We are incredibly proud of the progress our Year 4 children are making in swimming this year. Living in a coastal community, swimming is not just part of the curriculum; it is a vital life skill. Ensuring that every child can swim confidently and safely is something we take very seriously.

Year 4 Swimming at Leeleand

Our Year 4 pupils access swimming lessons at Leesland Swimming Pool, where they build confidence, develop technique, and learn essential water safety skills. Half of the year group has now completed their lessons for the year and have done exceptionally well. We have seen:

• Increased confidence in the water
• Improved stroke technique
• Growing awareness of how to stay safe

We are now excited for the second half of the year group to begin their sessions this week.

National Curriculum Expectations

Swimming is a statutory requirement of the National Curriculum for Physical Education. By the end of primary school, children are expected to:

• Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
• Use a range of strokes effectively
• Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations

Our programme ensures that children are well-supported to meet, and often exceed, these expectations.

Learning to Stay Safe: Coastguard Visit

We were also delighted to welcome the Lee-on-the-Solent Coastguard into school this week, who delivered an important and engaging assembly on water safety.

Children learned about how to respond in an emergency and, crucially, the life-saving message to “Float to Live.” This simple but powerful advice helps children understand how to remain calm and safe if they ever find themselves in difficulty in the water.

Thank You

A huge thank you to the Coastguard team for sharing their expertise and helping to reinforce such an important message for our children.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 4 pupils and the progress they are making. Swimming is a skill for life and in our coastal community, it could one day save a life.