A report from the Swedish National Agency for Education from 2022 shows that swimming skills have decreased slightly since 2014. Seven percent of students in 6th grade do not reach the knowledge requirement to swim 200 meters.
In Sala, where the swimming pool is old and the municipality is struggling with how to solve the bathhouse issue, swimming manager Elinor Lingblom says that she sees that children's swimming skills are increasing in age.
Poorer technology and coping among students
In a questionnaire conducted by SVT Nyheter Västmanland, the person responsible for swimming lessons at Varmsätra School and Ransta School in Sala municipality answers that they also see a lower swimming ability among the students, mainly through poorer technique and endurance. The fact that the bathhouse was closed during the pandemic and that the children do not go there with their parents are mentioned as two possible reasons.
Leaf swimming in Arboga
Arboga has the second lowest proportion of swimmers in 6th grade of the municipalities in Västmanland: 87 percent were judged to meet the requirements last academic year. Those responsible do not see any difference before and after the pandemic, but are working to ensure that more people meet the requirements.
"To increase swimming skills among our students, we have invested more in the younger children; They have been given more times of swimming lessons. We have also had swimming lessons during all school holidays for all year groups", they answer in SVT's survey.