Swimming and water safety education

Teach swimming and water safety in the classroom

Resources offering support for schools, families and swimming providers, as well as professional development training opportunities for school and swimming providers are available from:

• Victorian Water Safety Certificate(opens in a new window)
  • The milestone students should meet by the time they leave primary school.
    
• Life Saving Victoria(opens in a new window)
  • A website supported by the department to assist schools in delivering swimming and water safety education programs.
  • Swim City has a number of activities that can be utilised alongside the Swim City game - Swim City Resources | Toolkit(opens in a new window).
    
• Surf Life Saving Australia – Beachsafe (opens in a new window)(also available via an app)
  • Information and conditions for every beach in Australia. It shows patrol services, hazards and facilities as well as weather, swell and tide details.
  • The website is available in 240 languages
    
• Kangaroo Beach – Water Safety Education(opens in a new window)
  • Endorsed by Surf Life Saving Australia, a tv series available via ABC iView. The episodes demonstrate water safety through each adventure with some short clips on specific water safety tips for rip and wave safety.
    
• Vic Emergency – Get to know our Warning Signs(opens in a new window)
  • Resources “Here to keep you safe — rain, hail or shine!”
  • A range of materials to help the community recognise emergency warning signs, including three picture books. In these stories students can meet the warning signs and learn what they do to keep us safe.
    
• Swim Club Australia - Resources(opens in a new window)
  • 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(opens in a new window)
  • Written by a surf lifesaver Books are available in 5 different languages and endorsed by industry.

• 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(opens in a new window)
  Water Safety 2(opens in a new window)
  Water Safety 3 (opens in a new window)

Professional development workshops

As part of the Public Water Safety Initiative with the Department of Education, Life Saving Victoria has developed a suite of professional development workshops to directly support staff teaching swimming and water safety education.

Policy information for principals

Principals, administrators and school leaders are reminded that all requests for parent payments relating to swimming programs must be in accordance with the Department’s Parent Payment Policy.

• Read the full Swimming Instruction and Water Safety Education policy(opens in a new window) via the Policy and Advisory Library
• Read the full Parent Payments policy(opens in a new window) via the Policy and Advisory Library
• Read the Child Safe Standards(opens in a new window) via the Policy and Advisory Library

Funding information

For information on funding provided to Government schools, read: Swimming in Schools (Reference 115)(opens in a new window).

Catholic primary schools will receive funding directly from the Victorian Catholic Education Authority.

Additional funding

Students and schools may be eligible for additional funding to assist with swimming and water safety programs through:

• Sporting Schools(opens in a new window)
• Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund(opens in a new window)