One in Two Year 6 Students Can't Swim 50 m - Experts Sound Alarm

Families and communities are being urged to play a greater role in teaching children to swim, as research reveals many Australian children are finishing primary school without essential water safety skills. 

The latest Children's Swimming & Water Safety Skills Report from Royal Life Saving Australia found that 48% of Year 6 students cannot swim 50 metres and tread water for two minutes, the National Benchmark expected by the end of primary school. 

As a country with beaches, rivers, lakes, and backyard pools, the findings have reignited discussion about swimming as an essential life skill rather than simply a recreational activity. The report also highlights that children often begin lessons at a young age but many stop between the ages of seven and nine - well before reaching the national benchmark. 

Purpose-built facilities like Aquabliss Willowdale in South West Sydney are helping address this gap. The swim school, set to open in July, will serve families across the region. The swim school team concurs that the findings underline the need to treat swimming as an ongoing part of childhood education, rather than a skill children outgrow after the basics.  

"These findings are alarming to me because they show too many Australian children are missing out on skills that could one day save their lives," said Nitin Singhi, Managing Director of Aquabliss. 

"The goal of swimming instruction isn’t to produce competitive swimmers but rather to give children the confidence, skills, and instinct to cope in and around water, whether that's at the beach, in a river, on holidays, or in a backyard pool. That confidence and skill can be the difference between a close call and a tragedy. 

"While school swim programs play a vital role in introducing children to swimming and water safety, they can't do it alone. Families and community swim schools need to work together to keep building on those skills throughout childhood." 

Ms Modi saw this first-hand when her daughter's kayak capsized on a remote river during a family holiday. Her daughter, who was enrolled at Aquabliss, knew to stay calm, tread water, and call for help, ultimately ensuring the whole family was rescued by a passing fisherman. "Aquabliss has definitely contributed to her feeling more confident when she is swimming and given her the skills to stay calm and in control in dangerous situations in the water," she said. Ms Modi’s daughter completed Aquabliss’ Personal Aquatic Survival Skills (PASS) program a few months before the incident. The program teaches children essential water safety skills such as sculling, floating, treading water, and survival swimming through repetition. 

The Royal Life Saving report found that swimming ability effectively plateaus after Year 7, reinforcing the need for swimming education to continue long after children learn the basics.  

Aquabliss encourages parents to regularly review their children's swimming ability and support skill development throughout primary and secondary school by: