New research from Swim England’s #LoveSwimming campaign shows that Swimming lessons are doing far more than teaching children how to stay safe in the water, and that they also play a significant role in boosting confidence, resilience and concentration.
The findings arrive as Swim Ireland rolls out its own National Swimming Strategy (2024-2027) and on the eve of this week’s Sport for Business Children and Sport Conference in Dublin.
Wave 16 of the #LoveSwimming campaign, published this week, found that:
84% of parents reported their child’s mood improved following a lesson, helping them feel calmer, happier and better able to cope with day-to-day challenges.
8 in 10 parents said swimming lessons improved their child’s concentration and attention span.
Nearly three-quarters believed lessons supported their child in school, making them more engaged and motivated to learn.
Working parents also highlighted the mental health benefits, with 80% saying lessons reduced their child’s stress or anxiety.
Former Olympic diver Leon Taylor, who has seen the benefits with his own five-year-old son, described swimming as “about much more than learning to swim, it is about learning to thrive.”
Ireland’s Strategy and Targets
Swim Ireland has echoed those themes in its National Swimming Strategy to 2027, which sets ambitious goals to expand access and participation:
Increase the percentage of primary school children taking part in the aquatics strand of PE from 28% to 40% by 2027.
Expand the number of swimming teachers and coaches to ensure high-quality instruction nationwide.
Expand the Primary Aquatics Water Safety (PAWS) programme, which issued 38,046 certificates in 2023, to reach many more schools and communities.
Improve infrastructure, including upgrades to local pools, modular “pop-up” pools, and safer open-water access.
The strategy also recognises swimming’s rising popularity in Ireland, where hundreds of thousands already take part weekly. Yet access remains uneven, with barriers in cost, geography and facility provision still limiting opportunities for many families.
Why It Matters Now
The combined evidence from England and Ireland strengthens the case for embedding swimming more deeply into Irish childhood sport and education.
As children face mounting pressures around mental health, screen time and sedentary lifestyles, swimming offers a unique blend of physical activity, stress relief, and skill development.
Swim England’s research shows parents can already see the impact — calmer moods, sharper focus, reduced anxiety — while Swim Ireland’s targets show a clear roadmap to make those benefits widely accessible here.
Image Credit: Sport for Business
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