Dangerous summer predicted as children forced out of swim lessons

A group of kids are attending a swimming class. They are practicing kicking at the side of the pool. Source: E+

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Swim industry experts are predicting an increase in drownings this summer as new research reveals that 54% of children are not learning to swim, with 27% forced out of lessons due to COVID restrictions and 28% unable to find class availability at their local swim school.

Highlights

The SwimSAFER Report commissioned by Swim Australia reveals only 37% of parents plan to enrol their child in official lessons within the next six months.
CEO of Swim Australia, Brendan Ward encourages parents to supervise their children when swimming.
COVID lockdowns prevented over a quarter of Aussie families from attending swimming lessons.

With swimming lessons halted for long periods due to COVID lockdowns in some states, a quarter of children have been out of the pool between 6-12 months while a further 16% have not attended swimming lessons for over a year. 51% of parents are not confident their child could help themselves in a water emergency.

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This SwimSAFER Week (15 – 19 November), over 500 swim schools will celebrate with a range of events and parents unable to attend a swimming school due to COVID lockdowns or limitations can access water safety tools online.