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What happens when schools bring swimming to the playground?

  • Writer: Kanga Swim
    Kanga Swim
  • 1 day ago
  • 3 min read

Swimming is statutory.


By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are expected to swim 25 metres, understand water safety, and demonstrate self-rescue skills.


Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most current delivery models are not structurally set up to meet that expectation consistently, or to evidence it when asked.


PE Leads know this, even if it isn’t always said out loud.


The problem isn’t commitment. Its structure.


Across England, PE Leads are making significant efforts to improve swimming provision.

They manage transport, staffing ratios, risk assessments, timetables, and funding justification, often for lessons that result in limited time in the water and slow, uneven progress.


Weekly off-site lessons feel familiar. They feel compliant.


But familiarity isn’t the same as effectiveness.


When a class spends most of a morning travelling for a short pool session, progress depends on perfect conditions: confident pupils, uninterrupted attendance, and no learning loss between weeks. In reality, those conditions rarely exist.


The result is a quiet tension:

Swimming is happening, but progress is hard to prove.


What changes when swimming moves on site

Some schools have stopped trying to optimise an inefficient model and have changed the structure entirely.


Instead of weekly travel to external pools, they bring a temporary, pop-up pool onto the school playground and deliver swimming as a short, intensive programme within the school day.


The impact of this change shows up quickly and measurably.

At Chilwell Croft Academy, the proportion of pupils able to swim 25 metres rose from 0% to 49% within a single half term.


At Charville Academy, 25-metre attainment increased from 6% to 51% in seven weeks, alongside significant gains in water safety knowledge.


These outcomes weren’t achieved by pushing pupils harder or extending the school day.

They were achieved by removing structural barriers.


Why progress accelerates

When swimming takes place on site, three things change immediately:

1. Time in the water increases

Travel is removed. Sessions start on time. Learning time is protected.

2. Learning becomes continuous

Regular sessions over a shorter, defined period reduce skill loss and builds momentum.

3. Progress becomes visible

Small groups and consistent assessment make before-and-after change clear.


For PE Leads, this matters because progress is no longer anecdotal. It is measurable, time-bound, and defensible.


Inclusion isn’t an add-on; it’s designed in


For pupils with SEND, anxiety, or limited prior swimming experience, the environment often determines participation.

Schools that deliver swimming on-site report that familiar surroundings, predictable routines, and trusted adults significantly reduce barriers.


At Mill Lodge Primary School, ARC pupils accessed curriculum swimming for the first time. Staff reported improved regulation, increased confidence, and the highest attendance of the academic year while the pool was on site.

Inclusion here was achieved not through additional intervention but through better delivery design.


A question PE Leads can’t avoid


If you are responsible for swimming provision, the question is no longer:

“Are we delivering swimming?”

It is:

“Is our current model capable of delivering rapid, measurable progress and allowing me to evidence it with confidence?”

Schools that have changed where swimming happens are answering that question differently.


See how this works in practice


If you want to investigate whether on-site swimming is viable in your setting, you can:


We're happy to support informed decision-making, without obligation.




 
 
 

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