SEA SENSE FOR SCHOOLS
Every year, children grow up near the sea without being taught how it actually works. They aren’t shown how tides move, why waves change, or where rip currents form. As a result, every trip to the beach carries risk — not because children are reckless, but because they were never given the knowledge to stay
safe.
Sea Sense for Schools exists to change that. We provide free water-safety education for schools, teaching pupils how to understand the sea and recognise danger before it becomes an emergency. Funded by sponsors, the programme is accessible to all children living near the coast, ensuring life-saving knowledge
reaches families who need it most - before an accident ever happens.
HOW IT WORKS
Step 1: We deliver a full day in the school
A trained Tide School coach visits the school to deliver Sea Sense education
across the day. It begins with a short whole-school masterclass in assembly, then
each class receives a 30-minute workshop in the gym or playground (weather
dependent), using clear demonstrations and visual teaching to explain how the
sea behaves and where risk begins.
Step 2: Every pupil takes The Book of Tides home
After the visit, every pupil and their family receives a free digital edition of the
bestselling Book of Tides, customised to accompany the programme with big
illustrations and simple text. This reinforces the Tide School Method at home,
breaking sea safety down into five simple elements that shape conditions at the
coast: tides, streams, wind, waves, and rip currents.
FAQ’S
What age is this suitable for?
The programme is designed for pupils aged 8 to 18. Sessions are adapted to suit
the age, understanding and experience of each group, ensuring the learning is
engaging, clear and appropriate at every stage.
Who delivers the sessions?
Sessions are delivered by trained Tide School coaches. All coaches are
experienced water professionals, DBS-checked, fully insured, and trained to
teach sea safety through clear, visual demonstrations in school environments.
Does this replace lifeguard or Coastguard education?
No. The Tide School Foundation complements lifeguards and emergency
services. Our focus is on preventing incidents before they happen, by teaching
pupils how the sea behaves and how risk forms, rather than what to do once an
emergency has already begun.
How much does it cost schools?
Nothing. The programme is free for schools. All delivery and materials are funded
by sponsors who want to demonstrate measurable community impact, ensuring
every pupil can access life-saving sea safety education regardless of
background.
Where is it delivered?
The Tide School Method is universal. Our trained coaches operate
internationally, from the UK to the USA and Australia. The five elements apply to
every coastline (except the Mediterranean where tides and streams are
negligible) and the programme can be delivered in any language, anywhere in
the world.
Tide School Method
The Tide School Method teaches students the five simple elements that shape the sea:
Tides
Most people are taught a simplified idea of tides that doesn’t help them stay safe. The Tide School Method explains what tides actually are: vast moving waves of water travelling around the coastline, driven by the moon and Earth’s rotation. This understanding makes tides predictable.
Pupils learn whether the sea is rising or falling, how high it will reach, and why rising tides cut people off in bays and beneath cliffs. By reading the natural signposts around them — sand, rocks, harbour walls and the moon phase — they learn to anticipate danger before it happens, rather than reacting once it’s
too late.
Streams
Streams are the sideways movement of water along the coast, and they are one of the most misunderstood dangers at the beach. The Tide School Method explains where streams actually come from: they are created by moving tide waves and change direction and strength at predictable points in the tidal cycle.
Pupils learn that streams speed up for several hours, slow to slack water, then reverse, and that the most dangerous conditions form where fast-moving water is squeezed by headlands, harbour mouths or river entrances. By understanding why streams behave this way, rather than being told to simply “watch out”, pupils learn to anticipate risk and avoid places where powerful water movement creates hidden danger.
Winds
Most people are told to “check the wind”, but not why it matters or how it changes risk. The Tide School Method teaches pupils what wind actually is, how it forms, and how different wind directions transform the sea.
Children learn the critical difference between onshore, offshore and cross-shore winds, why calm water can be the most dangerous, and how offshore winds silently carry people away from safety. By understanding wind as a force that shapes waves, surface conditions and drift, pupils gain practical judgement that applies at any beach, in any weather, anywhere in the world.
Waves
Most people don’t actually know what makes waves. They are created by storms, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of miles away, before travelling across the ocean before breaking when they meet shallow water near the shore. This is why a calm day can suddenly turn dangerous, and why beaches close together can have waves that behave completely differently.
The Tide School Method teaches pupils how waves are really formed, how height and period control their power, and why seabed shape determines where waves break safely or violently. By understanding this process, pupils learn to recognise hidden dangers like shorebreak and sneaker waves before they happen — not
after someone is already in trouble.
Rips
Most people are told to “watch out for rip currents”, but not what they are, how they form, or why they are so dangerous. The Tide School Method teaches pupils how rips are created by waves, how water returns to sea through deeper channels, and why rips often appear calm and inviting.
Children learn where rips are most likely to form, how to spot them using clear visual signs, and why swimming against them leads to exhaustion. By understanding rips as a predictable movement of water rather than a random threat, pupils gain the confidence to make safe decisions, know how to escape if caught, and apply that knowledge on any beach, anywhere in the world.