Secondary school swimming lessons axed to save £53k

Secondary school swimming lessons are to be cut to save £53,000 from the council’s ever-tightening budget following a tense debate on maritime safety.

Monday’s education and families committee approved recommendations to reduce the current offer to cover just P1- P4 pupils.

There will also be a “targeted approach” for P5-P7 pupils still struggling to swim – but secondary provision is to be axed altogether.

The proposals sparked a lengthy debate on the importance of swimming safety in a maritime community.

Officials’ assurances the approach would not increase the number of children leaving school unable to swim satisfied many members’ concerns.

Shetland North member Tom Morton was unconvinced, however, and said it was “shaming” for the council to even be considering the reduction.

Instead, he proposed maintaining the “status quo”, with no cuts to the council’s current swimming provision, which includes lessons from P1-S2.

Mr Morton said it could be a “life and death” matter – arguing the funding would be “a small price to pay” if it saved just one person from drowning.

Drawing on his own experiences of becoming trapped beneath a capsized boat as a child, Mr Morton said swimming lessons helped save him.

“This is a maritime community, we are an island community, where we are absolutely dependent on the sea,” he said.

“And the notion the age old myth that you’ll hear from some people that it’s better to die quickly in cold water than struggle swimming is something which does not, quite literally, hold water.”

Lerwick South member Neil Pearson seconded Mr Morton’s motion, saying no other issue had generated such concern from his constituents.

“I feel I would not be representing them if I did not support councillor Morton’s amendment,” he said.

There was further support from Lerwick North and Bressay member Stephen Leask, who remarked how “proud” the council had once been of its swimming offer.

North Isles member Ryan Thomson also came out against the cuts.

“I became a councillor to try and help individuals and communities and better Shetland and better people’s lives and improve things,” he said.

“And ever since I was elected in 2017 all I feel all I’ve ever done is fight for the status quo  – not to improve things, not to better things but just to keep things as they are.”

Mr Thomson stressed he was not criticising council officers, whom he acknowledged were just looking to make necessary savings – but suggested there had to be “less drastic” options.

Council leader Emma Macdonald said every councillor wanted to make improvements for their community – and none wanted to cut services.

However, she said the decisions required by the budget were “not within our making”.

“The reality is we can’t afford to provide all the services across all our directorates that we have in the past,” she added.

Mrs Macdonald questioned whether the council had done enough to make the public aware of the “difficult situation that we’re facing”.

Depute convener Bryan Peterson asked how pupils were taught about wider water safety issues, which led to the motion being amended to include a commitment to “embed sea and open water safety into the curriculum”.

Lerwick South member John Fraser sought clarification that the changes would not result in more children leaving school unable to swim.

Children’s services director Helen Budge confirmed that was the case.

During the later debate, Mr Fraser highlighted these assurances and suggested Mr Morton should remove his amendment.

He said if his “true desire” was to improve water safety, rather than make “sensationalist headlines”, he would take recognition of the report’s mention of the potential for more children to leave school able to swim.

Mr Morton said he felt the report was referring to pupils leaving primary school, rather than secondary, adding that the “vague notion” of embedding water safety into the curriculum was not enough.

Mrs Budge told member officials had originally set out to save £150,000, however a survey of pupils, parents and staff, which received more than 800 responses, led to the “targeted approach” suggestion.

Sport and leisure services manager Neil Watt said the feedback indicated little support for continuing swimming lessons in S1 and S2, due to reasons including pupils feeling “self conscious” about being in the water.

He said Shetland Recreational Trust had been informed of the proposals. While the cuts would cost the SRT around £45,000, he said that had to be considered in the context of the trust’s £5.5m annual income.

Chairman Davie Sandison, who proposed approving the recommendations, said the public would rightly felt councillors were “daft” had they removed swimming lessons completely.

However he felt the “hybrid” option put forward was “supportable” as it achieved savings while also targeting services at those in greatest need.

The targeted approach for P5-7 pupils will be introduced over two years, to give teachers a chance to identify which pupils may benefit from the offer.