Schools in hot water over swimming

One in three children leave primary school unable to swim, according to a report by the Amateur Swimming Association and Kellogg’s.

Of those who cannot swim, nearly two fifths – 39 per cent – have never been offered lessons at school.

This means about 200,000 youngsters leave primary school unable to swim each year, with 75,000 of them never being given the chance to learn, the report suggests.

This is despite swimming being part of the national curriculum for seven to 11-year-olds, it claims.

It says the curriculum states that children in this age group should be able to swim unaided for at least 25m – about the length of a regular pool.

The ASA is calling for every child to learn to swim in primary school, with better training for teachers and robust monitoring of lessons by Ofsted.

Swimming should also be given priority in school budgets, help should be given to secondary school children who cannot swim, and more should be done to keep school pools open, the association said.

ASA chief executive David Sparkes, said: “Children love swimming and it’s a great way to start them on the road to a healthy and active lifestyle.”