Government's £10m investment to help schools swimming programme met positivity by Swim England

The government's plans to invest £10 million to help schools with their sports and swimming programmes, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, has been met with positivity by Swim England.

Sport England will be donating the cash to help fund pupils and to ensure students will be taking part in regular exercise and fitness outside normal school hours.

The swimming’s national governing body chief executive Jane Nickerson told Sport England's website: “This investment is most welcome. With schools owning more than 1,300 swimming pools up and down the country, we have consistently engaged with the Department for Education on the benefits of opening as many of them up as possible outside of school hours.

“This has never been more important with the enforced closure of hundreds of community pools due to Covid-19.

“Opening up school pools outside of school hours can also help some of those pupils who have missed out on school swimming lessons due to Covid-19 to catch up, to ensure that they are leaving primary school able to meet the swimming and water safety curriculum requirements.”

Schools from disadvantaged and high inactivity areas have been given the opportunity to bid for funding.

The money will also be used to support education facilities as they will be able to open safely with additional signage, touch-free entry and cleaning equipment.

And the allocated income will also help pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, which could include buying adaptive sports equipment or wheelchair-accessible equipment.

“It’s crucial that barriers to participating in swimming, and any physical activity, are removed,” Nickerson added.

“Therefore it is pleasing to see the fund considering accessibility issues to make sure that school facilities are as inclusive as possible.”