Swimming

All schools must provide swimming instruction in either Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2.

At Shiremoor Primary School, swimming is an essential part of our PE curriculum, ensuring that all children develop vital water safety skills and confidence in the water. As part of our swimming provision, Year 5 pupils attend swimming lessons at a local swimming facility, where they receive high-quality instruction from qualified swimming coaches. These lessons are designed to help pupils develop their swimming ability, improve water confidence, and understand the importance of water safety.

During their swimming sessions, children work on a range of key skills, including floating, treading water, and different swimming strokes such as front crawl, backstroke, and breaststroke. They also learn essential life-saving techniques, including how to safely enter and exit the water, basic self-rescue skills, and understanding how to stay safe around water. Our swimming provision aligns with the national curriculum requirements, aiming for all pupils to be able to:

•  swim at least 25 metres competently, confidently and proficiently
•  use a range of strokes effectively (for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke)
•  perform a safe self-rescue in different water-based situations 

​​​​​​​These lessons not only build swimming proficiency but also encourage a love for swimming as an enjoyable and lifelong physical activity.

Currently, in our Year 6 cohort (2024/25):