Office for Learning and Teaching

In this article, we examine how three circulars and two guides can contribute to shaping the work on safety in the school’s swimming and lifesaving education. A qualitative document analysis was used to investigate the five documents. The results indicate that the documents shape the work around prudence. The legal sources that become relevant after the transition from circulars to guides, suggest an expansion of the law to ensure safety in education. Although legal texts often allow for professional discretion in determining appropriate actions, the regulatory interpretations in these documents seem to limit this discretion. One example is the control and testing of teachers' lifesaving skills, which is promoted in all documents. The various ways the test is presented create uncertainty about whether it should be understood as a legally binding action or more as a recommendation. This may lead schools to choose to conduct the test to ensure they are within the regulations. However, the guides' emphasis on the professional community and pedagogical considerations in education suggest a discursive shift in these documents. Overall, it seems necessary for school leaders and teachers to develop legal competence to assess the interpretations of regulations presented, especially regarding implications for their local practices. Furthermore, the school's professional community appears to gain a clearer position to evaluate what is appropriate within the regulatory framework. This requires that school owners and school leaders are challenged regarding current teaching practices. At the same time, it provides physical education teachers with opportunities to develop prudent practices together without necessarily involving the testing of teachers.