§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what guidelines he has issued in respect of minimum levels and standards of swimming teaching in(a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
§ Mr. ForthI have been asked to reply.
Detailed advice on safe practice in the teaching of swimming is included in the handbook "Safe Practice in Physical Education" which was first published in 1985 by the British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education. A revised edition of the handbook was published in 1990 with the approval and recommendation of the, then, Department of Education and Science.
The advice includes details about recommended teacher/tutor qualifications, supervision, pupils' behaviour, pool safety and equipment.
Precise teaching methods are a matter for individual schools, and it is for schools to satisfy themselves that those who teach swimming are suitably qualified.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will visit James Brindley high school and Tunstall swimming pool to discuss the operation of the standard spending assessment formula applied by the Department of Environment in respect of the teaching of swimming to school children.
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§ Mr. ForthI have been asked to reply.
Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage nor I has any immediate plans to visit this school or swimming pool. The Government have set the overall totals for local authority spending in a way which allows all authorities to increase their spending in 1995–96. But each council is solely responsible for determining its spending priorities between and within services, in deciding the amount to be spent on schools swimming.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what assessment he has made of the teaching resources required to ensure adequate levels of swimming teaching for(a) primary and (b) secondary schools;
(2) what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment to ensure adequate provision is made for swimming teaching in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
§ Mr. ForthI have been asked to reply.
Surveys carried out by this Department have shown a considerable commitment from schools and local education authorities to swimming in schools. Implementation of national curriculum physical education began in August 1992. However, because of the difficulty which some schools might have had in providing swimming tuition, the implementation of the swimming requirements of the PE curriculum were deferred until August 1994. This allowed those schools which needed it another two years to make the arrangements necessary to provide swimming tuition.