Olympic swimmers including Adam Peaty, Ellie Simmonds and Michael Gunning are launching a new pop-up pool programme at UK schools aimed at boosting low swimming attainment rates.
Fully functioning temporary pools will be placed at schools in areas where a large proportion of children are unable to swim, starting in the Black Country in the West Midlands, one of the worst affected areas in the country, where swimming ability has dropped sharply since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The scheme, launched on Wednesday by Speedo Swim United, comes as statistics from Sport England show nearly one in three children in the UK leave primary school unable to swim, with numbers higher in more deprived areas.
Without intervention, the figure could rise to 60% of children leaving school unable to swim in 2025, after coronavirus lockdowns hindered swimming lessons, the data suggests.
Ian Carey, CEO of Active Black Country, which is helping to deliver the programme, said he hoped the pop-up pools would provide children “with the skillsets they need to develop a positive, lifelong affinity with the water. Inspiring a love and an ability to swim at an early age is critical in tackling the low levels of swimming attainment in our region.”
