Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support pupils in Lincolnshire in learning to swim.

Swimming is a vital life skill. This is why swimming is a curriculum entitlement at primary school. Funded through core school budgets, schools must provide swimming lessons in either key stage 1 or 2.

The department has confirmed £1 billion funding for PE and school sport over three years, building on the £67 billion core funding provided this year.

Increasing access and improving attainment in swimming will be key priorities for the new PE and School Sport Partnerships network. It will bring together schools, local clubs, and national governing bodies of sport to identify and address barriers to participation, targeting funding and support to where they are needed most.

The network will develop more consistent high-quality support, including swimming and water safety training, access to specialist coaching, links to local swimming clubs and greater access to competitions and national programmes.