Schools must consider age, maturity and skill level of students when planning curriculum activities. Ensure participants' current level of confidence and skills in the water have been tested. Consult the sequence of competency found in the
water safety and swimming education program for guidance at each year/band level.
Adjustments are required for
students with disability to support access and participation in the curriculum. Consult with the parents/carers of students with disability or, when appropriate, the student to ensure risks related to their child's participation in the activity are identified and managed.
Schools must consult current student medical information and/or health plans in accordance with the
managing students' health support needs at school procedure. Record information about any student condition (e.g. physical or medical, such as
epilepsy) that may inhibit safe engagement in the activity and include specific support measures within emergency procedures.
For activities with students with a medical condition or disability that may impact on safety during the activity, consultation with parents is required prior to allocating supervision to determine the impact of students' medical condition or disability on safety during the activity.
For participants with known allergies, schools must comply with the
supporting students with asthma and/or at risk of anaphylaxis at school procedure and the school's
anaphylaxis risk management plan (DOCX, 159KB), including an adult supervisor of the activity with
anaphylaxis training.
Emergency plans and injury management procedures must be established for foreseeable incidents (e.g. raising alarm, rescue process, provision of CPR and
first aid) and incorporate the advice from local authorities, for example, location of automated external defibrillator (AED), position and location of lifeguard.
Adult supervisors must have:
- emergency contact details of all participants
- a medical alert list and a process for administering student medication
- communication equipment in waterproof containers suitable to conditions (e.g. mobile phone) and a process for obtaining external assistance and/or receiving emergency advice.
Safety procedures must be determined for the location (e.g. water entry/exit, out of bounds areas) and incorporate advice from off-site facility, if relevant.
Ready access is required to buoyant and rescue aids at various locations within the venue (e.g. lightweight poles, water noodles or ropes with a float attached).
Access is required to
first aid equipment and consumables suitable for foreseeable incidents.
Induction is required for all adult supervisors on emergency procedures (e.g. hand up for assistance, raising alarm, rescue process), safety procedures (e.g. active and direct supervision for each supervisory role, whistle blasts and their meaning, water entry/exit) and correct techniques. If the activity is conducted at an off-site facility, induction is to be informed by advice provided in consultation with expertise at the venue.
Instruction is required for students on safety procedures and correct techniques (e.g. buddy up, water entry) to ensure preliminary water safety knowledge and learning prior to entering the water. Rule-reminders are to be provided throughout the activity.
Parent consent (DOCX, 309KB) is required for all activities conducted
off-site and all
extreme risk level activities conducted onsite. It is
strongly recommended that parent consent is obtained for
high risk level activities conducted on-site.
Supervision
Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults, make final supervision decisions for the activity that considers the local context.
Appropriate adult supervision must be provided to manage the activity safely (i.e. prevent an incident from occurring and manage an incident if one were to occur, including managing emergency situations). At no time should students be relied upon to recover a person in difficulty. The principal must give active consideration to the minimum standards set in the CARA guideline for the activity, the CARA planner and the risk assessment when determining the appropriate level of supervision.
See
number of adult supervisors below.
Prepare a supervision plan to prevent drowning that considers the advice provided in this CARA guideline. Consider
Royal Life Saving Society Queensland's (RLSSQ) guidelines for safe pool operations for support when supervision planning.
Where a lifeguard service is available, schools are to collaborate with the lifeguard on the contents of the CARA record prior to the activity for advice and to address any queries they may have.
Note: The presence of a lifeguard service does not absolve the school of any supervision requirements unless secured for the sole purpose of the activity.
Participants must adhere to all rules and advice communicated by the local lifeguard service, facility operator/owner and any safety signage at the facility/location.
Before the activity, all adult supervisors:
- must be familiar with the contents of the CARA record, including the emergency and supervision plans.
During the activity, all adult supervisors:
- must provide active and direct supervision—be constantly vigilant, attentive and rescue ready
- must comply with control measures from the CARA record and adapt as hazards arise
- must
not rely on students to recover a person in difficulty at any time.
The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. poor visibility, extreme temperatures, thunderstorms).
Number of adult supervisors
Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults of the activity, determine the final number of supervisors to fulfil instructional, emergency and supervision roles for the local context that consider
RLSSQ's guidelines for safe pool operations, the nature of the activity, students' ages, abilities and specialised learning, access and/or health needs. In some instances, the final supervision ratio may be 1:1.
To support decisions about the number of qualified adults required for the activity, confirmation of student water safety and swimming ability is required prior to participation.
See
frequently asked questions (FAQs) for further support.
The process is determined by the school and must consider the specific aquatic environments in which the activity will take place. Consult the sequence of competency
water safety and swimming education program for support in determining age-appropriate suitability and consider student self-rescue skills in the specific aquatic environment.
