What dedicated new funding or policy changes will the Welsh Government introduce, and by what date, to ensure equitable and sufficient transport provision for all primary school swimming sessions, given the challenges of declining participation and rising transport costs?
The Welsh Government provides funding to local authorities to support their funding of pre-16 provision in schools in Wales mainly through the Local Government Revenue Settlement.
We have prioritised investment to local authorities and have provided an increase of £262m to the Local Government Settlement in 2025-26, a like for like basis uplift of 4.5%. This 4.5% increase for 2025-26, builds on previous increases of 9.4% in 2022-23, 7.9% in 2023-24, and 3.3% in 2024-25.
Decisions on the level of funding available to schools and to other services are made by each authority as part of their overall budget and council tax setting. This is in line with the Welsh Government’s policy that local authorities are best placed to judge local needs and circumstances and to fund schools accordingly.
The Welsh Government has published guidance on charging for school activities which can be found here: Charging for school activities: guidance for governing bodies and head teachers | GOV.WALES.