Swimming classes for primary school pupils aged between seven and 11 will be lengthened to provide “more concentrated learning and teaching”.
The instruction is conducted by Manx Sport and Recreation for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC).
The sessions will increase from 30 minutes to 45, but the total number of lessons will drop from 26 to 18.
Education Minister Daphne Caine indicated that extended lessons would allow children to “spend more time in the classroom and the pool, with reduced time spent on the bus and changing clothes”.
‘Vital swimming abilities’
The department confirmed that the adjustments in lesson duration are part of a “wider initiative to ensure that all youth in the Isle of Man achieve swimming proficiency”.
The new policy was formulated in collaboration with schools and swimming instructors, they added.
Twenty-two primary schools on the island will implement the new program starting in September, with the remaining schools following suit in February next year.
Caine mentioned that longer sessions would “better aid young individuals in acquiring essential swimming abilities that will benefit them throughout their lives”.