Is swimming compulsory in primary schools in the UK? Yes, it remains a key part of the national curriculum swimming requirements in England. In 2025, it’s still the responsibility of all primary schools to ensure pupils learn essential swimming and water safety skills before they leave Year 6.
National Curriculum Swimming Requirements
The swimming national curriculum is very clear: all primary schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2. By the end of KS2, all pupils should be able to:
- Swim competently, confidently, and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres.
- Use a range of strokes effectively (e.g. front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke).
- Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
These national curriculum swimming KS2 targets must be measured and reported before pupils leave Year 6.
Funding for Primary School Swimming in 2025
Previously, some schools used the PE and Sport Premium to help fund swimming. However, there is no longer any ring-fenced money specifically for swimming in the PE curriculum. Schools cannot use the Primary PE and Sport Premium to deliver core national curriculum swimming lessons.
Instead, headteachers must cover the cost of swimming in primary schools from their core budgets. The Premium can still be used to pay for top-up swimming lessons for pupils who do not meet the required standard or for teacher CPD to improve swimming provision.
Recording and Reporting Swimming Data
All primary schools must record and publish data about pupil swimming attainment on their websites. You can use the assessment builder on The PE Hub to easily track and share this data. The Association for Physical Education (afPE) also provides a handy tool for reporting this information alongside your use of the PE and Sport Premium. This includes the percentage of pupils who can swim at least 25 metres and perform safe self-rescue.
Supporting Your School’s Swimming Provision
Swimming in primary schools can be challenging to organise, but high-quality planning makes it easier. At The PE Hub, our detailed swimming lesson plans and schemes of work support teachers in delivering effective sessions for all pupils, from beginners to advanced swimmers.
If you’re looking for more guidance, Swim England offers a wealth of up-to-date advice, resources, and professional development opportunities to help schools meet their national curriculum swimming KS2 requirements.