Learning To Swim and Becoming A Competent and Confident Swimmer

A common question we get from parents is ‘As my child can swim 25 metres unaided, do they need more lessons?

Our reply is YES, they do need more lessons! Being able to swim 25 meters does not mean someone is a competent swimmer, far from it. 25 metres is the minimum distance recommended for personal survival and is also a target for a child to be able to do before they leave primary school (as part of the National Curriculum), however this isn’t enough to make your child a fully competent and confident swimmer.

We strongly recommend, where possible, parents and carers keep children in swimming lessons until they have completed Learn to Swim Stages 1 to 7, as a minimum.

Additionally, ‘Swim England’ advise that the right time to stop swimming lessons is when your child can:

• Swim at least 100 metres without stopping
• Tread water for at least 30 seconds
• Experience swimming in clothing
• ‘Float to live’ (performing a star float on their back for at least 30 seconds)

To be able to achieve the above milestones, a child would need to progress through the 7 learn to swim stages on a continuous basis.

In September 2022, Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England produced a interesting and wonderful news article entitled ‘Swim England launch challenge to stress importance of keeping children in lessons‘, which adds to the reasons why a child should not stop swimming lessons once they can swim 25 metres.

To read the Swim England click on the link below:

https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/swimming-competency-challenge-launch/

Star Swimming Academy.