What would you do if you suddenly fell into deep water? Would you put your face into the water and start swimming butterfly? The answer is to flip on to your back and “float to live” and either wait for help or navigate yourself to safety. 

In a real survival situation, knowing how to stay afloat and breathe is far more valuable than mastering competitive strokes. Let’s ensure swimming education prioritises life-saving skills first.

Every year, approximately 400 people in the UK die from preventable water-related accidents simply because they have not been taught essential water safety skills. Even competent swimmers, and swimmers who have had lessons for many years drown, because they have not been taught essential, basic, lifesaving skills. They need to be taught without goggles, as in accidental immersions (like falling into a river, lake, or pool), children more often than not, aren’t wearing goggles.

Swimming education must begin with water safety fundamentals, e.g. floating, treading water, swimming without googles, safe entry and exit techniques, breath control, and basic survival skills in the water. These life-saving skills build confidence, reduce fear, and form the critical foundation upon which stroke technique can later be developed.

Teaching various swimming strokes is valuable—but these should come after every learner is confident in staying afloat, moving to safety, and handling unexpected situations in the water. 

Swim England strongly advises that children complete Stages 1–7 of the Learn to Swim programme, to be classed as water safe but many children drop out way before they reach stage 7 because they struggle with the butterfly stroke for example. The butterfly kick is introduced as early as stage 4 while kids only learn to swim 50m (any stroke) continuously at stage 7. 

We call on swim schools, instructors, education departments, and policymakers to:

Prioritize water safety and survival skills as the first stage of all swimming instruction programs.
Make water competency and not stroke proficiency, the baseline requirement before advancing to stroke techniques.
Raise awareness among parents, educators, and coaches about the importance of water safety for preventing drowning incidents.
A child who cannot yet swim laps but can float, tread water, and calmly get to the poolside is far safer than one who can do a perfect breaststroke but panics in the water without google on.

Sign this petition to save lives by making water safety the starting point of all swimming education, for safer, more confident swimmers everywhere.