Minimum standards for supervising students in the water
At least 1 adult at the venue is required to have current recovery/emergency competence and be quickly accessible to the activity area, be easily identifiable and carry a device (e.g. whistle) to raise an alarm using agreed-on signals. Current recovery/emergency competence may be held by any qualified adult as part of a broader qualification (e.g. swimming teacher or lifeguard qualifications).
Beginner—with little or no experience
- Developing mobility skills in and through the water
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1 x qualified adult for every 10 students in shallow water (<900mm or no deeper than child's chest height) only |
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Intermediate—with basic skills
- Swims 25 metres with a recognisable stroke
- Demonstrates comfort and confidence out of own depth in the aquatic environment
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1 x qualified adult for every 12 students in the water |
Advanced
- Swims 50 metres using 2 recognisable strokes
- Demonstrates 1 survival stroke in deep water
- Displays comfort and confidence in the aquatic environment
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1 x qualified adult for every 15 students in the water |
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Beyond advanced—Years 7–12 only
- Sustains co-ordinated breathing with efficient strokes in deep water and over distance
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1 x qualified adult for every 25 students in the water |
If the minimum standard for supervision cannot be met, modify the activity (or elements of it) and/or identify and use the
hierarchy of controls to implement alternative control measures to meet or exceed the minimum safety standard (e.g. reduce the number of students in the water at any one time).
See
FAQs for further support.
Supervisor qualifications
Qualifications support the minimum safety standard for this activity. Principals make final decisions* in determining supervisor capability (competence, relevance and currency) and whether the activity leader meets an appropriate teaching standard. Support for decision-making is provided by industry standards (e.g.
RLSQ's guidelines for safe pool operations).
*See
FAQs for further support.
All adult supervisors must comply with the
working with children authority—blue cards procedure.
Qualified adults for the activity
Recovery/emergency—CPR, first aid, rescue
Adults at the venue, including registered teachers, engaged for recovery/emergency are to have
current knowledge, judgement, technique and physical ability to carry out safe water rescues and enact an emergency procedure.
Supervisors must have CPR and first aid qualifications relevant to the activity. Emergency qualifications may include:
An adult with concussion management knowledge or training is recommended. Consult
concussion in sport resources.
Water safety and swimming education lessons—swimming teacher qualification
Supervisors, including registered teachers, engaged to provide water safety and swimming education lessons are to have, or be enrolled in and working towards, a swimming teacher qualification that demonstrates the following units of competency:
Contact registered training organisations (e.g.
RLSSQ,
AUSTSWIM,
SWIM Coaches and Teachers Australia) for enrolment assistance.
Additional competencies are required:
Any other curriculum activity conducted in pools—aquatic supervision qualification
Supervisors, including registered teachers, engaged to conduct any other curriculum activities in pools may hold either:
- swimming teacher qualification, as outlined above
- another qualification that demonstrates current aquatic supervision knowledge and skills, such as
SISCAQU019—supervise patron safety in aquatic locations unit of competency or similar (e.g. Deck Supervisor accreditation with RLSSQ).
See
FAQs for further support.
Facilities and equipment
The qualified adults of the activity, in consultation with the principal, determines the requirements for facilities and equipment appropriate to the local context.
A working emergency signal (e.g. whistle, air horn) must be readily available.
Common hazards and controls
Further to those listed, include any additional hazards and control measures considering the local context of the activity.
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Biological hazards
Body fluids (e.g. blood, bowel motions)
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Manage open wounds before, during and after the activity. Consult
infection control guidelines and Queensland Health's
exclusion periods for infectious conditions poster (PDF,1.4MB) for first aid and hygienic practices.
Identify appropriate swimming continence aids for students unable to manage their bodily functions.
Use the
water quality guidelines for public aquatic facilities to respond to an incident involving biological hazards in the water
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Environmental conditions
Weather, sun, lightning |
Assess
weather conditions prior to undertaking the activity, inspecting the intended location in order to identify variable risks, hazards and potential dangers.
Follow the
school's sun safety policy, including appropriate swimwear (e.g. swim shirts), sun protection (e.g. sunscreen) and shade facilities when outside.
Follow the
managing excessive heat in schools guidelines when participating in very hot or extreme heat conditions.
Follow
Swimming Queensland's competition and swimming—lightning protection policy when thunderstorms threaten
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Water temperature |
Swimming Australia's Facilities Rules FR 2.11 (PDF, 1.3MB) requires the water temperature to be 25–28 degrees Celsius. Manage cooler water temperatures with additional control measures (e.g. shorter in-water time, wetsuits, etc.). Note: Sudden temperature changes may trigger
seizures
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| Facilities and equipment hazards |
Control measures |
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Activity location |
Location must be suitable for the activity being undertaken to ensure safe participation and that safety rules and procedures can be followed. Undertake a reconnaissance of new or infrequently used venues to ascertain suitability.
