Britain is facing a swimming crisis with 9 million British adults admitting they don’t know how to swim.
New research from easyJet Holidays has uncovered that half (50%) of those who didn’t learn as a child wanted to, while 42% admit to only staying in the shallow end and 33% now don’t feel confident in the water at all.
While swimming and water safety are now a mandatory part of the national curriculum, one in five Brits were not offered swimming lessons in school and 17% didn’t have a pool in their local area growing up.
Data[1] also shows over 100 publicly accessible pools have closed across the nation over the last 20 years, with the average pool 4.3 miles from Brits’ homes. Some (5%) say their local pool is now more than 10 miles away.
Despite this, 35% of non-swimmers would take up the opportunity to learn as an adult, with many reporting feelings of vulnerability (23%), embarrassment (22%) and self-consciousness (19%) about their inability to swim.
To help encourage adults across the country gain this vital skill, easyJet Holidays has partnered with Olympic swimmer Tom Dean to launch a Swim School and offer free swimming lessons to 1,000 British adults ahead of the summer holidays alongside national swim provider Better and the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK).
Tom Dean, a prominent water safety advocate who has addressed Parliament on the matter, and the RLSS UK share essential water safety tips for those learning to swim. These include pausing before taking the plunge, swimming with a buddy who can assist if needed, staying where your feet can touch the bottom of the pool and if in doubt, float it out.
Top 10 barriers to learning how to swim as children:
It wasn’t seen as important (27%)
The school didn’t offer a learn to swim programme (24%)
Parents couldn’t swim, so they didn’t teach me (24%)
Parents didn’t have time to take me to lessons (22%)
Bad experience at an early age (21%)
No pool nearby (17%)
It was viewed as too dangerous (12%)
Didn’t have time during school (11%)
Learning to swim isn’t part of my culture or religion (7%)
It was too expensive (7%)
Almost a third (31%) of parents worry about their children swimming on holiday because they don’t know how to swim themselves, and 32% say they fear they won’t be able to help if something happens to their child in the pool.
The research also uncovered that 17% of Brits are scared to get in the pool while on holiday – with over one in 10 (11%) avoiding a beach holiday completely because they don’t know how to swim.
Additionally, 25% with a lack of swimming ability report it affecting the enjoyment of their holiday, with 18% wishing they could join their children or grandchildren in the pool.
The skills gap could widen in the future as 14% of parents admitting they haven’t enrolled their children in swimming lessons or aren’t planning to teach them themselves, with 20% saying they don’t have the time, 15% citing high costs and 13% believing it is too risky or dangerous.
Tom Dean, Olympic swimmer, says: “As an Olympic swimmer, I know the importance of learning water safety skills and am passionate about ensuring everyone across Britain has access to learn swimming competencies. Whether it’s staying with a buddy, or knowing your limits and sticking to areas where you can stand, it’s never too late to learn how to swim – and thanks to easyJet Holidays Swim School, more people will have access.”
Matt Callaghan, Chief Operating Officer at easyJet Holidays said: “We know that Brits love to enjoy beach holidays to Europe’s most loved destinations over the summer. So uncovering the surprisingly high number of people who can’t swim is something we’re deeply committed to addressing, not only to improve safety and to ensure everyone can fully enjoy their holiday experiences, but to give them a life skill they can enjoy and rely on for years to come.
So we’re thrilled to have partnered with Olympic athlete Tom Dean and the RLSS to offer 1,000 British adults the opportunity to learn to swim. Together we can help bridge the gap and bring this vital skill to a generation who missed out.”
The new ‘Swim School’ offer is now available via the easyJet Holidays website, offering six free lessons to 1,000 British adults, available to redeem at the nearest Better Leisure Centre via the Better Swim School programme – with 250 spots being released each week for four weeks, from Monday 30 June.
For more information on Swim School and how to book, please visit https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/swim-school
Visit www.easyjet.com/en/holidays to book your 2025/2026 package holiday at the best value.
