By Caroline Voaden MP

Back in June last year, I participated in a parliamentary debate on water safety which centred on a deeply troubling contradiction: that despite being an island nation, the UK’s children are not prepared to swim.

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Though the national curriculum does require some practical training, just 74% of children today leave school able to swim 25 metres. That is significantly down from before the pandemic.

Among those in less affluent areas, the figures are even worse. Only 35% of children from low-income families can swim 25 metres, compared to 76% from affluent backgrounds. As one colleague put it plainly, this means children from more deprived areas are twice as likely to drown.

Though this is concerning, I imagine some may baulk at classifying this as a national crisis. But here is the thing: this is not just about learning to swim, it is about knowing what to do........

© LBC