AIBU to question school swimming progress when DD still can’t swim a width?

My DSs are in their 20s and 30s but even back then school swimming lessons were known to be pretty ineffective. I wanted mine to be fairly competent before they had to run the gauntlet of School swimming lessons. One learnt easily at group lessons at the local leisure centre, the other did not, and didn’t enjoy the group. So we found a teacher who wasn’t able to do a 121 but to do a 1to 2 with another small boy. And we just turned up week after a week after week for the lessons, and then fortnightly practice with Mum or Dad. He then eventually moved with the same teacher to a small group lesson of about six children, persistence and the right teacher paid off.

I made the same mistake as you OP in trusting school swimming lessons. My son could swim 5m independently at 4 but after one year of school swimming lessons was flailing about doggy paddling. It turns out they don’t even go out of their depth in the school pool, just splash about a bit. I was annoyed but quickly found a swim school locally who got him back on track despite being a year behind his peers. Don’t beat yourself up.

12 weeks of school lessons won't be enough to make that difference. I don't remember working towards badges in our school swimming lessons but we only did a few weeks in year 6. I put myself in the bottom group because I had no confidence and didn't do lessons. However, it turned out that the trips with my mum to the pool had made me a better swimmer than I thought so I could go up a stage but was so glad not to have to compete with the best swimmers in the class, my confidence could never.

As you mention, the teachers at the pool have a while host of behaviours and abilities to manage.

I feel it's probably a bit unfair to judge on seeing one session. There will be a reason that they've focused on technique over what you wanted to see, they'll have a set way to approach the classes. I'd say you're welcome to give your feedback and have a conversation about it so you can understand better why they do it the way they do it and they can maybe rethink comms with parents to give clarity around expectations.

In our primary, the school swimming is often the first time some of the children have been to a pool or had a chance to start learning to swim. That's why we do it. We live in a seaside area with high levels of depravation. Some children don't even visit the beach until school takes them. We're realistic about understanding this experience won't make them a strong swimmer on its own but by doing it in years 3-6, it's giving them the experience, making them feel welcome and comfortable in the pool and even just the visitor journey through the from the car park, changing rooms etc.

If it matters a lot to you, I'd find another swimming teacher or swimming school or different pool or whatever or just start going with your child weekly so you're the one teaching her in the way you want her to be taught.

I know my son's rugby skills aren't going to improve anywhere near as much in school as through twice weekly training and weekly games for his club. His musicianship isn't going to improve in his mixed ability school class when they play instruments anywhere near as much as he'll develop in weekly instrument peri lessons and weekly band practice and daily practice at home. But what that does do is expose all the children in his class to music concepts and some level of understanding.

Schools do a term at best. I'm horrified you've given responsibility solely to school to pick up such an important skill. School swimming is "stop you drowning in an emergency" for those who have never been. It's not really designed to get students swimming lengths (just like school hockey doesn't make hockey players).

The people I know who can swim as adults were taken as children to lessons and at weekends. People who relied on school can't swim.

You absolutely cannot rely on school lessons - they are there for the absolute most basic water safety (eg fall in a canal and kick to the side to save yourself).

to be a competent swimmer most children need weekly swimming. My dc had weekly small group lessons week in week out age 3 - 11 . I know that’s not possible for everyone in which case intensive summer courses are the answer (eg an hour a day with a small group and Instructor five days in a row).

you can’t become a competent swimmer just popping to the pool a few times in summer unless one of the adults is an instructor pr highly skilled and focussed on teaching technique

Every few months as a family and once a week via school will not get your child swimming.

At 9 this needs to addressed, private lessons should address the problem.

Ignore if she doesn’t enjoy it, one day it could save her life so it is a vital life skill that she needs to have.

I think you need to question your own input. Why on earth haven't you taught her to swim yourself?

School swimming happens because it is part of the curriculum and some children have never been swimming, ever. No holiday swimming or access to a pool. It is not a great opportunity, more than half the time they are on the side and not even in the water.

Mine did intensive one week swimming courses when they turned 4 and they did this twice. It was at a private school in the school holidays. We did however take them "swimming" every week from being toddlers. That was more about water confidence and swimming underwater, swimming between our legs and diving for sticks.

One to One swimming lessons took place in the same pool so when mine wanted to learn how to do front crawl they had already seen how to breathe using a float plus I chatted with the instructor who was happy to give a minute of input.

