Swim club calls for more school water safety lessons

Swimming lessons are being impacted by pool closures and rising costs, but the attention is being turned to water safety as a new curriculum is set to come out in September.

From the autumn a new Water Safety Forum is being introduced to primary and secondary schools.

Its framework is designed to teach children how to swim and how to survive if they are caught in dangerous situations.

The City of Southampton Swimming Club has said even more needs to be done to teach swimming in schools first.

For many children, swimming is more than just a fun activity, it is an important life skill that could one day save their lives.

About 90% of children in the south said they love to swim, according to governing body Swim England.

But only 77% of children leave primary school being able to swim 25m - a standard sized swimming pool length.

Head Coach, Matt Heathcock, said cost is a huge factor impacting people being able to swim: "For myself and my family, you're looking at over £20 to £25 just to go for maybe an hour of swimming.

"And with pools closing, lessons are becoming more expensive too.".

Since the pandemic, pools across the country have been closing due to rising costs and lack of use which has been called a 'terrible investment' by Adam Goymer, Head of National Water Safety Manager.

"That is certainly a call to action for government to invest in swimming pools to keep them running.

"Schools that are fortunate to have their own pool, it would be a sheer loss if they couldn't keep it because of costs". he said.

At least 11 people across the UK died in water-related incidents during the heatwave that hit the country at the end of May, including a 14-year-old at Hawley Lake near Farnborough.

But whilst access to swimming pools remains a problem, the focus is being turned to teaching children how to be safe in the water.

Currently, children are taught how to swim 25 meters in a swimming pool as part of the curriculum in primary schools.

Though compulsory not all schools do it and it's hard to monitor.

The hope is that with the new Water Safety Code included in the curriculum, children will be taught key safety messages such as "Stop and Think," "Stay Together," "Float," and "Call 999."

Mike Tipton, professor of physiology at Portsmouth University and chair of the National Water Safety Forum says learning to float is the key to survival.

As recent data showed that 61% of drowning victims aged between 8 and 18 were described by friends and family as being able to swim, according to National Water Safety Forum.

"Because you can swim 25 metres in an indoor pool, that doesn't necessarily prepare you to be able to survive in open water". Mike explained.

"So if you find yourself in trouble in cold water because you've rushed in, then float to live is the message.

"Roll onto your back, tilt your head back into the water and just just do as little as possible until you get your breathing under control, which will take about a minute.".