Swimming and Water Safety in Schools
Inclusion 2024
25/07/2019What is Inclusion 2024?
Inclusion 2024 is an exciting initiative, inspired by the 2020 Paralympic Games and funded by Department for Education (DfE).
Its aim is to increase and improve opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to participate in school sport.
The project has been running since January 2019.
Who is leading Inclusion 2024?
Youth Sport Trust is leading the initiative and we are proud to be part of the steering group, along with several other high profile organisations, including Activity Alliance, the British Paralympic Association, and NASEN (National Association of Special Educational Needs).
How does it work?
The steering group is supporting over 50 ‘Lead Inclusion Schools’ – representing best practice in inclusive PE and sport – as they take action to influence change across the country.
All are working towards improving the quality and amount of opportunities available for pupils with SEND to participate in physical activity and sport at school. Their work includes:
- Staging events such as ‘Learning and Discovery’ festivals where pupils of all abilities participate in different sports together, trying out new activities whilst guided by athlete mentors.
- Providing training, upskilling staff to ensure inclusive PE is at the forefront of all school sport programmes.
- Sharing best practice with other schools to remove their fears and barriers and influence positive change.
What is Swim England doing to support Inclusion 2024?
We are the project’s central support hub for inclusive school swimming and water safety.
It is our job to provide tools and resources that will help schools, lesson providers and pool operators make sure their swimming programmes are fully inclusive.
Success stories
Tap or click below to read case studies of the actions and impacts made so far on school swimming.
Get involved
Tap or click to below to find out how we can help you, get resources and implement change in your area:
The School Swimming Assessment Tool has been developed by Swim England’s insight team. It is an easy-to-use action planning document that schools and operators can use to collaborate with one another.
The purpose of the tool is to guide discussion between schools, swimming lesson providers and pool operators helping them identify barriers to participation, come up with solutions and then implement those solutions successfully.
The School Swimming Assessment Tool is free to download and use. We recommend filling it out digitally, but it can also be printed.
Download the School Swimming Assessment Tool below.
Discussion focused on challenges, successes and some of the planned changes to their school swimming programmes, which will improve experiences and increase participation amongst their SEN pupils. Get top tips from the inclusion experts!
Our school swimming programme experts have been working with Lead Inclusion Schools to produce a new CPD to support teachers delivering school swimming and water safety lessons to SEND pupils.
We know that one of the main ways to reward and recognise achievements in school swimming is through Award schemes.
The Swim England School Swimming Foundation Awards precede our core School Swimming and Water Safety Awards. They have been designed specifically to support pupils who are making steadier progress through their school swimming lessons.
The School Swimming Foundation Awards cater for and motivate those pupils who may be finding it difficult to achieve the national curriculum requirements for school swimming and water safety, which are reached when pupils complete their core Awards.
The Awards – along with supporting resources such as a teaching guide and sticker books for pupils – are available to all members of our School Swimming and Water Safety Charter.
The Big School Swim is an annual campaign that celebrates swimming in schools. Every November, schools across the country get involved in our Big School Swim activity sessions. These are designed to get pupils of all abilities in the water and enjoying their swimming.
Big School Swim activities help pupils learn important new swimming and water safety skills with others, without it feeling like a formal lesson.
Watch an adapted Big School Swim activity session in action at Slated Row School for SEN children in Milton Keynes
How to get involved
Everything you need to be able to host a Big School Swim activity session is available in the free resource pack, which is available to every school that signs up.
Aquasplash supports Inclusion 2024 and the Your School Games initiative. Your School Games encourages children of all abilities to get involved in different sports at school and engaged in healthy competition in team and group environments.
Running a Swim England Aquasplash festival covers the swimming element of Your School Games. It also offers leadership opportunities for older pupils who are working towards their Young Aquatic Leader Award or similar.
How to get involved
An Aquasplash festival fits easily into a school swimming session. All the information and resources you need to be able to run the festival are available to view and download from the Aquasplash page.