PENINSULA Leisure says a study it has undertaken in partnership with Deakin University has shown that keeping kids in swim lessons throughout the year is vital to making sure they stay safe in the water.
Peninsula Leisure chief executive officer Tim Gledhill said the year long study, titled Swim Lesson Models: Effectiveness and Impact, “found parents who solely relied on school swim programs overestimated their child’s swimming and water safety abilities.”
“This study reinforces just how important it is for parents to ensure children are learning to swim all year round. While intensive school swim programs are important, they lose their effectiveness as a stand-alone, and the study found children needed to attend more frequent swimming lessons to be able to retain essential swim and safety skills,” he said.
“Eighty five per cent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast. This study is a timely reminder on the importance of learning to swim and maintaining regular practice to ensure our children remain safe. It also highlights the need to redesign the way we deliver learn-to-swim programs.
“The study found a combination of intensive school swim programs, in conjunction with regular lessons to be the most effective mode for swim skill retention.”
Deakin University lecturer Kate Moncreiff said “extending the accessibility to swimming lessons beyond intensive school swim programs is important to ensure all children, no matter what level, are retaining these vital skills.”
“The findings have prompted us to call for a review of the state’s school swim programs to ensure they meet the needs of Victorian children,” she said.
