Confidence on the Water: Preparing Pupils for a Safe Summer

With the summer holidays in our sights, it was the perfect time to remind our pupils about the importance of safety in and around the water. Towards the end of the term, a volunteer from the RNLI joined us for an assembly, where she demonstrated how they respond to calls for help and explained to the girls how to keep themselves, as well as their families, friends, and pets, safe around water.   

With many families now owning paddle boards, the RNLI shared their 5-point plan for safe paddling, which the girls were encouraged to memorise and repeat:  

1. Wear a buoyancy aid / personal flotation device  

2. Carry a means of communication  

3. Check the weather  

4. Tell others of your plans  

5. Paddle within your ability  

Recently, 50 pupils from Years 4-6 joined our extra-curricular paddleboarding sessions with Mendip Activity Centre. Following the assembly, where we learned that paddleboarding call-outs are on the rise, we asked Mendip if they could include practical safety advice to support the RNLI's message. They gladly obliged, and their excellent instructors taught the children skills such as towing a tired or injured paddler, self-rescue, helping a fellow paddler onto their own board, rafting the boards for added strength in wind, as well as prone paddling in case they lost their paddle. The girls had a fantastic time whilst learning skills to keep them safe on the water - huge thanks to the RNLI and Mendip Activity Centre for providing such valuable safety advice.