Lifesaving with Class
Unknown
This is my attempt to answer the question 1 from AQA GCSE exam paper; it is too long; I should aim at about 350 words.  

What do you learn from the article about the Beach to City programme and the issues children may have on the beach?

This article explains the programme for primary schools in cities, which teaches how to be safe on the beach and how to react in the event of danger. 

Beach to City programme consists of real lifeguards and a beach supervisor; the programme is aimed at primary schoolchildren in cities as they live away from the sea and do not know much about safety preconscious on the beach. The children from inner cities areas 'have been highlighted as a high-risk group'. This suggests that children go for holidays or breaks to the seaside and do not know how to stay safe there. They even think that a red flag signal a shark, instead of ‘dangerous water’.

A session lasts 40 minutes and is constructed in such a way to convey the message to children through different activities, so kids can easier remember what is said to them. Sessions are designed to be 'memorable' through ‘plenty of play-acting'. This means that small children do not understand the risks and a lecture would only make them bored. Through play though, they can not only learn but also have fun. This means that 40 min is not too much for such a serious programme.


Kids get to know about different risks at the beach, from protection against the sun to the meaning of the different flags and what poses the risk. They also learn how to find help if someone is in danger. First they learn to 'slip on a T-shirt, slap on a hat, slop on the sun cream', next about 'the beach flags and their meanings'. They also learn 'respecting and using life-rings, throw lines and emergency communications'. This suggests that there are some acts of vandalism at the beach, and teaching children how important that equipment is will increase the proper behaviour. 

Kids are told about the toy 'inflatable boats' and the danger of being drifted away from the beach by the currents and waves. Duncan Wood says that rescuing kids from those toys was 'the majority of what we did' on some days. This implies that it happens very often, and must be very scary and traumatic for small children.

So far, the programme takes place in three cities, mostly in Birmingham and London. Sessions focused on the using public rescue equipment 'especially in Birmingham' and 'London', where the programme 'visited 30 schools'. Those cities have 'extensive canal network', therefore there is water and the risks, similar to the risks on the beach. 


The programme is going to be expanded and to promote safety beaches in other cities. Next year RNLI's Education Team is going to add 'a fourth city' to the tour and plans 'adding more in the coming years'. This suggests that this is a national programme but it does not have enough support. 

And this is the mark scheme for this question. 

Candidates’ responses may include: The Beach to City programme is run by the RNLI to bring awareness to young people about being safe when near water. The programme also makes young people aware of the existence of the RNLI and Lifeguards and the good work they do as a charity -about which there is very little knowledge in some places. Primary aged school children who live in cities are targeted because ‘incident statistics’ show they are more ‘at risk’. They live away from the coast and so don’t think about the need for or work of lifeguards and being safe around water. The programme uses ‘plenty of play acting’ and fun activities to make the safety messages memorable which, with ‘equipment to get to grips with’, would engage children and help them retain the lessons. Important basic messages are learnt during the sessions: about sun protection and danger flags on holiday beaches and the fact that people are always having to be rescued from ‘drifting inflatables’ and only realise their danger when it’s too late. The programme also focuses on cities where there are inland waterways like canals, such as Birmingham and London and teaches young people how to use safety equipment available to the public. The programme is going to be extended in the future.
| edit post
0 Responses

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)