Victorian schools to be required to make sure all primary school students can swim

A new Victorian Government benchmark will require that school children must be able to swim 50 metres by the end of their primary school years.

In a move to reducing the number of drowning, the Victorian Government will make it compulsory for children to swim the equivalene of a lap of an Olympic pool by the end of Grade 6.

The initiative is part of a new primary school curriculum to be brought in next year that will also require that children demonstrate survival skills in the water.

Speaking during Water Safety Week (which runs from 28th November to 4th December, Victorian Emergency Services Minister James Merlino explained “many schools deliver quite an intensive swimming program, many schools have a swim carnival that might be a day per year but a number of schools do precious little when it comes to swim survival.

"Life Saving Victoria will issue the new Victorian water safety certificates and we're focusing on a competency with our kids to make sure by the end of primary school they're able to swim 50 metres continuously.

“And more important for me, is the ability for their swim survival instincts to kick in.”

Victorian schools will make individual decisions on how they choose to roll out the program but they will all have the cohesive goal, for children to complete their Victorian water safety certificate.

of Water Safety Week which also puts emphasis into educating people over 65 about water safety, after a 40% increase in drowning deaths in this age group.

Minister Merlino added "a 40% increase in drowning deaths of people aged over 65 is a real concern, it is important for older Victorians to look after themselves when enjoying the water.”

Royal Life Saving Society - Australia first called for Governments to ensure swimming became a mandatory component of the new national curriculum in 2011.

Image courtesy of Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre.

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