41 to many if they could have been prevented.
Learning to swim (at any age) is extremely important and a great way of keeping fit - he says sat on a sofa, on a diet, thinking about doing some exercise but never getting around to it.
Kids should do as much as possible in school with their friends and yes I agree I'm with M-Squared that its a great idea to learn to survive and leave stroke technique until later - although improved stroke technique can make swimming a lot more efficient and therefore easier.
Alan