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Bank of Scotland gives opportunity for all Scottish children to learn to swim

Wednesday 23 February 2000

Bank of Scotland today joined forces with Scottish Swimming, Sportsmatch, the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management and Scotland's local authorities to launch the largest and most comprehensive ever scheme for Scotland's youngsters in the water.

The Bank of Scotland Learn to Swim Syllabus provides a unique opportunity in Britain for children to learn to swim in a progressive quality programme, based upon sound teaching principles, that dovetails into the swimming’s National Development Plan - Aqua 21.

1976 Olympic Gold Medallist David Wilkie, MBE was on hand at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh to launch the scheme and lend his support to Scottish Swimming in their quest for future gold medallists. David commented, "I am delighted to support this scheme as it will provide the opportunity to link an important life skill to a programme that will enable swimmers to progress to the Olympic podium by design rather than by accident."

The syllabus, which is easy to deliver for teachers, provides five progressive levels with templates for lesson plans and teaching points to aid delivery. It is needed to:

  • ensure all children have the opportunity to learn to swim in a sound programme
  • ensure that clear pathways are in place from learning to swim through to the ultimate step on to the Olympic podium
  • ensure that providers of learn to swim programmes are aware of recent thinking in the field of growth and development
  • provide direction by the governing body in terms of desirable outcomes
  • provide standardisation of content and methods within an authority, school, club or team of teachers

Iain Fiddes, Director of Group Community Relations, Bank of Scotland said, "We are the largest commercial sponsor of youth sport in Scotland and this new partnership with Scottish Swimming completes the full circle of our support for the development of the seven key Scottish Institute sports. This initiative is particularly exciting because we are able to support swimming across the whole of Scotland and help everyone gain this key life skill – a particularly important one for an island nation."

The exciting new scheme will be launched via roadshows to all 32 local authorities in Scotland during 2000. The scheme has been enhanced with the inclusion of professional development seminars for teachers, thanks to the support of the government's Sportsmatch scheme.

Chair Hazel Piplenski commented:  "Sportsmatch is delighted to offer an award for this initiative by Scottish Swimming.  We hope our contribution to the development of the Bank of Scotland Learn to Swim Syllabus brings with it huge benefits to Scottish Swimming and Bank of Scotland.

"Moreover we are encouraged that the delivery of this project will offer children from all Scottish communities equal opportunities in a structured teaching programme when it comes to learning to swim. This can only benefit the development of swimming at grassroots level and help ensure the safety of all children in water."

The target is to ensure that The Bank of Scotland Learn to Swim Syllabus is adopted by all agencies as the ideal model for the delivery of learn to swim. This will go a long way to supporting Scottish Swimming's vision to provide the opportunity for every child in Scotland to learn to swim by the age of 10.

  • David Wilkie, MBE was Scotland’s last Olympic Swimming Gold Medallist. One of Britain's greatest ever sportsman he won Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European Gold Medals as well as holding World Records in two events. David now has his own successful business in Wiltshire.
  • The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management based in Melton Mowbray is the National professional body for those managing sports facilities and developing sport and recreation opportunities and is the guardian of good practice.
  • Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh, hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1986 and more recently the 1999 FINA Diving Grand Prix.
  • SPORTSMATCH is the business sponsorship incentive scheme that is administered by sportscotland on behalf of the Scottish Executive.
  • Bank of Scotland is the largest commercial sponsor of youth sport in Scotland.
  • Bank of Scotland supports grassroots development programmes for all the 7-key sports as identified by the Scottish Institute of Sport (Athletics, Badminton, Curling, Football, Hockey, Rugby & Swimming) and in addition supports Shinty and Golf, sports which are of national significance to Scotland.
  • Scottish Swimming was founded in 1888 with the aim of providing the best swimming teaching and competition opportunities possible for the people of Scotland. Scottish Swimming's mission is to be recognised as "an excellent and developing sport, which meets the needs of all of its stakeholders".