Luton children lowest for swimming skills

Luton has the lowest average proportion of Year 6 pupils in England able to swim at least 25m (82ft) proficiently, according to a BBC freedom of information (FOI) request.

The school-level data comes from the Department for Education. On average, 72% of England's Year 6 pupils could swim 25m compared to 39% in the Bedfordshire town, making it the worst performing local authority.

"I'm not that shocked, but it's worrying; I think schools need to place a better emphasis on swimming," said Daisy Brooks, who runs a swimming school in Luton.

The BBC research has revealed that children at English primaries with more pupils on free school meals are less likely to leave school able to swim 25m.

A Department for Education spokesperson said its new PE Partnerships Network had introduced "targeted support for the areas and pupils who need it most".

Swimming and water safety is part of the national curriculum in England.

All schools must provide swimming instruction in either key stage 1 or 2 and pupils should be taught to:

• Swim competently, confidently, and proficiently over a distance of at least 25m
• Use a range of strokes effectively, for example front crawl, backstroke, and breaststroke
• Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations, as defined by Swim England

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.

This revealed swimming abilities dropped for schools with the highest proportion of pupils receiving free school meals.

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.

In Luton, only 36% of the children could use a range of swimming strokes, while 51% could perform safe self-rescue.

"It's very worrying, but I'm not that surprised," said Brooks about the new figures.

"I think the community that make up Luton don't always prioritise swimming as an important life skill, although that is changing."

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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)."

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 – but we know that figure is significantly lower for disadvantaged children, and that needs to change.

"Our new PE Partnerships Network will help to close that gap, bringing together schools, local clubs and national governing bodies, including Swim England."

A Swim England spokesperson described swimming as "a life skill, not just a sport".

"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.

"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."

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