Nearly Half of Year 6 Kids Can’t Swim 50m: Australia’s School Swimming Crisis
School Swimming: The Ongoing Challenge in Australia – 2025 Update
In 2010, we published a piece highlighting the “shame” of inconsistent and inadequate swimming and water safety education in Australian schools. Sadly, more than 15 years later, many of the same issues persist—and in some areas, the situation has deteriorated further.
Australia is defined by its beaches, pools, rivers, and coastal lifestyle. Yet according to the latest Royal Life Saving Society – Australia research (2025 National Drowning Report and Children’s Swimming & Water Safety Skills Report), too many children are still leaving primary school without essential aquatic skills:
- Approximately 40–50% of Year 6 students cannot swim 50 metres continuously and tread water/float for 2 minutes unassisted — the long-standing national benchmark.
- Teachers estimate that nearly half of Year 6 children fall short of these minimum standards.
- 31% of schools do not offer any learn-to-swim program, with cost of lessons and travel to pools cited as major barriers by over half and one-third of schools, respectively.
- 1 in 10 primary-aged children (5–14 years) have never had formal swimming lessons, with higher rates in regional, low socio-economic, and culturally diverse communities.
Drowning remains a leading cause of preventable death for children and young people. The 2025 National Drowning Report recorded 357 drowning fatalities — a rise in several age groups — underscoring that poor swimming and water safety skills continue to put lives at risk.
Why the Problem Persists
Despite increased awareness and some excellent local programs, systemic issues remain:
- No mandatory national curriculum for school-based swimming and water safety, leading to huge variation between states, regions, and individual schools.
- Reduced funding and resources for aquatic programs, especially in schools without on-site pools (requiring expensive transport and hire).
- Limited ongoing professional development for teachers and supervisors in delivering survival-focused water skills.
- Many parents assume “the school will cover it” after early private lessons end around age 4–5, resulting in a drop-off in structured learning during primary years.
- Focus often shifts to fun, technique, or sports-style swimming rather than core survival skills (e.g., floating in clothes, self-rescue, recognising hazards, basic rescue techniques).
What Needs to Change in 2026 and Beyond
To truly protect the next generation, we need urgent, coordinated action:
- A national, consistent framework for school swimming and water safety education, with clear benchmarks at each year level and mandatory minimum participation where possible.
- Appropriate teacher-to-student ratios and high-quality training/professional development, mirroring standards in professional swim schools.
- Programs that prioritise survival and rescue skills alongside strokes: staying afloat when tired, floating to breathe, swimming in everyday clothing, calling for help, using aids for rescue, and understanding local hazards (rips, currents, cold water).
- Feedback mechanisms so parents receive clear reports on their child’s progress and areas for improvement.
- Greater equity in access — subsidies, partnerships with local swim schools, and targeted programs for at-risk communities.
The Bottom Line
Swimming and water safety are life skills, not optional extras. In a country surrounded by water, every child deserves the opportunity to learn how to stay safe — and potentially save others.
While many dedicated teachers, schools, and swim programs do outstanding work, the current patchwork approach is failing too many children. It’s time for governments, education departments, Royal Life Saving, Swim Australia, and the community to renew focus and investment.
Because when it comes to water, basic competence isn’t enough — survival confidence saves lives.
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Updated January 2026 – Hampton Swim School