Temperatures are down but winter swim school enrolment numbers are up

Jump! Swim Schools CEO Mark Collins says enrolment numbers for the national network are higher at the end of June than they were at the end of January – a positive sign that water safety concerns are being heard by parents across the country.

Usually, winter enrolment numbers tend to dip, but the increase is a positive sign that kids are returning to lessons after lockdowns and not letting winter temperatures deter the building of important, life-saving water skills.

Collins says average number of enrolments per site is up 3 per cent at the end of the first month of winter (June 2022), compared to the end of the first month of summer (January 2022).

“It’s great to see that most swim schools are maintaining enrolments through winter, with many even seeing growth,” he says.

“Marsden Park for example has seen a 51 per cent increase in June compared to January. Meanwhile, Fyshwick in the ACT is up 27 per cent and Craigieburn in Victoria is up 11 per cent.

“After two years of disruptions to lessons, we’ve been sharing our concerns, along with industry bodies like Royal Life Saving Australia, regarding summer 2023 and the danger that exists if children don’t get back to lessons or wait until next summer to return to the pool.

“It’s really promising to see these enrolment figures because it shows parents share our concerns and are getting their children back to lessons and keeping kids swimming through winter so they can head into this summer as strong and capable swimmers.”

Jump! Swim Schools will run their next Water Safety Week in August to teach kids key swim safety principles, including jumping into the pool fully clothed.

“Swim safety should regularly feature as part of all swimming programs to remind kids of the critical skills and what to do if they do find themselves in a potentially dangerous situation in the water,” says Collins.

Caption: Kids are getting back into lessons, despite the cooler weather