School Swimming

  School Swimming                    

The School Swimming Service aims to provide a meaningful, active and safe swimming experience for children, which reinforces the aims of the school in relation to PE and the personal and social development of children and their health and wellbeing.

As an island nation and a city surrounded by water margins at some point every child will be around water.  As a service we aim to support the development of children and young people through challenge, teamwork, personal attainment and social interaction using engaging activities, and deliver lessons aimed at meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum learning outcomes which are:

Perform a safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. Safe Self Rescue objectives are:

1. Fall-in entry and recover to surface.

2. Float on the back with minimal movement for 60 seconds without floatation equipment. 

3. Rotate from floating on the back to a vertical position. 

4. Tread water for 30 seconds.

5. Retaining the floating object take up the Heat Escape Lessening Position/Posture for 30 seconds

6. Form a huddle position as a group for 30 seconds

7. Swim (without floatation equipment) 15m to a floating object, using a recognised personal survival stroke (head up long arm front paddle or lifesaving backstroke)

8. Whilst treading water, signal for help once, by extending one arm above the head and simultaneously shouting for help then returning the arm to the water to continue to tread water

9. Discuss as a group when these skills might be used to self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The National Government Body Swim England provides the swim charter which supports the teaching of all the foundation core skills, fundamentals and progression that underpin the sport of swimming thus creating pathways in aquatic disciplines for long-term athlete development, and enjoyment of water.

Swimming and Water Safety is included within the National Curriculum and PE programme of study

Primary School is the only opportunity for some young people to Swim and learn important essential life-skills

Swimming is an activity providing many physical, social, and mental developments.

Summary of our services

• o Risk Assessment and SEND inclusion support
• o   Comprehensive physical activity programme
• o   Accredited learning and high-quality tuition and transport
• o   Guidance and technical advice to support your booking
• o   Constant monitoring of activities with live digital reporting tools
• o   Entry into annual gala and water safety events
• o   Free certificates and badges
• o   Annual Health Check academic report on your booking 
• o   Free half term class reports
• o   In school delivery of First Aid, Water Safety and dry side tuition/lessons
• o   Robust Health and Safety compliance
• o   School Teacher training and development and inset day support
• o Additional aquatic activities/bookings 

School Swimming and Water Safety awards and recognition

Nottingham City Council, as an organisation, has signed up to Swim England’s School Swimming and Water Safety Swim Charter. We ask all our schools to become Members of the Charter, which provides the following:

·       A partnership between primary schools, lesson providers and Swim England, recognising schools for taking swimming and water safety seriously

·       A structured teaching programme that meets government criteria

·       A pathway of progressive awards for pupils to follow and mark their achievements

Research from Swim England on young people’s learning outcomes.

School swimming is often the one and only opportunity for all children to learn to swim and know how to be safe around water.

It is likely that children who don’t learn to swim during school lessons will never learn this lifesaving skill

While 77% of all children can swim the minimum 25 metres unaided by the time they leave primary school, the figure drops to 42% for children from the least affluent families. (Nottingham City, collectively, is 48%).

Schools must deliver lessons at either Key Stage 1 or 2

 Make a splash on a hassle-free one stop shop to book for Pool Hire, Instruction and Transport for the following locations:

Clifton Leisure Centre, Djanogly Leisure Centre, Harvey Hadden Sports Village

Ken Martin Leisure Centre, Southglade Leisure Centre, Victoria Leisure Centre.

Portland Centre in association with Notts County in the Community, and Active Sport Group.

How to book

The link to select your booking for the next academic year will go live each February by using the link: https//myaccount.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/service/School_Swimming_Booking

If you do not see the booking you require or want to discuss your booking or if you would like to discuss a different booking that is not on the portal, please contact school.swimming@nottinghamcity.gov.uk for further advice and support.

Reporting

Please ensure that you sign up and link classes with Swimphony for your reports and attainment.

•        Ensure your school is complying with national curriculum requirements

•        Maintained schools, including those that convert to academies, must publish information about their use of the Primary PE and Sport Premium. This should be published on the school’s website.

•        Since 2017, it is also a requirement to include the attainment figures of all year 6 pupils for swimming and water safety.

•        It is important that schools share these attainment figures for parents to be aware of their child’s abilities. In place of a more formal reporting method.

•        Schools are responsible for collecting the data for each pupil. If school swimming and water safety lessons are provided by a third party, such as a pool operator or swim school, teachers should request this information at the end of each swimming term or block of lessons.

Recording pupil’s attainment

•        Schools are required to publish the Year 6 National Curriculum results and water safety as part of the PE and Sport Premium.

•        This should be on the school’s website and should share a percentage of pupils within year 6 cohort who are meeting the National Curriculum in Swimming and Water Safety.  You will find all reports in the digital portal Swimphony.

•        As not all year 6 pupils will swim, data can be held for the correct academic year.

Using PE and Sport Premium funding

Swimming and Water Safety is a national curriculum subject.  Therefore, it must be accessible to all pupils, and costed within a budget.

Using PE and Sport Premium allows pupils to have top up lessons, water confidence or aquatic activities in addition to your booking. 

When to introduce swimming lessons and booking considerations

Schools can decide when to teach swimming in key stages 1 and  2,

When determining the right class to attend schools should consider:

·       Depth and capacity of the pool

·       Amount of time needed to get changed

·       Availability of observers/support.

·       Physical literacy and development

Across the city pupils in year 3, 4 and 5 swim more than any other year group. Alongside top up swimming in year 6. 

When booking swimming consideration must be given to a sustained long-term development and achievement where learning can be accelerated by using a consistent approach it is good to consider the following:

·       Know your pupil’s ability prior to swimming.

·    Could the class that swims in summer continue in the following school year in Autumn?

·    Can I target specific year groups with the school timetable?

·       Can I support learning in the classroom or in a PE lessons to guide expectations and help on poolside with delivering lessons and help swimming teachers with behaviour

·       Understand pupil attainment:

o   Checking Swimphony regularly identifying any extra support needs.

o   Using the resources in Swimphony to support learning.

o Include dry-side practice or stamina work during PE lessons? Deliver water safety lessons in school.

o Planning for how you and other school staff members can support pupil progress in every lesson.

·       Are the classes consistent and swimming for an intense period of time?

·       Support learning attainments at school, delivering activities for learning inside the classroom?

·       Provide feedback on pupil progress to parents/carers and encourage them to take their children swimming in their own time - ideally at the start of the school swimming programme.

Finally, use your booking to support a focus in targeting a year group and provide consistent learning of blocks of lessons and use PE and Sport Premium to follow on from your booking selected.

Fun final week celebration and activities

You will now be able to select from a menu for the last week of term or final lessons in your programme.

Please ensure that you are aware of the different options and activities available to your school.

To book or make further enquiries regarding a booking please contact: school.swimming@nottinghamcity.gov.uk .

Please ensure all certificates and awards are downloaded in Swimphony and celebrated!

Support is available by contacting: school.swimming@nottinghamcity.gov.uk  

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Please click on the brochure below for the Guide for Primary Schools

 on School Swimming Service - Teaching and Water Safety

Brochure for 2025-26 academic year