Many children in Victoria, Australia, undertake swimming lessons to reduce drowning risk; however, benchmark standards are frequently not achieved, implying a disconnect between lesson participation and skill attainment. Existing research often relies on parent/carer perceptions as a proxy for children’s swimming ability, despite evidence that such perceptions may misalign with actual ability and potentially contribute to supervisory complacency. Therefore, this study examined parent/carer and child perceptions of swimming distance against children’s objectively assessed swim distance and explored demographic variations in swimming distance.
This cross-sectional study collected parent/carer and child surveys prior to a school-based swimming programme, capturing demographics and perceived swimming distance relative to national benchmarks. Trained instructors objectively assessed children’s ability to swim continuously for up to 50 m.
Overall, 365 parent–child dyads from 12 schools participated. 58% of parents/carers and 48% of children accurately assessed the child’s swimming distance. Parent/carer perceptions were more accurate for children who could swim 50 m or could not swim at all, but less accurate for moderate swimming distances. Greater swimming distance was associated with higher parent/carer and child perceptions, higher household income, frequent swimming in controlled waterways, private swimming lessons and having a parent/carer born in Australia.
Parent/carer perceptions alone are insufficient indicators of children’s swimming distance, highlighting the need to actively engage parents/carers in children’s swimming development. Misalignment between swimming programmes and national benchmarks may further confuse parent/carer expectations. Demographic variations in swimming distance reinforce the need for accessible, inclusive and regular programmes for all children.