Health & Safety

Well maintained and monitored pools pose very little threat to you or your child’s health. Filter systems efficiently remove unwanted matter while chlorine kills practically all germs. In fact, your home bath and bathwater are more likely to make you ill. Remember also that water is not the only way that bacteria and viruses are transported. Many germs travel through air, while others are transmitted through person to person contact. At least in the pool, the majority of water born germs is at a disadvantage because of the chlorine’s instant killing effect.

Consequently, we ask that you respect our precautionary health rules and refrain from lessons if your child is suffering from any of the following complaints:

• Fever
• Cold Sores
• Conjunctivitis
• Impetigo
• Urinary Tract Infections
• Vomiting and diarrhoea (within the last 24 hours)
• Ringworm

BEFORE THE LESSON

• Please ensure your child takes a shower before entering the pool
• Wear appropriate costumes – whilst really cool, Bermuda shorts are not ideal as they “balloon” with water, and then cause “drag” which makes it harder for your child to swim in – keep them for the beach!
• Hair-please ensure all long hair is back and off your child’s face. Hats are preferable, but not compulsory.
• Jewellery/Earrings – please remove all jewellery before swimming, including pierced earrings.
• Food should not be consumed at least an hour before the start of the lesson.
• Please remove any plasters before coming on poolside. Plasters will come off in the water and block the filters in the pool.
• Goggles – are great for children as they can see clearly under the water. However, within the Swim England National Teaching Plan, there are certain points within the criteria where the pupil is required to open their eyes under the water and identify an object, or retrieve an object with their eyes open, without goggles on. Therefore, to prepare pupils, we will regularly remove their goggles.

SWIMLINE
Phonenumber: 0808 1004001
The Amateur Swimming Association is committed to promoting the welfare of children in our sport. That is why we have joined with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in creating SwimLine.

The service is provided for anyone involved in swimming, including children and young people who believe that the welfare of a young child is at risk. This could be neglect or abuse, bullying or fear of someone, or anything that is worrying you and you don’t know who to discuss it with.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CALL?
When you ring, you will hear a message. This will explain that you wish to speak to someone urgently or it would not be convenient for someone to call you back – you can press a number to transfer straight to the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline. 
This will be answered by trained and experienced counsellors who will advise you and act to protect children. 

If there is a problem with someone calling you back and you wish to speak to someone who understands swimming, you will need to leave your telephone number and time when it is convenient for one of our Child Protection Group to ring. These people are members of swimming clubs who work in child welfare as a profession.

SWIM ENGLAND’S “WAVE” CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
The Sussex Swim School and all of it’s teachers are fully compliant with Wave Power, Swim England’s child protection Policy and Procedures. We are totally committed to the principles and practice of equal opportunities for every child. Every child deserves to be taught how to swim.

THE ROYAL LIFE SAVING SOCIETY
All of our teachers hold The Royal Life Saving Society’s Teachers Rescue Qualification. We re-sit the exam every two years. It is important to keep our qualifications up to date. This keeps us all fresh and on our toes.

• The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) is the drowning prevention charity.
• More than 400 people drown in the UK every year and the RLSS UK aims to prevent drowning through water safety education.
• The RLSS UK is the governing body and leading provider of training and education in lifesaving, lifeguarding, water safety and life support skills in the UK.

All of our teachers attend The British Red Cross Emergency First Aid at Work course and hold current, valid certificates. We believe that our teachers should be as qualified as possible and be able to provide pupils with any first aid assistance they may require.