Swimming: Pupils
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the proportion of children in England who meet the national curriculum requirement to swim 25 metres by the end of primary school; and what steps her Department is taking to support schools where attainment of that standard is below the national average.
Answered by Department for Education
Swimming is a vital life skill. Every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim before leaving primary school. Schools must provide core swimming lessons within the PE national curriculum in key stage 1 or key stage 2, teaching pupils to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over at least 25 metres.
Schools receive core funding for curriculum activities, including PE, which can be used for swimming lessons and transport.
The department has also confirmed £1 billion funding for PE and school sport over three years, building on £67 billion of core funding this year.
Increasing access and improving attainment in swimming will be key priorities for the new PE and School Sport Partnerships network. The network will develop more consistent high-quality support, including swimming and water safety training, access to specialist coaching, links to local swimming clubs and greater access to competitions and national programmes.
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