Leicester will invest in increasing the number of teachers and time slots for swimming as part of an initiative to double the amount of children participating over the next five years.

Swim Leicester – launched by Leicester City Council in association with the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) – will predominantly focus on the younger market, with programmes that start at foundation level for babies and toddlers.

The council aims to help 8,000 young people swim each week, up from the 4,000 current taking part in the activity.

Participants will be “taken on a journey” along the ASA’s Learn to Swim framework. Adults will also be encouraged, with classes for both children and adults available every day of the week across the city.

The initiative was launched by Olympic swimmer Joe Roebuck at Leicester’s Braunstone Leisure Centre.

Adam Paker, chief executive of the ASA, said the scheme “underlines the council’s commitment to ensuring all children in the city learn how to swim and be safe around water”.

“Their approach to increasing the number of lessons available and involving young people in the creation of new swimming mascots has been really refreshing and something I am sure others learn to swim providers will be looking at with interest,” he added.

The decision to increase the number of swimming teachers will provide a welcome boost to the industry, which has lamented the lack of quality instructors in recent times.

“We’ve been working closely with the ASA to improve our approach,” added assistant city mayor Piara Singh Clair. “As a result our new Swim Leicester programme will offer more spaces, more teachers and more time slots at our seven pools – giving parents and careers more choice about where and when their child learns to swim.”