Pupils’ swimming lessons bear fruit
HOUGHTON - More than 400 pupils at Houghton Primary School took part in what was the first swimming gala in over nine years.
The momentous occasion was made possible by the Old Mutual Roedean School Prestige Cup’s learn to swim initiative.
The purpose of the gala was to have fun and show the progress and overall achievement of all who had a part to play on the day.
The event was a tribute to the work done over the past two-and-half years of teaching swimming skills to children.
Pupils from Grade 0 to Grade 4 swam the width of the pool with kick boards, but some swam without, while their seniors swam a full length of the 25m pool. The last few races saw four senior pupils swim 50m and 100m.
The Houghton Primary pupils’ swimming performances showed a marked improvement compared to 2011 when former Roedean pupil Ann Jones first conducted swimming assessments at the school. At that time there was a total of nine children out of about 500 who could swim across the pool without assistance. Organisers said the recent swimming activity saw more than 400 pupils taking part.
The learn to swim initiative is also seen as a way to prevent drowning, which is listed as one of the top causes of unnatural deaths of children in South Africa.
