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Original poster

8 months of swimming lessons and very little progress

41 replies

StripytopandJordans · 24/05/2022 13:05

My DS started swimming lessons in October at level 1. He has made virtually no progress. Should we have seen a bit more progress by now or is it just that maybe he isn’t a natural swimmer and after a while it might all click?

OP posts:
Boymumsoymum · 24/05/2022 15:26

Is he in a special class for late starters? It's very unusual to have a level 1 class that's predominantly 12 year olds, usually level 1 would be 4-6 year olds? OP you haven't said if your son has SEN, swimming is part of the national curriculum and he should have left primary school able to swim 25m, did he not have school swimming lessons?

Original poster
StripytopandJordans · 24/05/2022 15:57

Two years of lessons were wiped out because of Covid. He has asthma also so we didn’t send him back to lessons as soon as others did as he is at extra risk.

he did have lessons before Covid but just didn’t get the hang of it.

OP posts:
Dinoteeth · 24/05/2022 16:19

Even in a class of late starters he's possibly still the oldest by far in the class.

I really hope you find 121 for him and get into the pool as often as you can.

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AnuSTart · 24/05/2022 16:29

We had this with our child. Literally years of useless council group courses.
He was then freaking out at high school as was doing swimming there and was going to feel ashamed. I got a groupon for private 1:1 lessons and he was swimming after the first lesson and after the 3rd he could swim lengths. She worked on his stroke and he was happy after 5.
I wish I'd done it years earlier!

LemonySippet · 24/05/2022 16:54

My son was a late starter due to undiagnosed ASD (literally couldn't get him in the pool), he finally started 121 lessons during the pandemic at 12 years old as he liked the idea that there would be no parents watching. He's not doing stages but I'd guess that after a year or so he'd be on stage 5 or 6 now, he can swim like a fish and he loves it. I'm so proud watching him as he struggles with so much and I can't imagine he would have progressed half as well sitting on the side waiting his turn in a group lesson. Yes it's a big financial outlay, but essentially I saved all that money from age 4-now so it probably works out the same.

user1471538283 · 24/05/2022 18:14

I paid for 1 2 1 lessons for my DS and he made progress each and every week! The instructor was with him in the pool for the full hour.

We were delighted. I was just hoping he would be confident in the water but he was swimming so well. It has stayed with him and was the best money I ever spent.

Summer1912 · 24/05/2022 18:36

Itndoes sound like your dc is behind.
But generally i agree with pp some classes are holding kids back.and or changing the criteria. As stage 3 pass here is a good stroke length on front and and back of 25m each. Rather than the 10m. Then stage 4 is 25m proper strokes. (4 lengths warm ups and skulling and butterfly legs and slef rescue. So they wouldnt pass dc despite being on 93% but then the next week dc went to 76% on a stage 4 crash course.

Other dc took
5m of preschool lesson +
1w crash course to get stage 1
Then 1w crash course stage 2
Then 1w crash course stage 3
5w stage 3 and because its not been updated dc is stuck on 0% so no idea how much longer ?!
Loads of kids are stuck on stage 3. I even spoke to them and still stuck on 0. Fair enough not ready to move up but how can we work on any issues?

twinkletoedelephant · 24/05/2022 18:44

My twins have Sen ASD and ADHD , their swim teacher had them swimming in a couple of months, they could swim front crawl back stroke and butterfly knew how to stop themselves from drowning and basic dive tecniquine. Within 8 months they were fully capeable in the water , they still swim like fishes.

She absolutely pushed them every lesson and was full of loads of praise and encouragement both Botha loved her

The boys had full time 121 at school but managed a small group lessons (6)

I would find a different instructor

BobbinHood · 24/05/2022 18:47

I think a deeper pool helps. My DD is younger but has progressed so much faster in a pool where she can’t touch the bottom than my niece who is in a shallow learner pool and can just stand up if she wants to.

DarkDarkNight · 24/05/2022 18:51

If you want to see improvement he needs to be swimming more than half an hour a week in a group lesson. Even taking him on the weekends he will come on more.

You will find he would come on quicker if you can get one to one lessons - or some places do intensive lessons during half terms and school holidays where you have a half hour lesson Monday to Friday.

Noisyprat · 24/05/2022 18:53

How much water confidence did your son have before he started lessons? Had you taken him to the pool to much about and get used to it? It never fails to amaze me how parents expect their children to be able to master swimming with a few half hour sessions in the pool and yes over a year it really is a few lessons. Does he practice in between? (I bet not)

At 12 he is a very late starter and possibly starting to go through puberty where boys especially seem to become a bit unco-ordinated. I am surprised he is a group with all children his age, most start at 6/7.

The best thing you can do is get some 1-1 but before than take him to the pool and get him to practice, get the feel of the water etc.

SpiderinaWingMirror · 24/05/2022 19:19

Completely agree on 121. My 2 elder girls did bog standard lessons at the pool went on for years!
Huge age gap, Dd3 just used to go in pool on hols and then had 121 lessons, 45 mins every other week for a year. She could do 800 meters at the end of the year and that was that.

LittleOwl153 · 24/05/2022 19:34

I would say at 12 a trainer pool is of no use what so ever. Likely that they will stomach surf and still keep their head above so no opportunity for full arm movements etc. He needs a pool where he can be in water up to his elbows as a minimum.

Assuming he has no SEN that complicate the issue I would pull him out, find a better pool and probably get 5-6 private lessons and see how he gets on with that. I have taught adults to swim in less time than that if they WANT to swim. You also have to ask yourself / him is this something he really wants to achieve. As at that age if he doesn't- he won't. If he wants to learn and is not scared of the water - will he put his head under / face in? If he will then he should be able to learn quite quickly.

dancemom · 24/05/2022 20:47

What is he stalling on? Does he put his feet down when he should be kicking? Does he avoid putting his face in the water?

I agree he should be swimming between lessons to improve quicker

crazyBadger · 17/09/2022 20:30

I would move to a new teacher..

In 8 months my boys swim teacher had them both swimming 50m front crawl backstroke and butterfly they could stop themselves from drowning after being thrown in fully dressed and even had the diving basics down...

My boys have ASD and ADHD and were a bloody nightmare in the pool, to start with.. find a more compatible teacher

FeedMeTiramisu · 17/09/2022 20:33

Op, my child is in year 5 Started lessons un yr1. Has barely progressed at all (tho did have some time off in between!)

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