The Swimming in Schools initiative provides funding for the delivery of quality swimming and water safety education so Victorian Government primary, specialist and English Language Schools and Catholic primary school students have the opportunity to:
- learn how to swim
- develop lifelong skills in water safety to reduce their risk of drowning and injury.
By the end of primary school, it is anticipated that students should be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills identified in the Victorian Water Safety Certificate.
The certificate is awarded when a student can:
- swim 50m continuously
- answer water safety-based questions
- perform simple rescues.
Funding for schools
The Swimming in Schools initiative provides funding to support schools to fulfil the swimming and water safety requirements of Health and Physical Education in the Victorian Curriculum F-10.
The Victorian Budget 2021/22 allocated $55.2 million between 2022 and 2024 to swimming and water safety education in Victorian government primary, specialist, and English language schools as well as Catholic primary schools. This funding builds on the $46 million already invested in swimming and water safety education since 2017.
In addition to this, the Budget includes $15.1 million for the cost of transport to aquatic facilities for Victorian government school students undertaking swimming and water safety programs.
$2.5 million has been allocated towards school swimming and water safety education through the Public Water Safety initiative. Life Saving Victoria will be developing further resources and continuing professional development and training in aquatic qualifications for:
- teachers
- parents
- VCE/VET students
- pre-service teachers.
Government schools funding
Funding that covers the cost of swimming and water safety programs for Victorian government primary schools will be distributed through the Student Resource Package: Swimming in Schools (reference 115)
Catholic schools funding
Catholic primary schools will receive funding directly from the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria.
Additional funding
Schools may be eligible for additional funding through the following programs:
Contact us
Questions relating directly to Swimming in Schools or swimming and water safety programs can be emailed to: school.swimming@education.vic.gov.au
Questions relating to the Parent Payment Policy can be emailed to: parent.payments@education.vic.gov.au
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