Published 14 June 2024
By Lucy Ashton
West Dunbartonshire school pupils have been given water safety lessons to raise awareness of the dangers of swimming in open water.
The lessons are being delivered in all schools prior to the summer holidays as part of the health and well being curriculum.
More than 900 primary seven pupils attended workshops delivered by Working4U in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust; Scottish Fire and Rescue, Police Scotland, British Transport Police, National Contingency Officers, West Dunbartonshire Council Greenspace, West Dunbartonshire Youth Council and Loch Lomond National Park Rangers.
The workshops, which are held every year, are designed to help pupils be aware of the dangers in and around open water and how to safely help someone in difficulty.
Laura Mason, Chief Education Officer, said: “The water safety programme for our children and young people reinforces the importance of safety around water particularly as we enter the school holiday period.
“It is important for adults and children to be aware of the hidden dangers in and around our rivers and lochs.
“I am very grateful to all the partners who have worked together to provide learning about how to respect open water during the holidays and throughout the year and I am sure the talks will be a great benefit to our young people who will bear this information in mind when enjoying their summer holidays.”
Further information and is available from the Education Scotland National Improvement Hub at https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/water-safety/ and families are encouraged to visit the website together for general advice and raise awareness of the dangers of open water.
West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust is holding a Water Safety Day during Drowning Prevention week on Wednesday, 19th June on Loch Lomond with partners from Scottish Swimming, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and the National Park. More than 200 pupils will attend from nine primary schools.
Meanwhile, West Dunbartonshire is in the top five performing Councils in Scotland for narrowing the attainment gap in literacy and numeracy in primary.
A report to the Educational Services Committee highlighted that good progress has been made with attainment in writing and numeracy since 2022.
The report also highlighted that West Dunbartonshire has received positive reports for all schools and early learning centres inspected this session demonstrating the Council’s commitment to delivering high quality education for children and young people in West Dunbartonshire.
There are no details in the media release issued by the Council Communications Department in regard to the levels pupils are asked to achieve in reading and writing and no information either on how many pupils have failed to achieve these levels.
Laura Mason, Chief Education Officer, said: “I am very pleased to see our continued progress in education across all settings.
“We know our staff work extremely hard with our children, pupils and their families and strive to ensure every pupil is supported to reach their full potential during their time at school and beyond.”