Pupils are ordered not to wade into ankle-deep water unless teachers first carry out a full risk assessment and put“proper measures in place”.
Staff are expected to check rivers, ponds and the sea for currents and rocks before allowing children to dip their feet.
Guidance issued to schools warns that any“impromptu (事先无准备的) water-based activities”could pose dangers to children.
The recommendations were outlined in a document-available to all 21,000 schools in England — to help teachers organize more school trips. Advice from the Department for Children, Schools and Families is intended to cut red tape (官样文章) and give staff practical tips.
But the guidance caused argument after teachers were presented with a series of orders surrounding swimming and the use of minibuses.
It said:“Swimming and padding or otherwise entering the waters of river, canal, sea or lake should never be allowed as an impromptu activity. The pleas of young people to bathe — because it is hot weather, for example, should be resisted where bathing has not been prepared for.”
“In-water activities should take place only when a proper risk assessment has been completed and proper measures put in place to control the risks.”
Teachers are urged to check the weather, currents, weeds, rip tides, river or se
a beds and breakwaters before allowing children into the water. No child should be able to swim deeper than waist height, the guidance added.
Margaret Morrissey, from campaign group Parents Outloud, said:“Wading out into the ocean is one thing but there’s nothing wrong with padding where the waves break.”
“Part of children’s learning is to walk along the water’s edge and get your feet wet. There are dangerous currents further out and you stay at the edge.”
She added:“I want to see schools and youth groups taking advantage of opportunities that learning outside the classroom can provide.”
But the Department for Children, Schools and Families said teachers had to plan activities carefully.
“We are not banning padding,”said a spokeswoman.“We have seen cases in the past where things have not been planned and assessed for the risk. Unplanned activities around water can be dangerous.”
67．Guidance issued to schools in England gives the information that _________.
A．school trips to oceans are forbidde
n in the country
B．school swimming pools should be surrounded with fence
C．school staff must plan water-based activities carefully
D．school children shouldn’t have a walk along river banks
68．Advice from the Department for Children, Schools and Families shows us that _________.
A．they are strongly against the guidance
B．they are fond of the outlin
e of the guidance
C．they don’t understand the aim of the guidance
D．they want the guidance to become more useful
69．To the guidance, Margaret Morrissey holds the opinion that _________.
A．oceans are dangerous place for children to visit
B．young people should be encouraged to learn outside
C．children should learn padding in rough ocean alone
D．schools should stop students from walking along beaches
70．Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A．No padding on school trips, children told.
B．No walking along the rivers, teachers told.
C．No swimming after school, parents told.
D．No learning out of school, students told.
