And yet 1,186,555 children could leave primary school unable to swim.
Unless action is taken, Swim England are warning of a “lost generation” of swimmers.
The coronavirus led to the closure of many pools. But even before the pandemic hit, around one in four children left primary school unable to swim the minimum 25 meters curriculum target.
By 2025-2026, the number of children leaving primary school unable to swim could increase to three in five
Do you want to be a part of changing that?
This is your chance.
We’re looking for knowledgeable, skilled and passionate swimming teachers to join our team to deliver a ground-breaking programme in schools.
Read on to find out what that programme is and how you can be a part of saving school swimming.
As a swimming teacher, you’ll know how vital it is for children to have the chance to learn to swim.
Swimming is a life skill and life-saving skill. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, with the highest drowning rates being among children aged 1–4 years, followed by 5–9-year-olds.
With school being some children’s only opportunity to learn to swim and gain water safety skills, it’s vital they have access to engaging, educational, tailored, and inspiring lessons.
Swimming can bring children so much enjoyment along with many health benefits. It’s a full body workout, it can boost heart and lung health, it helps to strengthen bones and muscles, it improves flexibility, and increases stamina.
And it’s not just physical health benefits, swimming can relieve stress, reduce anxiety and boost self-confidence.
All of this is why swimming is a statutory element of the national curriculum.
A positive experience in school could inspire a lifelong love of swimming in children that brings lifelong benefits. It could save their life, and the lives of others.
Which is why it’s alarming that so many children are leaving primary school unable to swim.
And why this needs to change.
Primary schools are faced with a multitude of challenges when it comes to delivering swimming and water safety lessons.
Many schools are finding it near impossible to access a pool due to closures. A report published in 2019 estimated that the number of available pools in England could fall by 40% by the end of the decade. Covid and spiralling energy costs have only exacerbated the situation. Over the past 3 years, 65 public pools have had to close either temporarily or permanently with warnings of further closures by the end of the year.
The cost of transport is an obstacle, not to mention the time it takes to get to and from a pool; a 30-minute swimming lesson eats up an entire afternoon, impacting learning time in other subjects.
So, rather than schools having to somehow find an available pool and then make the time-consuming and costly trip to the pool, we’re bringing the pool to them.
Our state-of-the-art portable pools will be used to deliver high-quality swimming and water safety lessons to KS1 and KS2 following the primary PE national curriculum.
Accompanying our pools will be skilled, knowledgeable, and passionate swimming teachers.
This is where you come in.
If you’re a swimming teaching with a year’s experience teaching children and young people, we want to hear from you.
You’ll know how crucial it is for children to learn to swim and gain water safety skills.
You’ll know how to develop children’s water confidence, core aquatic skills, safety, and technical skills, and you’ll know how to perform all the duties of a lifeguard.
You’ll be able to support and motivate learners of all abilities, tailoring sessions to the learners’ needs.
You’ll be able to identify and overcome barriers to participation amongst children, prioritising access and inclusion.
And you’ll absolutely love swimming and want to inspire that same enjoyment in the children you teach.
If this sounds like you, you can help us save school swimming and ensure all children leave primary school with this essential life skill.
There’s a fair number of demands that come with any role, and it can often feel like it’s all take, take, take. Yes, you get paid, but pay only goes so far in motivating you to get out of bed each morning.
Working somewhere you’re valued, supported, and have the chance to develop makes all the difference to how you approach each day.
As does knowing the impact you’re having. There’s nothing quite like seeing a child progress in skill and grow in confidence because of the support and encouragement you’ve given.
Joining our team as a swimming teacher, you have a real chance to make a difference to children’s lives. You’ll help us give more children a skill that they can hold on to for life, and a skill that can save their life.
In addition to this profound impact, the benefits of the role also include:
Applications close Friday 11th November 2022.
Whether you’re:
We’d love to hear from you.
We’d love to know why you’d be a great addition to our team in this role.
An up-to-date CV or resume is always helpful but not essential.
In line with safer recruitment protocols, we would require two application referees who could vouch for you, your ability to work in a team and your performance in the role.
We look forward to chatting to you and hearing about your interests, experience, and goals. If one of those goals is to make a difference to children’s lives, collaborating with us to deliver this ground-breaking swimming programme is the path for you.
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