SPLASHING around in an open air pool under the blazing sunshine is not a typical school day.

But neither is the important lesson that hundreds of schoolchildren from County Durham are being taught.

Pupils from primary schools across the county are being taught how to stay safe in and around water during two weeks of water safety sessions delivered by Durham County Council.

Held at the outdoor Stanhope Pool, in Weardale, the sessions cover a range of safety tips so children are not scared but have a healthy respect for open water.

The sessions are a mix of theory and practical lessons and are led by the council’s qualified and experienced swimming, water safety and lifesaving teachers.

Tips the youngsters are taught include the best way to fall into water if they feel they are going to slip in and how to help a friend in need without putting themselves in danger.

Youngsters also learn about cold water shock, an involuntary and potentially fatal reaction to sudden immersion in cold water.

When it occurs a person's heart has to work harder, they gasp for breath and can swallow water and panic which increases the risk of drowning.

The sessions are being held to coincide with the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Drowning Prevention Week and as part of the Safe Durham Partnership’s Dying to be Cool campaign, which aims to educate ten to 16-year-olds about cold water shock.

Councillor Olwyn Gunn, the council’s cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “With the glorious weather we’ve all been enjoying, this is the time of year when young people are more likely to be going down to rivers with their friends.

“By years five and six, some children will already be doing this or if not already, they won’t be far off.

“That is why it is so important that we have sessions like this – to teach them about the risks they will face when doing so and how to react if they or a friend get into difficulty.

“We hope what they learn at Stanhope will stay with them for years to come.”

Nine to 11-year-olds from Crook, Frosterley, Wolsingham, Wearhead, Howden-le-Wear, Tow Law Millennium and Hamsterley Primary Schools will take part this summer.

The sessions follow a series of water safety classes organised by the council for schoolchildren at Seaham Harbour Activity Centre last month, which were held as part of Drowning Prevention Week and Dying to be Cool.

The campaign involves the council working with the family and friends of Cameron Gosling, from Crook.

The 14-year-old died from cold water shock in 2015 after jumping into the River Wear at Witton Park, near Bishop Auckland, without acclimatising to the temperature first.

Cameron's mother Fiona and council staff have delivered assemblies to a record number of schools across County Durham.

His younger brother Cyle also appeared in a video made by the council to raise awareness of the issue online.

To date, the video has been viewed more than 45,000 times on Facebook alone and been shared 143 times.

To find out more about cold water shock and the campaign or to see Cyle Gosling’s video visit the council website at durham.gov.uk/dyingtobecool