“Knowing how to swim” safely, a national objective difficult to achieve in France

At the François-Césari elementary school, in Septèmes-les-Vallons (Bouches-du-Rhône), none of the students will have the chance to learn to swim. “We do not have a municipal swimming pool in the town and we cannot find slots in the others, deplores François Renaudo, professor at the establishment. We have a total impossibility of practicing “swimming skills” with the primaries. »

Students must develop this skill, made a national priority, throughout their school curriculum – primarily from CP to college – in order to obtain the “certificate of safe swimming skills” (ASNS) at the end of the 6^e. The objective is to make “an essential step in the students’ training journey”exposes the Official bulletin of national education, youth and sports from March 3, 2022.

“The fight against drowning and the development of aquatic comfort are among the State’s priorities in terms of prevention. “Swimming skills” are recognized as fundamental sporting knowledge”affirms the Ministry of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP), questioned by The world. Swimming is also included in the government’s ambition to make France a “sporting nation” thanks to the Paris 2024 JOPs. However, in 2022, according to a survey carried out by the general directorate of school education, nearly a 6 year old student^e only out of seven held the ASNS.

“ All children should acquire this skill, but in reality this objective is impossible to achieve, because we face a severe lack of equipment”, denounces Guislaine David, joint general secretary of SNUipp-FSU, particularly in matters of municipal swimming pools. According to figures from the French Swimming Federation, between 200 and 500 pools are missing to cover the French territory and complete the 4,000 swimming pools comprising 6,000 pools – of which only half are covered – that France has.

A lack of equipment also denounced by Benoît Brochier, of SNEP-FSU, the PE teachers’ union, which highlights the dilapidation of the swimming pools and their difficult access. “ They are often far from establishments, which generates additional transport costs borne by municipalities and communities. There are therefore very strong disparities between territories, particularly between rural and urban areas”he regrets.

“A gap between the objective and the means”

And, even if a swimming pool is located in the town, it must still be available. “In Marseille, there are only 14 operational municipal swimming pools, so it is very complicated to find a slot for schools, so we favor level 6^e »sighs Jean Cugier, PE teacher at André-Malraux college, in 13^e district of the city.

You have 45% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.