Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the feasibility of teaching water safety education in schools as a distinct topic from the national curriculum requirement for schools to teach children to swim.

The Government is fully committed to ensuring young people learn to swim and stay safe in water. In reforming the national curriculum, the new physical education (PE) programme of study, including the specifications for swimming and water safety, were developed through consultation with subject experts and teachers. The draft programme of study was subject to statutory consultation from 7 February to 16 April 2013.

Swimming and water safety is compulsory for primary-aged children in maintained schools; the national curriculum specifically states that pupils should be taught to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. The programme of study for PE is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study.