Australian children struggling to meet national swimming standards, NT among worst but slowly improving
Almost half of all Year 6 students in Australia are struggling to meet national swimming and water safety standards, with the statistics painting a concerning picture for the Northern Territory.
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An increasing number of Australian school children are struggling to meet national swimming and water safety standards, research shows, painting a concerning picture for the Northern Territory.
The national research by Royal Life Saving estimates 48 per cent of Year 6 students cannot swim 50 metres and tread water for two minutes, and a massive 84 per cent of 15 to 16-year-olds cannot swim for 400 metres and tread water for five minutes.
Both are basic lifesaving requirements and the benchmarks.
Additionally, about 31 per cent of all Australian schools do not offer any swimming programs and one-in-10 Australian children aged 5 to 14 have never had a swimming lesson, the research claims.
Cost, staffing shortages, and time limitations have been cited as major barriers for swimming programs.
Royal Life Saving NT executive director Floss Roberts said the statistics were far more grim in the Territory.
“Until now, we haven’t had any funded primary school swimming for the past 30 years, so it’s fair to say our children’s swimming abilities would be lower than other states,” she said.
“Our numbers indicate less than 5 per cent of NT students finish primary school achieving the national competency for Year 6.”
Ms Roberts said it was too soon to tell if the government’s free swimming program for Years 1-6 was having an impact, but noted it was a step in the right direction.
“The fact is: They’re doing it and that’s a good start,” she said.
“The pools are now full of school kids doing programs that book them in for the whole year across the Territory.”
She said she hoped the program would be a long-time commitment and not be made into a political issue.
“The NT has the highest drowning rate in Australia,” she said.
“So it should be a commitment that every child deserves to learn swimming and water safety in primary school … just like how math and English are requirements to get through school.”
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Originally published as Australian children struggling to meet national swimming standards, NT among worst but slowly improving
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