Swimming lessons return after children missed out on vital skills for past year
A Shropshire swimming instructor is encouraging parents to get their children back into swimming lessons after a whole year without practice.
After 12 months of closures and disruptions, many children have missed out on so much learning and development, including being in the water. As swimming lessons restart and more people are booking holidays or even staycations, getting children back in the water safely has never been more important.
Baby and child swim school, Puddle Ducks, has seen a huge surge in demand for their lessons since pools reopened on April 12. Their lessons across the local area are experiencing huge customer levels, as families want to make up for lost time in the pool and realise the importance of swimming skills.
Recent reports from Swim England show that over the past year, up to 240,000 children have missed out on learning how to swim 25 metres, a requirement of the national curriculum. This has had a clear impact, with The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) announcing an increase in the number of water-related fatalities in the last 12 months.
Kim Pinnington, owner of Puddle Ducks north west Midlands, south Cheshire and Wrexham said: “Its so exciting to be welcoming children back to the pool after such long lockdown periods. We have made changes to our lessons to fit with covid-restrictions, but we are still helping children to have fun in the pool, rebuild their water-confidence and develop their swimming skills through our child-led approach.
“Our approach is a great way to ease children back into the pool after nearly a year of missed lessons- and continue teaching them water safety and survival skills. These skills are key to help them stay safe in the water, especially as we head into the summer months and many of us begin to go away on holiday. They help parents feel more at ease, knowing that their children know how to stay safe whilst enjoying the water.”
Places are still available for babies from birth and children up to 10 to develop their swimming abilities and build their water-confidence. Lessons are held at Newport Junior School, Prestfelde School and Albrighton Hall in Shrewsbury, as well as Oswestry School and Everlast Fitness and Clywedog School in Wrexham.
To find out more call 01925 393 193 or visit puddleducks.com/local-teams/north-west-midlands-south-cheshire-wrexham
