throw, Don't Go" and to call emergency services