Children at English primary schools with more pupils on free school meals are less likely to leave able to swim 25m, BBC research has found. While 72% of Year 6 children on average left school able to swim 25m in 2024-25, this drops to just 55% for schools with a higher proportion of disadvantaged children. Ashley Jones, head of water safety and education at the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), said it was "absolutely vital" children were equipped with basic swimming and self-rescue skills. While 70% of 2024-25 Year 6 leavers nationally could on average perform a safe self-rescue, only half of children from schools with the highest level of free meal eligibility could do so. Most school groups only get six weeks of 30-minute sessions to learn basic swimming skills – three hours in total.