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BSI PAS 81 - Saving lives teaching swimming

The Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) aims to ensure that everybody is taught to swim, survive in water and can carry out basic rescue techniques. A lack of swimming teaching in primary schools has resulted in long waiting times for private swimming classes. Consequently there has been an increase in many privately operated swimming schools throughout the UK. Although there were nationally recognized qualifications for swimming teachers, no national guidelines existed on how to set up and manage a swimming school.

PAS 81

In response the STA developed the STAmark, a certification scheme for private swimming schools. However, the STAmark did not provide guidance to those wanting to become accredited to the scheme. Therefore the STA decided to develop a standard, and turned to BSI for help. Working closely with the STA, BSI facilitated the development of an open, non-proprietary specification – PAS 81.

PAS 81 outlines the minimum requirements for the development, management and operation of swimming schools in the UK and includes the minimum safety and operational requirements to be considered by operators of swimming schools. Its primary aim is to increase safety and to disseminate best practice in the interest of swimming school owners/operators and child safety.

PAS 81 covers details such as:

• Managing health and safety
• Pool Safety Operating Procedures (PSOP)
• Normal Operating Procedures (NOP)
• Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
• Documented systems and procedures
• Customer care
• Staffing and management development
• Service planning
• Site specific environmental protocols

Benefits

• Increase safety and disseminate best practice in swimming schools
• Confidence that the practices outlined in the PAS are sound because they were developed through a rigorous, independent consensus building process that involved many stakeholders from across the industry
• Give assurance to swim school operators that they comply with current industry legislation and best practice
• Bring together a wide range of safety legislation and standards that have previously been requirements of a number of quality accreditation schemes
• Give parents and students the confidence that the private swim school operates safely, promotes a progressive learn–to-swim programme and is matched with the best possible teaching standards
• Swimming teachers can be assured that the private swimming schools they teach at comply with PAS 81 and follow good working practices and policies.

The PAS Development Process