Swim England released four minimum water competency standards to enable parents and guardians of children learning to swim to understand the important skills that children should learn before they are removed from swimming lessons.

• Perform a star float for 60 seconds
• Tread water for at least 30 seconds
• Have experience of swimming in clothing
• Swim at least 100 metres with ease and without stopping

In Learn to Swim Stage 5, swimmers perfect treading water because once they overcome cold water shock, they’ll need to be able to assess the situation and look around in the water – treading water enables them to do this.