PRIMARY school pupils would be given free swimming lessons under a Scottish Labour government, the party has pledged.
The plan was announced after the Scottish Government admitted it did not have figures on swimming.
Scottish Labour pledged to give every P5 child in Scotland the chance to learn with a “Chance to Swim” scheme, announced on Sunday, amid estimates from Scottish Swimming that 25% to 30% of children are unable to swim before they leave primary school.
Previous estimates warned this could be as high as 40% of children, while those living in more deprived areas are less likely to be able to swim, with barriers around access to pools and a “postcode lottery” of cost of lessons.
In June, the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) released figures showing that in the past five years there have been a total of 226 accidental drownings in Scotland and the nation had a drowning rate of 8.63 per million people in 2023, which was more than double the UK average of 3.49 per million.
The Scottish Government has previously said it is not possible to estimate the number of pupils leaving school unable to swim because there is no requirement to report children’s abilities.
“As a result, we are unable to provide an estimate of the number of pupils leaving school unable to swim.”
Scottish Labour sports spokesman Neil Bibby unveiled a “Chance to Swim” plan to ensure every child gets the chance to learn basic water skills, amid estimates that lesson fees have increased by almost a third since the pandemic.
The partnership between government, Scottish Swimming and local authorities would implement a new framework guaranteeing access, and a national audit of swimming provision, in a bid to create a Scotland where “no child is held back by their background”, the party said.
Bibby said: “Every child deserves the chance to learn to swim and enjoy the many benefits it can provide.
“A Scottish Labour government would work in partnership with local government and Scottish Swimming to deliver on its Chance to Swim plan and ensure that every P5 child in Scotland gets the chance to learn these important skills.
“Not only will it give every young Scot the chance to try a sport they might come to love, but it will provide huge health and safety benefits.
“No child’s talent and potential should be held back by postcode lotteries or economic inequalities.
“Ensuring every child gets the chance to learn to swim is just one of the ways Scottish Labour will build a country where no child is held back by their background.”
Olympic athlete and Commonwealth medallist Katie Shanahan, 20, from Glasgow, said: “Learning to swim is a vital skill that saves lives. School swimming ensures that every child has the chance to swim and learn essential water safety and basic swimming skills to start them on this journey.
“School swimming also ensures fair and equal opportunities for children to learn to swim as not everyone can afford swimming lessons. Every child deserves the chance to swim to be safer and confident in and around water.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We believe that every child should be given the opportunity to learn to swim – a skill that can save lives. The Scottish Government has been working with partners on providing more opportunities for children to become confident swimmers.
“Health Secretary Neil Gray recently met with Scottish Swimming to discuss the School Swimming Framework which aims to ensure pupils across Scotland have basic aquatic skills, particularly at Primary 4 and Primary 5 level, to be safer and more confident in the water.
“Officials are now working to take this forward across portfolios.”
