Introduction:
For many children, learning to swim is an essential life skill that can enhance their safety and confidence in the water. However, alarming statistics reveal that one in three children are leaving primary school without the ability to swim. Swim:ED, a revolutionary swim teaching programme, has been created to address this issue. This blog post will explore how Swim:ED transforms primary school swim education, ensuring children receive a comprehensive and safe learning experience right on their playground.

Despite swimming being part of the national curriculum, 1 in 3 children leaves primary school unable to swim every year.
That’s almost 30% of all kids who are at risk of drowning if they were to fall in to water, whether they are playing with friends, on a family holiday or just by accident. (Speedo May 2022)

Overcoming Devastating Statistics:

Swim:ED was spurred by shocking statistics related to primary school swimming. Swim England found that over one million children are expected to leave primary schools between 2021-2022 and 2025-2026 without being able to swim 25 meters, a fundamental swimming competency. Additionally, 29% of youngsters only swim on holiday, and 55% of parents rely on schools to teach their children to swim. Swim:ED aims to tackle these concerning figures by bringing swimming directly to the school, eliminating barriers such as travel and affordability.

Millions of children can’t swim because lessons are costly, 19% of survey respondents say their kids can’t swim because they can’t afford private lessons. (Slazenger 2021)

Safe Learning Environment:

Swim:ED recognises the importance of safety in swim education. By following guidance from Swim England and the Royal Life Saving Society UK, Swim:ED ensures that all programmes and activities are designed with safety as the highest priority. Swim:ED constantly improves safety standards, ensuring children are safe and secure during swimming lessons.

Comprehensive Swim Teaching Programme:

Swim:ED offers a comprehensive swim teaching programme that goes beyond basic swimming skills. Its pop-up pool and high-quality swim teaching programme provide children with an immersive and effective learning experience. By monitoring progress and recording attainment levels, Swim:ED enables schools to meet national curriculum outcomes while ensuring children become safe, competent, and confident in the water. The programme also focuses on teaching critical self-safe rescue skills, equipping children with vital knowledge to ensure their safety around water.

Impressive Impact:

In just six months, Swim:ED has already significantly impacted primary school swim education. We have more than doubled the number of children able to swim 25 meters competently and confidently, increasing the percentage from less than a quarter to over half. Moreover, 81.7% of children participating in Swim:ED now possess critical self-safe rescue skills. Proficiency in swimming a range of strokes has also seen a dramatic increase, demonstrating the effectiveness of Swim:ED’s programme in enhancing children’s swimming abilities.

Flexible Packages for Schools:

Swim:ED offers various packages to cater to the needs of different schools. These packages include 3, 5, 6, and 7-week options. The core package involves 60 children going through the programme, swimming for 45 minutes daily for 15 days. The comprehensive support incorporates additional weeks for booster and enrichment swimming sessions, allowing for even more children to participate. Swim:ED’s inclusive approach ensures that every child, regardless of their swimming ability, can benefit from their swim teaching programme.

Digital Toolkit and Progress Tracking:
To support schools in teaching critical self-safe rescue skills, Swim:ED provides a digital toolkit that contains additional resources. This toolkit, combined with everything else required for the programme, makes it convenient for schools to implement the swim teaching programme. Swim:ED also offers an online portal to track and monitor children’s progress throughout the program. At the end of the program, schools receive a detailed impact report.

Conclusion:
Swim:ED is revolutionising primary school swim education by bringing comprehensive swim teaching to the playground. By addressing the devastating statistics associated with swimming skills among primary school children, Swim:ED ensures children receive a safe and effective swim education experience. Our innovative approach, partnerships, and impressive impact make Swim:ED a primary school swim education pioneer. With Swim:ED, every child can gain the vital life skill of swimming, enhancing their safety and confidence in and around water.

To learn more about Swim:ED and how your school can benefit from the programme, contact me at [email protected].

Remember, a swimming lesson is the only lesson in primary school that children will go to that could actually save their life.Water safety are vital life skills that every child should have!