Do primary schools make children do swimming until they can swim a length?

[Sparklydiplodocus]

Our primary has offered one paltry term of swimming. Dd is in year 6 and did the five swimming sessions last term, but because she hasn’t mastered swimming a length yet the school is saying she must do another term of swimming with year 5 after xmas.

However, she already has private lessons every week anyway, and I a) don’t want to pay for two lots of swimming at once and b) don’t want her missing out on a morning of learning a week for it.

The school are saying she has to carry on. Is this a thing?! Can they make us do that?

Is it normal for schools to demand this?

Never heard of that before tbh

What would happen if you refused to pay?

I dunno! They’re really pressuring me over it!

They did at previous dds school but it didn’t cost anything but they are a small school with only one class per year group.

It’s part of the curriculum. It should be free. I’d it’s a state school.

DS did swimming in Ys 4-6 at school. It was pointless from the outset (he’d done stage 10, including the 1500m badge, before he started school swimming). But he still did the school swimming lessons. I think the teachers used him for demos of strokes (fly in particular) and diving in for the other kids by Y6.

It's the National Curriculum requirements that every child can swim 25m unaided (I think) before the end of primary.

It should be free in a state school. As in, legally should be, not just in an ideal world.

I don't think they can charge. But they can ask for a voluntary contribution. In my children's primary (nearly 20 years ago) the voluntary contribution requested was more expensive than the charge for private lessons outside school.

The National Curriculum says that at primary they should teach them to swim at least 25m, so that is why they will want your daughter to continue.

The swimming will be subsided but s lot of schools have to charge for the bus.
If she can swim a length she wouldn't have to go. If you're paying for private lessons that should cover it.

It's quite unusual not to be able to swim 25m at 11 - are there any additional needs? If so the school should be aware, and they certainly shouldn't be charging for extra lessons, even if she's just not keen on swimming/not had much practice.

How's she doing academically? It's a toss up between learning to swim (which is a necessary life skill) and catching up academically (also important if she's behind, especially after the past 18 months). Tricky one - but you're her parent, it's your decision, not the school's.

@MrsColon... loads of children aren't where they should be in swimming right now. My DDs have actually been in the same Swim England Stage for 2 years now as the lessons kept be cancelled for months, then having to spend time on waiting lists for new lessons.

@MrsColon

It's quite unusual not to be able to swim 25m at 11 - are there any additional needs? If so the school should be aware, and they certainly shouldn't be charging for extra lessons, even if she's just not keen on swimming/not had much practice.

How's she doing academically? It's a toss up between learning to swim (which is a necessary life skill) and catching up academically (also important if she's behind, especially after the past 18 months). Tricky one - but you're her parent, it's your decision, not the school's.

It's not unusual at all. Im 41 and I can't swim. I don't have additional needs either.

So I can refuse, then?

No she has no additional needs! Just missed out on 18 months of lessons due to Covid.

PS the school want £60 a term!

My 9 year old has only been swimming since Easter. Couldn't afford the ridiculous prices of lessons unfortunately.

It's alright saying children should be able to swim, but when you're struggling for money something has to give. My son's school hasn't offered lessons. Eldest son's did.

@Theimpossiblegirl

The swimming will be subsided but s lot of schools have to charge for the bus. If she can swim a length she wouldn't have to go. If you're paying for private lessons that should cover it.

They can ask for voluntary contributions for the bus. But I don’t think they can prevent a child from accessing part of the curriculum if their parents don’t pay them. It’s not an optional trip.

Oops, I totally forgot that swimming lessons might be cancelled due to covid, DS's carried on so foolishly assumed that was the case everywhere - apologies!

How did your DS's swimming lessons carry on when th Dh woke nation had to stop? Have you got your own swimming pool???

Christ typos galore

Whole nation that should say

It is a statutory requirement on the PE curriculum that all children should be able to swim 25m by the end of ks2. It’s often a nightmare for schools to facilitate , especially when it takes up lesson time and requires a coach, extra staff etc. However I’ve never worked in a school where parents have been asked for any more than just a contribution to the coach. You should not be paying for the lessons- that should come out of their PE budget (I know schools are tight on cash!)

I would just tell school your child is having private lessons, you don’t want to confuse him with different instruction so he won’t be attending. They can’t force him and you haven’t give your consent for him to go.

[quote Aroundtheworldin80moves]@MrsColon... loads of children aren't where they should be in swimming right now. My DDs have actually been in the same Swim England Stage for 2 years now as the lessons kept be cancelled for months, then having to spend time on waiting lists for new lessons.[/quote]
I can see a difference in DS1's and DS2's class.
DS1 finished in Feb 2020 with their full allowence. DS2 has lost the first half of their year to give to the year in between so they got more than the first 3 weeks.

DS1's class had more children in the top of the 3 levels. DS2's has more in the middle level. Similar numbers in the beginners level. By this stage of the school year, DS1's class were split into 2 rather than 3 with a competent group doing repeated lengths, and a small group doing one length at a time near the side with the couple of weakest having support.
With 6 weeks of teaching time left, it looks unlikely that half of DS2's class will be ready to even attempt lengths from losing half their school time and varying amounts of whatever private lesson time they have.

Having struggled to learn to swim myself, it is generally worth maximising opportinities (although this is expensive, which I'm guessing is mainly transport cost). I have noticed both of mine make significant progress from the school sessions and it has boosted their progress. What's particularly helpful is that school lessons have helped their stamina a lot wherel0hmas the private lessons are more focused on technique. The two have complimented well and made a big difference.

Being a non-swimming teenager was rubbish and restrictive before I psyched myself up to go to adult lessons which were filled with pensioners and not a great social opportunity at 15!

Dc only had 8 lessons. So school have done really nothing. But apparently she can do the 25m...
She had 2 years of after school lessons age 6-7.5yo. And only got to stage 3. She can do the 25m in all strokes i expect but its probably not great. However the swimming afterschool were very strict and probably should have been at least a 4. We the did maybe 1 swim a day for 11 days on holiday at 9yo. (Had to get out after 1 hr as too packed and q up again. Then 2 of the 8 school lessons to test them.
School lessons here are really behind it should be 3 and 4. But its been 5 and 6 due to covid. So 3 and 4 are now behind. However its a well off area and the majority of kids do swimming lessons.

Oh and during those 2 lessons this year dc said she had to sit on the side most of it as they were testing everyone so she didnt want t o go back anyway.

Op it takes so long to learn 30min lessons at a time. Maybe book a half term crammer one