Mine were motivated to swim because of things like rapids at CenterParcs and swim parties for birthdays.

You need to invest money and time into swimming.

School swimming lessons are next to useless foe actually planning to swim as they are infrequent and with large groups. My dc have always seen it as a fun trip out, not a learning experience.

It doesn't sound like your dc has had anything like what she needs in terms of tuition or practice. I would look at doing a holiday intensive course at Waster and then do weekly family swimming with some 1:1 teaching sessions going forward.

School swimming isn't the answer.
By the time I got to my third, I paid for private 121 lessons, an hour every other weekend. Went from novice at 7 to swimming 800 metres in about a year.

Agree - plus like many things easier to learn when young and an essential life skill.

That’s because school lessons and the ones you take at leisure centres are about life preservation and safety as opposed to distance (and often technique to some degree). You should look for a swim coach if that’s what you need, they can do 1-2-1 which means 30 minutes of swimming, they focus on technique (which you need to build on distance and speed). They don’t consist of waiting for 30 other kids to take their turn. Which definitely influences progress.

School swimming lessons aren’t enough. I had 1:1 lessons at 3 and so did my DC. I remember it wasn’t easy for DC but wasn’t a problem by Y2.

As a former teacher, school swimming lessons will not teach a non swimmer or beginner to swim. They need to learn out of school and you need to be determined. Some kids are just naturally really lousy swimmers but they still need to learn.

You need to take her yourself much more frequently. It’s the only way to build confidence in the water.
Personally I’d have never let her quit swimming leasing because she doesn’t like it. Swimming isn’t just a hobby, it’s an important life skill. A dip every few months achieves nothing.

If you want her to swim she has to attend proper lessons, regularly, and commit to learning. School lessons are pretty pointless tbh. FWIW DS is 7 and can confidently swim 50m , he has regular lessons

YABU to be blaming the school given the background of her failing to learn when you’ve taken her…!

School swimming lessons aren’t great.

Book her in for 1-1 lessons.
My Daughters were attending group swimming lessons for years. Realised after 2 years that neither of them could swim properly.

We now pay for 1-1 lessons and 8 year old could swim 400m within 2 months of these lessons. It’s so much better and well worth the money.

I don’t think group swimming lessons work well.

Does your DD want to swim? It doesn't sound like she enjoys it much.

Don't expect school swimming lessons to help. If she can't already swim, that is most unlikely.

Find her a different swimming school where she likes her tutor, and organise a few private lessons to build her confidence, followed by a regular weekly swimming lesson.

However, at 9 she may find she is in a class with much younger children, and so may not enjoy that much. Private lessons and then swimming weekly with you, having fun rather than formal classes may be a better bet.

I’m in my 50s and still can’t swim. Absolutely no co-ordination. Mind you I can’t ride a bike either.
Maybe it’s something that she finds particularly difficult like I did. It could help her to increase the frequency though.

1:1 lessons will achieve the step change you want to see. It’s worth paying the extra for a bit, then she can go back to group lessons and probably enjoy them a lot more. I did all the summing lessons and all the clubs and that’s what made a difference to me. She improve her stroke until a professional identifies and addresses the issues and this is hard to do in a group but they are still very worthwhile classes to go to.

We started going swimming every week in January and my 7yo has made huge strides. She is more confident in the water and can float on her back for a short period, put her face under and swim a few meters. She doesn't have swimming lessons, just time with me in the pool, although I'd like her to have proper lessons at some point.

Is there a chance you could take her more frequently? It made a massive difference going from once a month to weekly and we have fun in the pool. Getting used to goggles made a big difference too.

School lessons are too infrequent to be of any use really except for children who can already swim and goes regularly with parents but would benefit from some technique top up. If you want her to swim she needs to go back to weekly lessons- you shouldn’t have stopped after stage 2. I get she wasn’t enjoying but a different pool or changing your slot to get a different teacher would have been better than quitting altogether to rely on infrequent school lessons. I would make restarting a priority. Also, take herself regularly too to practice outside of lessons and to have fun. And yes swim England does have a lot to answer for with teaching butterfly before doing lengths or treading water, but I think that’s unlikely to be your main issue if she’s only done stage 2 + a few school lessons: that tends to be more of a stage 4/5 issue where they’re being held back from gaining stamina because they’re busy practicing butterfly.