THE government has today been urged to prioritise the sport that saves lives after shocking new statistics show a third of children cannot swim the required 25 metres by the time they leave primary school.

The report released by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and Kellogg's shows of those children unable to swim, 39% have never been offered school swimming lessons despite it being a statutory element of the National Curriculum.

This means around 200,000 children will leave primary school this summer unable to swim with 75,000 of them never having the opportunity to learn the life-saving, life-enhancing skill[1].

With drowning the third most common cause of accidental death of children in England and the number of deaths increasing year on year by 35%, the findings have been labelled as "concerning" by the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)[2].

In response, the ASA and Kellogg's will present 'The 2012 School Swimming Census' to government today outlining a six point School Swimming Manifesto calling for schools to prioritise swimming lessons so every child has the opportunity to learn to swim irrespective of socio-economic and ethnic background.

Over half of secondary girls say that "girls are put off sport and physical activity because of their experiences of school sport and PE"

Schools hold the key to closing gender gap in physical exercise

Our new report identifies that girls in the UK are not getting enough exercise – and that schools hold the key to encouraging girls to get active. The report, based on research carried out by the Institute of Youth Sport at Loughborough University, shows that half of all girls (51%) are put off physical activity by their experiences of school sport and PE.

Official figures show that just 12% of 14 year old girls are reaching the recommended levels of physical activity – half the number of boys at the same age. This is despite three quarters (74%) of girls saying they would like to be more active.

The report, available to download, also highlights the gender gap that emerges between girls and boys as they grow up. In Year Four of primary school, girls and boys are doing similar levels of physical activity. However, by Year Six girls are doing considerably less exercise than boys – a gap that widens as girls reach Year Nine of secondary school.

Here we make a series of recommendations on how to help girls enjoy and sustain an active lifestyle and gives a clear overview of the research.

If you have any questions about the report, we would love to hear from you. Participate in on-going debate and discussion and get in touch through:

According to a story at CNBC today there are plans inside government to close down the Department for Culture, Media and Sport after the Olympics.

Ban on hosepipes expected to affect 4 in 10 outdoor sports pitches

Yesterday the Chancellor made his annual budget statement, which included a number of announcements relevant to the sport and recreation sector.

The Sport & Recreation Alliance provided a useful summary of some of the main policy impacts on sport and the LTA welcomed the changes being made to Endorsement taxation policy.

Andy Reed Director of the SportsThinkTank said "Whilst we will aim to avoid doing a running commentary on specific government policies the Budget is a useful indication of the priority placed on sport, recreation and physical activity by the government of the day.

"Therefore, we will look carefully at the number of small changes that have been promoted which are to be welcomed in such a tight budget round.

Sports Think Tank partner to join forces with major youth organisation in the UK

The UKs only fully independent think tank dedicated to sport is formally launched today at www.sportsthinktank.com with a Guest Blog from Tanni Grey-Thompson

Patron of the Sports Think Tank, Lord Seb Coe said "A sports think tank would be a great legacy from the 2012 games, enabling future generations to benefit from long term, well researched, and evidence-based sports policy making in the UK"

The Sports Think Tank has been launched by joint Directors Andy Reed and Nick King with strong backing from the key players in the sport and policy development landscape.

The paper, 'Healthy Lives, Healthy People', has 66 indicators for public health, three of which are of relevance to sport

Just over half of adults participating in active sport at least once every four weeks with mixed news for interest in the Olympic/Paralympic Games

Sport England today published new participation figures which show a continuing strong performance by sports such as running, table tennis and boxing, but decreasing participation in other major sports such as swimming and tennis.

Across the country 6.927 million people are now taking part three times a week, that's 111,800 more than in 2007/08 and 632,000 more than in 2005/6 when the Olympic bid was won. 14.759 million adults are playing sport at least once a week.

Of real concern, however, is the fall in the number of young people aged between 16 and 19 playing sport[ii] – with drops in this age range in major sports including football, tennis and swimming. Across the rest of the adult population, the number of people playing sport is increasing [iii].

The results also show an increase in participation among disabled people[iv] and among men[v] since 2007/8, but a decrease in the number of women[vi] playing sport.

Link to the story and details for further information