Water Safety and Heatwave Education in Schools: Why It Matters More Than Ever
Every year, lives are lost in preventable water related incidents across the UK. As warmer weather encourages more young people to visit rivers, lakes, reservoirs, canals and beaches, understanding how to stay safe around water has never been more important. Water safety and Heatwave education gives children and young people the knowledge and confidence to recognise hazards, assess risk and make safer decisions before an emergency occurs.
Why is Water Safety and Heatwave education Important?
Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death among children and young people worldwide, yet many incidents are entirely preventable through education and awareness. In England, RLSS UK found that 87% of child drowning deaths involved modifiable factors, circumstances that could potentially have been prevented through better supervision, safer environments or improved water safety knowledge.
Close to 40 people have currently died due to water related incident in the UK in 2026 so far, with the highest drowning rates are seen among teenagers, highlighting the importance of continuing water safety education beyond primary school.
The Challenge for Young People
Many water-related incidents occur when young people underestimate the risks of open water. Hazards can include:
Cold water shock
Strong currents and rip currents
Hidden underwater obstacles
Sudden changes in depth
Peer influence and risk-taking behaviour
Overconfidence in swimming ability
Even confident swimmers can quickly find themselves in difficulty when entering cold or unfamiliar water. During periods of warm weather, water related incidents increase significantly as more people seek places to cool down.
Why Schools Have an Important Role
Schools are uniquely placed to help young people develop the knowledge and judgement needed to stay safe around water. Effective water safety education should help students to:
Recognise hazards in different water environments.
Understand the risks of open water.
Resist peer pressure and unsafe behaviours.
Know what to do if someone gets into difficulty.
Build confidence to make safe, informed decisions.
Teaching water safety is about far more than learning to swim. It is about developing awareness, responsibility and decision making skills that young people can use throughout their lives.
A Preventable Public Health Issue
Water safety organisations increasingly recognise drowning as a preventable public health issue rather than an unavoidable accident. Recent research from RLSS UK recommends embedding water safety education throughout childhood and adolescence, supported by a new National Water Safety Education Pathway for pupils aged 3–18.
By equipping young people with practical knowledge before they encounter risk, schools and local authorities can play a vital role in reducing preventable incidents and helping more young people enjoy water safely.
How The Riot Act Supports Water Safety and Heatwave Education
At The Riot Act, we work with Local Authorities, schools, emergency services and public health organisations to develop bespoke water safety education programmes that meet local priorities.
Our programmes can be designed for primary, secondary or post-16 learners and combine Theatre in Education, interactive workshops and behaviour change methodology to help young people:
Recognise the dangers of open water.
Understand how to respond in an emergency.
Challenge risk-taking behaviours and peer influence.
Build the confidence to make safer decisions around water.
Every programme is tailored to the needs of the community, whether supporting a local water safety campaign, responding to regional risks or complementing existing prevention initiatives. From initial concept through to delivery and evaluation, we work collaboratively with our partners to create engaging learning experiences that make a lasting difference.
Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can design a bespoke programme for your organisation.