The Queensland Government is committed to providing a high quality water safety and swimming education program and developed the:
School requirements
In line with the department’s
P–12 Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework, Queensland state schools are required to provide a water safety and swimming education program in Prep to Year 6. They are encouraged to implement the program as part of the delivery of the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education.
Individual state schools determine how they provide their water safety and swimming education program in line with the
statement of expectations: water safety and learn to swim programs. This statement provides additional information about targeted programs, training, qualifications and competencies.
Schools must complete a
Curriculum Activity Risk Assessment (CARA) that complies with the requirements outlined in the specific water location
guidelines. Additional risks, hazards and control measures supplied by an external provider must be included with this risk assessment.
Funding
As a result of the Queensland Government's commitment to support water safety and swimming education in Queensland state schools, an additional $500,000 in funding has been committed for water safety and swimming education programs.
The water safety and swimming education funding model has been restructured to ensure that funding best supports schools in delivering a program. Primary schools without pools may apply for a water safety and swimming education grant. All special schools will receive
Learn to Swim funding.
Water safety and swimming education grant
The water safety and swimming education grant supports schools who experience challenges when implementing a water safety and swimming education program.
The grant is in addition to Learn to Swim funding, which is provided annually to primary and special schools without pools.
Applications for the 2024 water safety and swimming education grant
open semester 2 2024.
Changes to the water safety and swimming education grant include:
- eligibility has now changed to state primary schools without a pool only
- all special schools are now supported through extended 'learn to swim' funding from mid-2024.
Water safety and swimming education program
To support schools to implement water safety and learn to swim programs, the Department of Education has developed the water safety and swimming education program. All resources are based on current water safety and learn to swim best practice and are aligned to the:
- national swimming and water safety framework
- Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (HPE) achievement standards and content descriptions.
The program provides 8 lessons for each band of years (Prep, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, Years 5 and 6, Years 7 and 8, and Years 9 and 10). Supporting materials for implementing the program include guidelines, sequence of competency, competency checklists, glossary and curriculum alignment resources. The program is available to all Queensland state and non-state schools and can also accessible via
Scootle.
For further information, enquiries can be sent to
water.safety@qed.qld.gov.au.
Water safety and swimming audit
On 7 February 2023, the Department of Education sent a data collection survey to state school principals with a Prep to Year 6 cohort, special schools and schools of distance education to gain an understanding of how water safety and swimming was delivered across Queensland.
View a copy of the
water safety and swimming education programs in Queensland state schools audit report.