Western Australian children to receive free VacSwim this summer

The Western Australian Government will provide free VacSwim lessons over December and January school holidays for the state’s children as part of a $5.5 million investment into school swimming lessons and water safety, set to save families hundreds of dollars.

Free in-term classes for smaller, low Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) non-government schools to encourage students from diverse cultural backgrounds to learn how to swim

The Cook Labor Government will provide free VacSwim lessons for Western Australian children as part of a $5.5 million investment into school swimming lessons and water safety, set to save families hundreds of dollars.

VacSwim has been delivered in Western Australia for more than 100 years, with lessons held at pools and beaches across the State, and has contributed to safety in and near the water for generations of WA children and young people.

The summer VacSwim lessons, which range from five to 10 days in length, and pool entry for the duration will be free for all students who enrol in the swimming program over the December 2024 and January 2025 period.

This initiative is set to save up to $214 for a family with two children attending a 10-day VacSwim program.

In-term swimming classes, which run continuously, remain free for public school students and regional non-government school students.

From 2025-2028 these costs will be waived for a small number of non-government metropolitan schools with a low ICSEA of less than 1,000. The Department currently charges metropolitan non-government schools to recover the cost of the instructors. This $332,000 measure will encourage smaller non-government schools, including those from diverse cultural backgrounds, to offer an affordable swimming program for their students to learn how to swim.

The summer swimming package builds on the investment to establish a new specialist School of Swimming and Water Safety to deliver vital swimming programs for 250,000 WA school students who access school and vacation swimming lessons each year.

WA Education Minister Dr Tony Buti noted "we are privileged in Western Australia to enjoy a coastal lifestyle, with the majority of our population living close to water.

"To enable us to safely enjoy that lifestyle, the Department of Education provides the most comprehensive swimming and water safety programs in Australia and the largest in the southern hemisphere.

"Providing free in-term classes for smaller, low ICSEA non-government schools is a small but important measure to ensure students from diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged to learn to swim to and improve swim safety."

VacSwim enrolments are open now and will close 16th October with more information available at www.education.wa.gov.au/vacswim