Issue - meetings

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee in respect of free swimming lessons for children.

RESOLVED that -

(a)   the actions identified be agreed, whilst recognising that Essex County Council retains the responsibility for schools and school provision and that Active Essex has a lead role in promoting physical activity;

(b)   this Council provides support across all actions, where appropriate,  having regard to its available capacity and resources; and

(c)   it be noted that, in relation to action (viii), the promotion of water safety information and advice is a key part of the work of the Water Safety Forum which this Council has set up and that a signage audit has been undertaken by the RNLI.

Cabinet recalled that, at the meeting of the Full Council held on 27 November 2018, Members had considered a motion proposed by Councillor Pemberton in relation to free swimming lessons for children. Council had decided not to support the motion in its original format and that instead the following amended motion be approved:-

“That this Council takes the following steps in order to see that every child in the District of Tendring can be taught to swim before they leave school education:

(a)    The Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee invite the Director of Education from Essex County Council to attend a future meeting of the Committee in order to discuss how all schools can meet their statutory duty and move towards 100% of the District’s children learning to swim before they leave primary education; and

(b)    That Officers continue work with partners to develop a cohesive plan to further improve safety measures across the District’s coastline and report back with findings and any recommendations to Cabinet in February 2019, for implementation prior to the 2019 season.”

Consequently, Clare Kershaw (Director of Education, Essex County Council) and Dawn Emberson (Relationship Manager, Active Essex) had attended the meeting of the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 28 January 2019. They had set out for the Committee the statutory requirement under the National Curriculum for swimming which was as follows:-

All schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2.

In particular, pupils should be taught to:

·       swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres;

·       use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke]; and

·       perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

In relation to part (b) of Council’s resolution the Committee had been informed that this Council had set up a Water Safety Forum, which included this Council, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution), HM Coastguard, the Royal Lifesaving Society, Essex  Police, Essex Fire and Rescue Service, the East of England Ambulance Service, the Brightlingsea Harbourmaster, Harwich Haven Authority and others.

It had been reported that in a short space of time, the Forum had secured funding for a nationally recognised outdoor water safety programme to be held in Clacton, Walton and Dovercourt during 2019.  Working with Swim England, the scheme would provide free sessions to around 2,000 youngsters aged between 7-14 years.  Young people would spend time learning about the differences between swimming in a pool and in the sea, what the safety flags meant and how to get help if it was needed, before heading into the water to practise safety skills.  There would be specific school sessions, followed by spaces offered to the general public.

It was also reported that the Forum was working with Clacton Coastal Academy (CCA) who would produce a water safety film to be completed in time for Easter 2019.  The school had agreed to write and produce the film, with specialist advice being provided by members of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113