Swimming SOS: Why the cool weather is a threat to our kids

PARENTS could be setting their kids up for failure, destined not to hit national benchmarks, if they fail to keep up this regular practice over winter.

PARENTS who take their kids out of swimming lessons during winter could be setting them up to fail if they are not hitting national benchmarks, experts warn.

Royal Life Saving Queensland chief executive Paul Barry said there was plenty of evidence that showed consistent and regular aquatic activity helped improve a child’s water safety skills.

“Every child will be different and we try and align children’s swimming abilities and skills with the national framework so if you have a kid that is a bit behind they may benefit from continuing swimming classes through winter,” he said. “If they are in line with national framework then it might not be the end of the world ... we are aware a lot of people switch to winter sports.”

Jackson Smith, 3, from Pimpama has some fun at the Jump Swim School. Picture: Adam Head

In March a Royal Life Saving Society Australia report revealed Queensland has the highest number of under-4s learning to swim, but were dropping out early and missing important skills.

More than 50 per cent of swimming enrolments are for children aged 0 to 4, with just 10 per cent aged 8 to 12.

JUMP! Swim Schools chief executive Ian Campbell said children who stopped lessons over winter could no longer swim to their previous ability once they returned. “By cutting swimming lessons for winter, children enter summer without important skills, capabilities or the confidence they might have had just months earlier,” he said.

The Courier-Mail reported on Saturday that Education Minister Grace Grace held two stakeholder roundtable meetings in February and April to examine ways to improve vital swim and survival skills in children.

Another is scheduled for June 5, with delegates expected to give final advice in August. The summits were sparked by The Courier-Mail’s Save Our Schoolkids (S.O.S.) campaign, which revealed concerns from aquatic safety experts that young Queenslanders were less equipped to cope in the water than previous generations.

Almost 20 drownings have been reported across Queensland this year, according to the latest Royal Life Saving Society data.