Asked to leave poolside during 3-yr olds swimming lesson

My 3 year old attends lessons but is in the pool with her dad. I can't imagine her being in the pool alone until she's school age. I don't think our pool run child-only lessons for this age group.

@vera16 our group always had at least two teachers so if one teacher swam with two children, the other teacher looked after the rest of the group.

The teacher shouldn’t be turning her back on a 3 year old around water. That’s not safe and it doesn’t matter what the official ratios are if she can’t do her job properly.

I wouldn't be comfortable with this. It can take less than a minute for a child to drown.

Totally different from nursery in a safe, risk-assessed space.

The possible outcome is so catastrophic that imo you're justified in being as "anxious" and "overprotective" as you need to be.

It's only slightly less risky than 3yos being in a group with one teacher next to a busy road with fast-moving traffic. You'd expect total vigilance from nursery staff in that situation too.

But neither the teacher or the lifeguard was watching when the 3 year old wandered off? Shouldn’t the lifeguard be closer to the younger ones rather than in the middle of the pool? Or the teacher needs an assistant. Some of the stories on here are awful. I mean is it worth it really? At that age?

We waited until kids were about 4/5 then did a few private lessons then an intensive week over the summer. They are both now stronger swimmers than most in their classes who started younger. Unless you live in a hot country where they swim every day I do question the need for weekly paid swimming lessons at this age and how much they actually get out of it. You could just take them yourselves.

It doesn’t sound safe to me and I would remove my child.

I understand your concerns, but in reality almost all three year olds are at nursery and away from the watch of their parents. If there's a lifeguard and a teacher watching a small group, and the child can still see you when you're on the balcony, then I don't really think it's too much of a problem.

Are you in a town in Hampshire by any chance? As the exact same thing happened to me last year. I took my child out of the class immediately...

We sit on a balcony and have to walk round to it. My DS slipped under once he was 4 but their was enough people around to prevent anythiing sinister. They grabbed him quickly, he had decided to let go of the side. Having parents so close is distracting for the DC. if you dont trust they can look after your DC properly during a swimming lesson then change club.

The ASA/STA ratio for teaching in the water is 6 children to 1 teacher.
The reason pool operators don't want parents on poolside during lessons is, to be blunt, because they frequently decide they know best about how to teach, lifeguard, and how to operate lessons and distract the children. The instructor shouldn't have turned their back, no, but the ratio is within the limits and the session was lifeguarded.
In your position I would consider removing your child from lessons until they are a little older. 3 yr olds can't often take instruction too well and do 'wander off'.

We aren't allowed to sit pool side at my DS's swimming lessons, we have to sit in the viewing area, but there is 2 instructors in the pool woth them and a lifeguard watching. It's never really bothered me too much, I wouldn't want to sit poolside anyway as it is boiling in there.

Our pool does this too, my dd was older when she had swimming lessons but she has SEN’s, I was anxious about it so booked her a block of private lessons so she had 1:1. I think at the age of 3 I wouldn’t want them being taught in a group unless there was a couple extra adults in the pool.

When mine swam at this level at a pool that didn't have lifeguards, parents stayed poolside and there was an assistant in the pool. There were four children in the class.

When we moved to the local pool, same level, parents sat away for the pool (behind glass and a short walk through the leisure centre), but there was an instructor, assistant and a life guard on duty (6-8 kids). This pool was also shallow and children could touch the bottom.

At three, I would certainly be questioning the level of supervision, assuming there is no assistant or lifeguard.

DD was nearly 5 and in a group with a ratio of 3:1 when her teacher turned her back. DD was at the deep end of the pool when she let go of the side and slipped under the water. Her dad came over from the side of the pool where he was sitting (perhaps 5m away) and fished her out. The teacher still had her back to the situation by the time he'd got her out of the water. We stopped lessons until she was 7 and more co-ordinated/likely to follow instructions. And that was in a situation when we WERE sitting at the side of the pool. I'm a former lifeguard too, and I have the same instinct as you - this is not safe enough.

Ours is 1 teacher for 10 but then theres 2 TAs in the water working with small groups or 1-1 thats up to age 8, any class with under 8s in it has TAs in the water.

DD actually hates it as she says the TAs get in the way.

Classes of that age that are without parents in the water but perhaps not likely to be good at listening it's usual to move the adult distractions (though near enough to escort to the toilet) but it is also usual to have two teachers to those classes as well as there being a pool life guard.

Where we take my three year old parents are not allowed. You leave the kid with the instructors and are off to do whatever. It is only allowed for under 3s. This is absolutely standard. She is fine.

The only time parents are poolside where I live is when in the water in baby/toddler classes. After that when in swimming lessons they are in the balcony.

There should be a proper ratio of children to instructors and lifeguards though.

We watched from a distance (no balcony but seating at the other end of the pool, no access to the pool itself) so that wouldn't be a concern for me.

But - I wouldn't be happy with the teacher. DD had a ration of 1 teacher for 3 pupils and teachers were in the water with them. They only started with a teacher on land when they could properly swim and even then they often had an assistant in the water as well.