A scheme giving primary school children 12 months of free swimming is helping youngsters across Oldham build confidence in the water and develop potentially life-saving skills.
Oldham Active is reminding schools about its Swim School programme following the recent tragic drownings during this summer’s heatwaves, highlighting the importance of children learning to swim and stay safe around water.
Schools that sign up to the programme receive structured swimming lessons for their pupils, while every child taking part is also given 12 months of free access to public swimming sessions at Oldham Active pools, allowing them to practise what they have learned outside school hours.
Since launching four years ago, the initiative has helped more than 2,000 children across the borough improve their swimming ability and water safety through regular practice.
Swimming and water safety form a compulsory part of the National Curriculum in England. By the time they leave primary school, children are expected to be able to swim at least 25 metres confidently, use a range of strokes effectively and demonstrate safe self-rescue skills in different water-based situations. Most pupils taking part in school swimming lessons are in Years 3 to 5, with programmes typically running for six months.
Oldham Active says extending free pool access for a full year helps bridge the gap between school lessons and regular practice, giving children more opportunities to develop confidence and competence in the water.
The charity currently works with around 50 schools across the borough, delivering lessons led by qualified swimming teachers at its leisure centres, including Saddleworth Leisure Centre.
Steve Ferriss, Sport Development Officer at Oldham Active, said: “Learning to swim is a vital, life-saving skill that every child deserves to learn. The recent heart-breaking drownings during this summer’s heatwaves are a stark reminder of how critical water safety is.
“We understand private swimming lessons are beyond reach for many families, and that’s why we are passionate about our Swim School programme, ensuring all children can master basic water safety. We know confidence in the water grows with regular practice and, by continuing to offer 12 months of free access to our school swim children, we are removing some of the financial barriers and giving children the perfect opportunity to enjoy our pools.
“Furthermore, we know how hard our local teachers work. Their wellbeing is incredibly important to us, so we also offer discounted health and fitness memberships to teachers from the schools signed up to our swimming or physical education programmes to help them look after their own physical and mental health.”
Swimming lessons are available at Oldham Active’s facilities across the borough, including Saddleworth Leisure Centre, Oldham Leisure Centre, Chadderton Wellbeing Centre, Failsworth Sports Centre and Royton Leisure Centre.
Schools interested in joining the Swim School programme, which also includes the free 12-month pupil swimming passes and discounted memberships for teachers, are encouraged to contact Oldham Active for more information.
You must be logged in to post a comment.