Yorkshire Water expanding open water awareness events in schools

Yorkshire Water is offering virtual water safety and awareness assemblies and events to schools across the region as it continues its work to keep people safe around its reservoir sites and other areas of open water. 

Recent months have seen a significant increase in people, many of them unaccompanied children, visiting Yorkshire Water’s sites and entering the water, despite the risks posed. 

As well as water safety, the virtual events for the new school year cover key themes relevant to the national curriculum, citizenship and water safety throughout the academic year. 

Through the water safety events, which are aligned to Swim England’s water safety messaging, early years, key stages 1 and 2 children will learn about the dangers of open water, how to keep themselves and their family safe and what to do in an emergency. 

Plans are in place to expand the water safety events and assemblies to children at key stage 3 and 4 later in the academic year, which will cover the dangers posed by open water but also the increased risk of being near water with their peers and the danger of alcohol and drugs near open water. 

Anne Reed, social responsibility and education manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We provided a number of lessons and events in the last academic year to inform children of the dangers posed by open water. Over the summer we have been working closely with the National Water Safety Forum to support with increased education in this area. 

“Our water safety education offering has been extended and we are now offering assemblies and events throughout the school year. Schools can sign up now for events in the autumn and spring terms.” 

For more information and to book live events and assemblies, teachers should visit Yorkshire Water’s education site.