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.

The Sports Think Tank's partner organisation, Leisure Database Company's app, helping consumers find out where and when to swim, comes top of Apple's health and fitness category