New School Swimming Programme

“Ela’s story goes to show how important these opportunities are”: Gwynedd children to benefit from new swimming and water safety programme

Children in Gwynedd are among those set to benefit from a new Welsh Government programme providing at least 20 hours of swimming and water safety lessons to primary school pupils.

Pupils in Years 4 and 5 in Gwynedd will be among those taking part in the first phase of the School Swimming programme, alongside children in Anglesey, Wrexham, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff.

The programme will teach children essential skills including water confidence, basic swimming and self-rescue, before being rolled out across Wales over the next three years.

Siân Gwenllian MS said the programme would be particularly important in a county like Gwynedd, where communities are surrounded by rivers, lakes and coastline.

“Here in Gwynedd, where so many of our communities live close to the sea and other bodies of water, it is vital that children have the skills and confidence to stay safe in and around water. Swimming is not simply a sport or a leisure activity – it is a crucial life skill that can save lives.”

The programme was officially launched on Wednesday, 23 September, during a visit by First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan to Penlan Leisure Centre in Swansea, where local school children took part in swimming lessons.

Heledd Fychan said the scheme was about more than simply teaching children to swim, with the programme also supporting lifelong habits that contribute to physical and mental wellbeing.

For Siân Gwenllian, the importance of giving children these opportunities was brought home particularly strongly last night, when her home village of Y Felinheli held a welcome-home celebration for Ela Letton-Jones, a 19-year-old Welsh para-swimmer who competes internationally and won a silver medal for Wales at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

“Ela’s story really goes to show how important these opportunities are – giving children the chance to develop a love of swimming and the skills and confidence that can stay with them throughout their lives.”

The School Swimming programme will initially provide at least 20 hours of swimming and water safety tuition to Year 4 and 5 pupils in the nine participating areas, before being extended to every local authority in Wales by 2028.