01/08/2003

Survey finds thousands of pupils have no swimming skills

More than 100,000 children leave primary school each year without mastering basic swimming skills which could save their lives, a Times Education Supplement survey has revealed.

Poor facilities, lack of money and pressure on curriculum time leave many schools struggling to teach pupils the most basic water safety techniques – three years after ministers promised to tackle the problem, the survey said.

One school complained of cockroaches in the changing rooms, and another said it would be forced to halt lessons next year because the pool was closing.

Drowning is the third most common cause of accidental death among children under the age of 16, with about 50 fatalities per year, the TES reported.

(GMcG)

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