Swim Audit 2022: workforce and learn to swim statistics

In 2022, Swim England partnered with the STA to conduct a learn to swim and workforce audit of the aquatics sector. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the size and make-up of two key aquatic markets and their relationship to the national governing body and the STA.

Data collection for the audit took place in Autumn 2022 via an online survey to operators, swim schools and clubs. Using data extrapolation techniques, we are pleased that the data gathered can help us to understand the size of both the learn to swim and aquatic workforce markets in England.

Understanding the learn to swim market:

• Two million people are learning to swim in England, of which 1.77 million are learning to swim on the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme across all sites, private swim schools and aquatic clubs.
• More than 50,000 adults are learning to swim in England.
• Junior learn to swim is the most commonly used framework of all framework providers: 94 per cent of learn to swim providers offer a junior programme.

Understanding the aquatic workforce:

• 90,390 teaching hours per week are given to children and adults swimming lessons in England.
• 65 per cent of learn to swim providers are restricted from growing their learn to swim programme due to the teacher shortage, equating to 667,000 children who could be missing out on swimming lessons as a result.