Venue with appropriate toilet and change facilities, accessible to students with disability as required. Consult the
health and safety checklist—swimming pools for guidance in identifying hazards.
A clearly defined swimming area (e.g. using lane markers) of an appropriate depth considering student age and ability. Consult the
water safety and swimming education program for guidance at each year/band level.
Check facility for adequate lighting
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Deep water
Risk of drowning, submersion
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Allocate safe swimming areas (e.g. shallow water, next to the pool edge) for non-confident or reluctant swimmers.
Consult the
water safety and swimming education program for guidance at each year/band level to:
- provide learning experiences appropriate to swimming confidence, age and competence
- ensure depth of water is appropriate to swimming competence and age.
Ensure students with medical conditions participate in an easy access area (e.g. outside lane) in case an emergency procedure is required.
Closely monitor students in deep water. Only allow competent swimmers to swim underwater. Restrict underwater swimming to short-duration activities under close supervision. Note: The water safety and swimming education program begins using breaststroke approach to swim down and touch bottom in the year 3 and 4 band |
Electricity
Electrocution
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If power is required on the pool deck:
- use portable safety switches where there are no residual current devices installed
- use battery powered or non-powered equipment
- do not use extension leads, electrical equipment and cords
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Entry/exit points
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Use designated swimming areas when conducting the activity in shared spaces.
Establish appropriate entry and exit points
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Instructional aids
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If used, check personal flotation devices (e.g. lifejackets) and/or instructional aids (e.g. pool noodles, weighted rings) are fit for purpose, appropriate to students' size and weight (e.g. conforming to Australian Standards AS 4758). Check for damage before use.
Do not use aquatic toys as instructional aids. Adhere to the warning labels/packaging and follow instructions for assembly and use.
Prevent participants from swimming under learn to swim platform (if used). Closely monitor the area around and under the platform
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| Facilities considerations |
Control measures |
Manual handling
Lifting equipment, manipulating/moving students |
Use correct manual handling processes when
lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying (e.g. hoists, wheelchairs) |
| Student considerations |
Control measures |
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Swimming attire
Visibility, fabrics
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All supervisors are to be readily identifiable and be appropriately dressed to perform an immediate rescue at all times.
Students wear fit-for-purpose swimming attire that is highly visible in water and does not cause a hazard (i.e. not too loose or heavy).
Each student must provide their own towel.
Students wear swimming caps if hair poses a hazard—consider type material as a drowning/suffocation risk.
Do not allow students to misuse swimming caps or equipment (e.g. do not pull swimming caps over faces, do not use rescue ropes for any purpose other than rescue or simulation).
Remove accessories (e.g. jewellery, lanyards) before participating
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Hyperventilation
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Encourage participants to take a full/deep breath before submerging and ensure exhalation whilst underwater. Closely monitor students for involuntary multiple, shallow breaths.
Do not allow competitive breath-holding or 'no-breath' underwater games. Consult the
FAQs for further information
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Injury
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Students aware of the location of emergency and first-aid equipment
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Physical exertion
Exhaustion and fatigue
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Conduct
warm-up/cool-down activities.
Continually monitor participants for signs of fatigue and exhaustion.
Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks
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Slip, trip, fall
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Place mats on the floor around change room/bathroom entryway. Consult the
preventing slips, trips and falls brochure
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Student issues
Student numbers, special needs, high risk behaviours, medical conditions, separation from the group
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Monitor shared facilities (e.g. change rooms, public access areas).
Ensure all students in the water are in sight of at least 1 qualified adult supervisor at all times.
Ensure each student under 5 years of age and non-swimmers remain within arm's reach of an adult supervisor at all times. Closely monitor students with health support needs.
Implement procedures (e.g. buddy system, roll marking mechanisms) to account for all participants before, during and after the activity.
Limit the number of students in the water when close supervision is required.
Keep non-participants away from the water and do not cause a distraction
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Water entry
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Consult the department's
water safety and swimming education program or the
national swimming and water safety framework for guidance on safe water entry at each band of years.
Do not allow diving activities unless under supervision of a qualified coach (e.g.
development coach accreditation with Swimming Australia) or other qualified person complying with
AUSTSWIM diving position statement July 2024 (PDF, 1MB)
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Visibility |
Strongly encourage students to have high-visibility swimming attire and a swimming cap that does
not match the pool colour.
Ensure staff can easily recognise those students with health support needs (in and out of the water) and are familiar with their needs
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