SOUTHAMPTON — The Water Safety Forum plans to introduce a new framework for primary and secondary schools this autumn. The initiative is designed to teach children swimming and survival skills for dangerous water situations. It comes as water-related deaths have increased, alongside challenges such as pool closures and high costs for swimming.

The City of Southampton Swimming Club, which held swimming and floating lessons at Regents Park Community College's pool, stated that more instruction is needed in schools. Matt Heathcock, Head Coach of the City of Southampton Swimming Club, said participating in swimming can be costly. "For myself and my family, you're looking at over £20 to £25 just to go for maybe an hour of swimming," Heathcock said. He added, "And with pools closing, lessons are becoming more expensive too."

Adam Goymer, Head of National Water Safety Manager, called for investment in swimming facilities. "That is certainly a call to action for government to invest in swimming pools to keep them running," Goymer said. He also said, "Schools that are fortunate to have their own pool, it would be a sheer loss if they couldn't keep it because of costs."

During a heatwave in late May, at least 11 people in the U.K. died in water-related incidents, including a 14-year-old who died at Hawley Lake near Farnborough. Data from the National Water Safety Forum indicated that 61% of drowning victims aged 8 to 18 were described by friends and family as being able to swim. Mike Tipton, a professor of physiology and chair of the National Water Safety Forum, explained why basic swimming ability is not always sufficient for open water. "Because you can swim 25 metres in an indoor pool, that doesn't necessarily prepare you to be able to survive in open water," Tipton said.

The new Water Safety Code aims to address this gap with safety messages such as "Stop and Think," "Stay Together," "Float," and "Call 999." Tipton emphasized the importance of floating in cold water. "So if you find yourself in trouble in cold water because you've rushed in, then float to live is the message," Tipton said. He advised, "Roll onto your back, tilt your head back into the water and just just do as little as possible until you get your breathing under control, which will take about a minute."