Risk Assessment

In each pool and each session, the pupils and the staff participating, will have unique features that make particular demands upon safety. Each pool and each session must therefore be dealt with individually and risk assessments produced to cover the activity.

Swim England, Safe Supervision for Teaching and Coaching Swimming 2017 highlights six important factors, these are:

Pool design

 The suitability of the general design of the pool area for teaching and coaching includes:

• shape and blind spots including those resulting from the position of equipment,
• special water features such as sprays, inlets, and wave machines,
• glare, reflection, lighting, and noise.

Depth

 Its importance in relation to the ability and height of the pupils includes:

• the depth and extent of shallow water areas,
• the extent of deepwater areas,
• the pool floor profile, in particular sudden changes in depth,
• the possibility of being able to segregate the shallow water area (e.g. roping off and using a boom).

Water quality

Two factors need to be considered:

• the temperature of the pool water (and the air) in respect of comfort - bearing in mind pupils’ size, age, and physical ability,
• clarity of the pool water.

Pool organisation

The arrangements of the lesson must be considered:

• who has the responsibility for the pool,
• is there exclusivity of use?
• is there shared use with other activities?
• if use is shared, what are the implications? (e.g. lifeguarding responsibilities),
• nature of activities,
• access/admission arrangements.

Staffing

The skills and experience of staff and the ratios of pupils to teachers/coaches are important therefore, consideration needs to be given to:

• the qualification and number of teachers, coaches, and lifeguards required,
• the skill of teachers, coaches, and lifeguards,
• the degree of support and help provided by appropriate helpers, including parents, school assistants, and auxiliaries.

Pupils and ability

The factors to be considered include:

• the age of pupils,
• the range of swimming ability. This should be known by the teacher or specialist swimming teacher and each new pupil should be checked at the first lesson, in shallow water,
• the use of flotation aids,
• the ability of pupils to comprehend instructions including their command of the language in which the lesson is taught,
• medical/additional needs.

The school must provide the specialist swimming teacher with a register, up-to-date medical information, and any other relevant information (e.g. Additional Needs) about the pupils, at least one week before the swimming programme takes place.

The completed register of pupils present should be updated and handed to the specialist swimming teacher for them to check before each lesson (see Appendix X).

Useful Links

• See Appendix A: Model Risk Assessment for a Public Pool
• See Appendix B: Model Risk Assessment for Indoor School Pools
• See Appendix C: Model Risk Assessment for Outdoor School Pools

Statutory Information

Accompanying school staff are expected to undertake a dynamic risk assessment in situ each time they attend the pool. Staff should take action to control any identified changes such as:

• water quality and temperature,
• the integrity of pool enclosure/building,
• availability and condition of rescue/emergency equipment,
• the age, range of ability, and numbers of pupils in each class,
• the activities they will be undertaking,
• the qualifications of the people leading and supporting the session,
• known additional needs/medical conditions,
• weather conditions.

If in any doubt about the safety of the lesson, don’t proceed.  Ensure concerns are addressed and resolved with the leisure provider prior to pupils being allowed to swim.

Public Pools

The school needs to make a judgement if the public pool is safe and appropriate for School Swimming. Where public pools are used regularly for swimming lessons, the school and leisure provider should arrange an induction course on the NOP and EAP to ensure that all accompanying School staff are clear about how the pool operates and the role they will have to play in an emergency, before the school swimming programme starts.

Schools whose pupils take part in swimming must be familiar with:

• risk assessments for the pool,
• the Normal Operating Procedure (NOP),
• the Emergency Action Plan (EAP),
• conditions of hire/hire agreement,
• Pool Rules (usually found in NOP and displayed on the poolside),
• any special requirements or medical conditions of pupils.

Key Information

The Appendices at the end of this policy contain model procedures and forms, which must be made specific to each school and pool.