Is Swimming Accessible for Everyone?
Swimming is a life skill, but despite the government backing swimming lessons for all, the reality is many children leave school not meeting the benchmark for competent swimming. In our latest blog, Ellie Liddle, Poverty Proofing Co-Ordinator, explores the barriers some families can face accessing adequate swimming services. Prior to joining the team in November, Ellie was Head of Design & Technology in Secondary Education and boasts 16 years of experience as a teacher. She has a passion for swimming, starting her career in a Saturday job as Pool Lifeguard and, more recently, taking part in the 2019 two-mile open water Great North Swim in Lake Windermere.
Since 1994, swimming and water safety have been a statutory part of the National Curriculum for Physical Education in England. All primary schools must provide swimming and water safety lessons in either Key Stage One or Two. This means every child leaving primary school should be able to swim a distance of at least 25 meters confidently and competently as well as having the knowledge and skills to perform safe self-rescue in different types of water based circumstances.
Swimming is a low impact cardio workout. It helps to develop strong bones and muscles, as well as encouraging flexibility and coordination. Swimming enables children to burn off excess energy and fat. This can help them to sleep, which in turn can help them being more ready for their school day and aid with their learning¹.
Swimming is not only a life skill for children but it can also help them to develop skills such as perseverance as it encourages them to keep working at something until they succeed, providing them with a sense of accomplishment which helps to build self-confidence².
Statistics previously published by Swim England show that swimming helps to save the health services money every year as it can reduce stress, relieve tension and can help to prevent and treat a number of physical and mental health conditions. With the rising concerns of poor mental health in children and young people as well as rising obesity levels in children it would be acceptable to think that swimming is an excellent form of exercise that is accessible to everyone. Sadly, this is not the case.
With council cuts over the past years, many pools have closed or have been sold to private companies who have increased the costs of swimming. Many parents say that they don’t take their children swimming due to the cost, they don’t have time to teach them or that they aren’t confident in water themselves.
According to research into ‘swimming and water safety in schools’ by Swim England, almost one in four children cannot swim the required 25 meters when they leave primary school and it is thought that by 2025-2026 this figure will rise to three in five pupils. The ability to swim this distance is affected by both family location and affluence. Children and young people from more affluent backgrounds have a much greater chance at being active as they are more likely to be able to afford physical activities and therefore have more access to sport opportunities. Only 45% of children and young people going to school in the most deprived areas of the country can swim 25 meters compared to 76% in the least deprived areas. 25% of Year 6 children are unable to swim 25 meters unaided. In low-income families this rises to nearly 50%.
The Covid Pandemic has obviously played its part in this with pools being closed for much of 2020, but many schools say that these statistics are due to a lack of funding within education; the costs involved with swimming are too high. All schools receive a Sports Premium payment from the government to improve the quality and access of Physical Education, but this has to be used for all areas of PE and across all year groups meaning that often there isn’t enough left for swimming. Schools also have to pay for the hire of the pool, the swimming instructors, (a class of 30 children would need 2 or 3 instructors depending on the level of ability of the children) and at least one pool life guard. Due to location most schools have to hire transport to take their pupils to and from their lessons.
Many parents say that they don’t take their children swimming due to the cost
In our Poverty Proofing© the School Day work we often see that schools ask families for a voluntary contribution to help to fund swimming lessons but this something that many families understandably struggle with, but without this contribution schools simply wouldn’t be able to afford to take their pupils swimming. An added expenditure for families is the cost of swimming costumes, towels and swimming accessories like goggles and swimming hats. Many families, especially those who live in poverty will not have this equipment as access to swimming outside of school isn’t an affordable activity.
- There are a number of ideas that we offer to schools to make their swimming lessons more accessible to all of their pupils, some examples are:
- Ensure that all Pupil Premium pupils, and anyone else unable to afford it, have the cost of swimming paid for by the school using the Pupil Premium or Sports Premium budget.
- Ensure that swimming costumes, towels and accessories are available for any pupil without them.
- If voluntary contributions from parents are necessary, ensure that families have plenty of notice (at least a term, more if possible) and that these contributions can be made over a period of time determined by families.
- Consider making swimming lessons longer, e.g. an hour instead of half an hour. The number of weeks needed for swimming lessons could then be halved, reducing the amount of travel needed and therefore reducing travel costs. A child will make more progress in an hour lesson compared to a half an hour lesson.
- Consider using CPD money to train teachers to become qualified swimming teachers. This will reduce the cost of swimming lessons to the school.
We have even heard of some schools hiring a ‘Pop Up Pool’ in which a temporary heated swimming pool and marquee is set up on the school site and is supplied with a swimming teacher, lifeguard and safety equipment. In this way the whole school can benefit from several lessons over a set period of time.
It is a scary reality that drowning is one of the most common causes of accidental death in the UK and is the third highest cause of death in children in this country. School might be the only time that some children get the chance to go swimming and learn these vital lifesaving skills.³
Is it not time that ALL children get the support they need to help them learn to swim?
