Newhaven College's water safety program

Education

Newhaven College students enjoy many beach days, across most year levels, but the education about water safety starts in earnest in Year 5.

In Years 5 and 6, Newhaven College students participate in a comprehensive Water Safety Program leading into summer.

For many, this program is their first point of contact with the College's broader Surf Academy, which offers expanded opportunities from Year 7 onwards. The two-day program is designed to build students' skills, confidence, and knowledge across both flat water and surf-beach environments, ensuring they are safe and informed for the summer ahead.

Carefully structured to develop a wide range of abilities, the program draws inspiration from established initiatives such as Surf Life Saving Nippers.
It is delivered in close partnership with the Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club, with Club Captains Erin Close and Jordan Kuerschner playing a hands-on role in its delivery over the past two years.

Key aquatic focus areas include board paddling, board rescues and survival swimming. Students learn surf lifesaving hand signals to improve communication between land and water, practise rescue carries to assist peers in need, and explore local rockpools while discussing both their appeal and associated hazards, including blue-ringed octopus awareness.

The students receive hands-on experience using a rescue tube, take part in a surfing lesson, and participate in a guided walk to the rock ledge where they learn how to negotiate rockpools safely and perform safe entries into these unique coastal environments. These essential skills expose students to a controlled level of risk, preparing them for real world situations where knowledge and quick decision making can be lifesaving.

Water safety education continues beyond Middle School at Newhaven College. In Year 10, students have the option to select the Surf Safety and Recreation elective, a semester-long course in which they can achieve their Surf Life Saving Bronze Medallion, Advanced Resuscitation and First Aid qualifications, as well as a Surf Judging Level 2 certificate, where they go on to be the judges for our annual House and SEISA Surfing carnivals.

Newhaven College's Surfing Academy increased its focus on making surfing more accessible for all students, leading to the development of the new Newhaven College Girls Surf program. The inaugural event saw 22 girls from Years 5 - 8 take part. They were supported by an incredible coaching line-up that included guest surfers Sophie Fletcher, Nala Taylor, Kellie McDonald and Sian Adnam, along with senior students Finlay Cameron (Surf Captain), Jasira Derham, Piper O'Brien and Chloe Hosking. The event marks the start of a new program that is expected to grow in the coming years.

Through the program, Newhaven College helps students build confidence, respect and essential skills for safe enjoyment of our coastal environment, equipping them with knowledge that will benefit them for life.
For information about Newhaven College, visit the College website: 'Book A Tour', or contact the admissions team at admissions@newhavencol.vic.edu.au