English Schools Miss 25m Swimming Target for Disadvantaged Pupils as Pass Rate Falls to 55%
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
English Schools Miss 25m Swimming Target for Disadvantaged Pupils as Pass Rate Falls to 55%
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Summary
BBC research found only 55% of Year 6 leavers at English primary schools with higher free-school-meal rates could swim 25m in 2024-25, versus a 72% national average.
Safe self-rescue showed a similar gap: 50% of pupils at the most disadvantaged schools met the standard, compared with a 70% national average.
Three hours of school swimming tuition — typically six 30-minute sessions — and poor access to affordable pools were cited by teachers and water-safety groups as key barriers.
Just 38 schools in the highest-disadvantage group hit the 25m target, compared with nearly 400 schools in the lowest free-school-meal group; urban areas also lagged rural ones.
The Department for Education said its new PE Partnership Network, linking schools with clubs and bodies such as Swim England, is meant to target support where the gap is widest.