YOUNGSTERS at a York primary school were the first to get river safety lessons from a special pack that's been launched city-wide.

Children at Wigginton Primary School got river safety sessions yesterday using City of York Council's new schools' resource pack which is aimed at reaching every child in every school to build an early understanding of the risks of open water.

As The Press reported last month, one of the priorities of the council-commissioned River Safety Action Plan (RoSPA) is to improve education about river safety. The pack was devised following the deaths last year of 22-year-old Ben Clarkson in the River Foss and 18-year-old soldier Tyler Pearson in the River Ouse.

The Press launched it's Take Care campaign in the aftermath of the river tragedies and university students and North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan also worked to raise awareness.

Wigginton teacher Tess Primarolo, who teaches reception and Year 1, said the school had a day of activities including talks from the fire brigade, an assembly with Ebor lifesaving club and pupils had Water safety activities at the school pond.

Miss Primarolo said: "It was a really interesting day for the children. There were a lot of different issues that the children had not considered about water safety everywhere from at home and school to out and about near ponds and rivers. With the pond in Wigginton it's an issue all the children could relate to. They heard about not going near it without an adult, not to be tempted to go on it in icy weather or to swim in it."

Developed in consultation with the city’s multi-partner River Safety Group including Safer York Partnership, the Canal and River Trust and emergency services, and informed by new National Curriculum measures which will include water safety and aquatic skills, the pack aims to give further knowledge and understanding of the dangers presented by open water, and the ways to minimise risk among children and young people.

The majority of the resources listed are free and aim to offer information and support to assist in teaching and learning about water safety.

Among its information, the pack includes links to the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), the UK’s leading provider of UK water safety and drowning prevention education which organises an annual Drowning Prevention Week, from June 20-28 this year.