Funding helps promote inclusion at The Swim School WA
The Swim School WA has long been a Royal Life Saving Endorsed Swim School, operating at several locations in Perth’s northern suburbs. In 2021 the school opened a fourth facility in Wanneroo to join their existing locations at Merriwa, Ocean Reef, and Wangara. As part of the Endorsed Swim School network, The Swim School WA offers Royal Life Saving’s Infant Aquatics and Swim and Survive programs and are known locally for their family-friendly atmosphere and small class sizes.
The school is highly proactive about engaging with their students and providing the opportunity for children in the local community to learn vital swimming and water safety skills. The school recently made use of a grant from the WA Swim and Survive Fund to ensure disadvantaged children did not miss out on lessons.
The WA Swim and Survive Fund offers grants to swim schools, specific community groups or individuals to access vital swimming education, focusing on children and adults from lower socio-economic families, those affected by disabilities, from Indigenous or multicultural backgrounds, or those in regional and remote communities who are more likely to miss out on lessons making them more vulnerable to drowning.
The Swim School WA Coordinator, Kristie Campbell, says the school offers funding from the grants to families who are struggling financially, as well as students who may benefit from additional lessons.
“We approach the local primary schools close to our centres and offer funding to students who are new to the area/country and have not had the opportunity to participate in a Swim and Survive program. We also identify children in our school-group lessons who have not had any experience in the aquatic environment and offer funding to extend their swimming progression after the school lessons have finished.”
"The Swim school WA also offers the grant to many children who just aren't settling into our mainstream group lesson. We feel that these children benefit from a few one-on-one lessons to help build their water confidence and familiarisation. Once they are confident and know what to expect in our classes, they will join back into group lessons. Parents feel that this helps to prevent their child from feeling different or singled out.”
Royal Life Saving is pleased to see these grants being used to help children at risk of falling behind in their swimming education to access much-needed lessons. To learn more about The Swim School WA or to get in contact, visit the links below for each of their locations.
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Learn more about the WA Swim and Survive Fund and how it is helping swim schools provide an inclusive water safety education for all children at the link below.
