Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the number of schools which do not meet their statutory duty to teach swimming and water safety during (a) Key Stage 1 and (b) Key Stage 2.

Swimming and water safety lessons are compulsory at key stage 1 and 2 in the physical education (PE) national curriculum. Swimming and water safety are vital life skills, and every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and know how to keep themselves safe around water by the time they leave primary school.

Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey 2023/24 reports that 95.2% of state primary schools surveyed confirmed they do provide swimming lessons. The report also states that 70.2% of pupils in year 7 say they can swim 25 metres unaided. Ofsted inspections may include a deep dive into PE, in which case the inspector will consider how the PE curriculum has been designed, and whether the various requirements are met.