A Department for Education spokesperson said its new PE Partnerships Network had introduced “targeted support for the areas and pupils who need it most”.<\/p>\n
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Every child should have the opportunity to leave primary school able to swim and be safe in, on and around water, said Swim England [Getty Images]<\/p>\n
Swimming and water safety is part of the national curriculum in England.<\/p>\n
All schools must provide swimming instruction in either key stage 1 or 2 and pupils should be taught to:<\/p>\n
Swim competently, confidently, and proficiently over a distance of at least 25m<\/p>\n
Use a range of strokes effectively, for example front crawl, backstroke, and breaststroke<\/p>\n
The BBC analysed data from 16,355 state schools, but only 15,956 – including 44 from Luton – were usable for further analysis with information such as free school meal numbers.<\/p>\n
This revealed swimming abilities dropped for schools with the highest proportion of pupils receiving free school meals.<\/p>\n
On average, only 55% of Year 6 pupils could swim 25m compared to 87% of Year 6 pupils in schools with the lowest proportion of free school meals.<\/p>\n
In Luton, only 36% of the children could use a range of swimming strokes, while 51% could perform safe self-rescue.<\/p>\n
“It’s very worrying, but I’m not that surprised,” said Brooks about the new figures.<\/p>\n
“I think the community that make up Luton don’t always prioritise swimming as an important life skill, although that is changing.”<\/p>\n
She has taught swimming for 22 years and has run her own swim school for 12, having trained with the national governing body Swim England.<\/p>\n
Brooks currently teaches about 250 children, as well as 40 women, and has a waiting list, so she knows there is demand in the town.<\/p>\n
About 75% of her pupils are from a Muslim background, while nearly all her adult pupils are from a Muslim or black background seeking women-only classes, she said.<\/p>\n
Brooks believes schools should make swimming lessons a priority, but she also added: “A lot of parents stop their children’s lessons before they become strong and capable swimmers.<\/p>\n
“They think they can do some basic strokes, but the Swim England guidance is not to give up until children can confidently swim 100m (328ft).”<\/p>\n
The Department for Education spokesperson said: “The latest data shows around three-quarters of children can swim 25m by the time they leave primary school \u2013 but we know that figure is significantly lower for disadvantaged children, and that needs to change.<\/p>\n
“Our new PE Partnerships Network will help to close that gap, bringing together schools, local clubs and national governing bodies, including Swim England.”<\/p>\n
A Swim England spokesperson described swimming as “a life skill, not just a sport”.<\/p>\n
“However, schools have faced significant pressures in recent years, particularly those serving disadvantaged communities, including competing curriculum demands, increasing transport costs and access to suitable swimming pools,” they said.<\/p>\n
“These challenges are real, so it is more important than ever that there is a collective approach to helping children gain a skill that could one day save their life.”<\/p>\n
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