Children learning to swim

Most children learn to swim in a weekly class at a local pool. They move up through stages, a few skills at a time. In England, Swim England sets out those stages, and the skills a child needs before they are safe in water.

One stage at a time

Most lessons in England follow Swim England's Learn to Swim Stages 1 to 7. Swim England calls them the core national syllabus of learning to swim for primary school children. Stage 1 starts with getting into the water safely and moving 5 metres forwards, backwards and sideways.

By Stage 7, a child swims 100 metres using at least three different strokes. Swim England says children in lessons should be gaining at least three awards a year.

When a child is safe in water

Swim England sets four minimum skills that a child should have before they stop lessons.

In March 2025, Swim England said its research found more than 70% of children were taken out of lessons before they had learnt these skills. It strongly recommends that parents keep children in lessons until they have finished Stage 7, as a minimum. The child's swimming teacher is the person who can say how close they are.

Swimming at school

The national curriculum for England says all schools must provide swimming lessons in key stage 1 or key stage 2. Pupils should learn to swim at least 25 metres competently, confidently and proficiently. They should use a range of strokes, such as front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke. They should also learn to perform safe self-rescue in different situations in the water.

Families in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can find their own national swimming bodies in the links below.

Near rivers, lakes and the sea

In Stage 3, children learn four water safety messages. Stop and think, and always swim in a safe place. Stay together, and always swim with an adult. If you fall in, float, breathe and relax. If someone else is in trouble, call 999.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK publishes a Water Safety Code for everyone. It says "warm weather does not mean warm water". It asks people to learn to float on their back and stay calm before they go near water. It asks families to swim together and to "always keep young children within arm's reach". If someone is in trouble, the code says "do not enter the water yourself". It asks people to phone 999, throw something that floats, and encourage the person to float. At the coast, the code says to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, says around 400 people in the UK die each year from drowning after an accident in or around water. That is its figure as published on its water safety page in October 2026.

If your child has extra needs

Swim England has a guide for parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), from 2019. It says teachers who qualified with Swim England adapt their lessons, so that all learners have the chance to learn in an ordinary class. Children with SEND work through the same awards, and they may be excused skills they are physically unable to do.

Pools have their own policies, so Swim England suggests talking to the local pool before booking. The pool's swimming co-ordinator may be able to offer a quieter session, a support teacher in the water, or one-to-one lessons.

Useful links