Less able child in swimming lesson

[swimminglessonadvice]

I’ve name changed as I’m aware I’m not coming across as kind or compassionate; an older less physically able child with physical and other special needs has joined my daughter’s swim classes. For context we pay £40 a month, there is 5 in the group and it’s a 30 minute lesson.

The swim teacher is having to spend a disproportionate time of the half hour handling the child who is less physically able and it’s leaving the other 4 kids treading water; waiting for a while, for example on backstroke, the rest of the children are able to lay back and swim a length. The less physically able child is having to be guided all the way on the length of water by the teacher.

I don’t want to complain but it feels like I’m just watching my DD paddle around waiting for what is essentially £10 a lesson.

I don’t want to move swim school but unsure on what to do.

My son goes to swimming lessons. There are 6 in the class. 4 teachers. One does 1:1 with a girl who has additional needs and the other three teach the remaining 5 children. I can't imagine the club doing it the way yours does and it being as effective.

Tricky. The parents might not have the funds for private lessons, but it sucks for the other kids in the class.

Can you approach it with the teacher - not criticising the child with additional needs, but saying you've noticed your DC is spending a lot of time waiting about, and is there a plan to address this as it's clear that not much swimming is happening.

We would love to have 1:1 lessons for DS but they just aren't available. The last time some were advertised they were gone within an hour.
But children should be at the correct level for their ability. Just move your DD.

Are they working towards a badge/award? It so it sounds as if this child is in the wrong group. Did they need to have achieved a set standard to be in thus group? It does sound as if they should have a helper in the pool (although thus only normally happens early on in lessons).

I think the swim school are at fault here. If it were me I would be moving my child. You are paying for swimming lessons and it doesn't sound as if she's getting much teaching. No need to say anything specific. if I was asked I would simply say that I felt the range of ability was too large for the teacher to cope with and your DD wasn't progressing very well.

It’s a private swimming school and they run their own progress/badges. I spoke to my DD (I didn’t go last week) and this child has just joined. The kids are off off support and learning their strokes. The teacher never had to be in the water with our group. My DD is youngest at 8 almost 9 and the others are 9/10. My DD is a very competent swimmer and improved over the summer as DH took her a few times to the gym and did a few 1:1 things. DD is in the right group for her ability with the other kids.

This child has joined is older I’d say about 12, it’s obvious she can’t swim as well as the others.

i’ll probably say something to the swim school.

It’s set up with about 5 lanes and then a teacher and 5 kids. The younger kids use half a lane length ours do full lengths of practice up and down.

Sorry I should say the child has moved up from the group below, but I don’t think that’s right she should still be in that group.

It's your opinion the child shouldn't be in your DDs group, but the swim school obviously thought otherwise. Please don't speak to the parent, complain to the school if you must.

This doesn't sound like a great set up for swimming lessons, but from responses it seems to be pretty common? My kids go to a group session where 1-4 kids at a similar level work with a coach together so they can get the attention and support they need. There are up to 20 kids in the pool at once and a number of coaches who are mostly senior high school kids supervised by a PE teacher. It means my two kids who are at different levels can have lessons at the same time, which is really handy. Is there something like this near you? In your situation I'd ask the teacher to get an assistant to be in the water with the girl so that all kids get the attention they need to learn.

We have a similar situation. My daughter is in a class of 6 with 2 teachers but one child is so reluctant and less able (not sure if there are SEN, there's nothing discernible) that it realistically turns into him having 1-1 lesson whilst the other 5 share one teacher. There's not a lot we can do - swimming schools have such chocka waiting lists at the moment that moving isn't something that can be done at a drop of a hat and I don't think we can say anything without coming across as a Karen.

You need to quietly talk to the pool manager. along the lines of , 'I'm sorry, but I can't afford to pay £10 a week for my daughter to NOT be taught to swim. I just can't'

because if it's not sorted, you will be paying an awful lot of money for a lot longer than you should have been for her to get anything out of her swimming lessons. And that's just not a reasonable request of families that are scraping to pay for the lessons themselves these days. Prices have doubled for swim lessons over the last decade.

Suggest that a second teacher should be in the pool for the lesson, to focus on the child who need physical support for the bulk of the lesson. Because your child and the other children are not actually being taught what their parents are paying for. Or ask your child to be put into another session.

it’s like other schools. So a coach to 5 kids? Isn’t that about right? My last swim school
was one teacher to 6 kids in one lane so it got crowded.

kids of different ability swim in different lanes. I just wonder if the previous swimming teacher just wanted to pass the child on, it’s clear she’s not ready for this group.

I would give the situation a bit more time then
Speak to teacher about whether your dd could move to a different class or level and explain why.

Really it sounds like the child needs a helper in the water or to be in a lower class.

That is an absolutely terrible suggestion (talking to the other parent like that)

They think otherwise. Perhaps see if your child is ready to move up?

This is a swim school issue, not the parent of the child.
They will not move the child out of that lesson due to having to be inclusive. I'm sure their parent is well aware of the gap just by sitting and watching the lesson.
I would have a discreet word with the manager to raise your concerns and ask for a different slot.

My son doesn't have send but is lacking in confidence so does get extra support from the teacher. This is the lowest group they do so we have no choice but to persevere.

I think that posters being facetious to shame parents who would consider speaking to the parent.

I’d bring it up with the swim school but don’t focus too much on the other child, just say you’ve noticed your daughter isn’t getting as much time actually swimming during her lessons as she usually does and as they’re expensive you’re wondering what the other options may be for her to get the most out of her lessons.

It’s tough to balance being inclusive without it impacting on the needs of the majority but when it does then something has to change, ideally 1:1 for the pupil that needs it.

I don't think the child should be made to only have 1-1 lessons, the issue just appears to be that their ability is mismatched to the level of the class.

I'm surprised that they've moved up from a class below though, I'd imagined that they'd been a new joiner to the school and perhaps their ability been overestimated due to their age.

My DD is in a class with 9 students and one teacher, all about the same ability, including one child with SN (I know the family, not making assumptions!) And it's all fine because they're all in roughly the same place, skills wise.

OP, our classes have a tracker thing where you can see what they're being assessed on and how they're doing - do you have anything like that where you can see if maybe your DD is at the top of the band and close to moving up, and this child, being new is at the bottom?

Or is that published somewhere where you can see what the ability is supposed to be to pass the level below, and move up to DDs group? For instance, if it's 'independently swim a length' or something else that this child just isn't achieving yet then you can approach the swim school and say something. Alternatively it might show you that they are in the right band, and it's just that your DD has been there longer and has progressed.

Unless these 1-1 lessons are going to be free for the other child's parents it's a shitty thing to suggest. 1-1 is £40/30 mins by me!

I would just ask your child to be moved up or find another school, picking on the kid with SEN is a dick move

1:1 within the class/having an assistant is something the school could look at for inclusion.

Ask the swim school if they have a relationship with level water. Level water are a fantastic Charity who support physically disabled children to swim, and can find 1-1 support

My DC2 was moved into a higher group. The leap was/is too big and DC2 is always half a lane length behind other kids in the group when doing some strokes. The problem was DC2 was flying in the group behind and the next level is also the last level so they moved her (I didn’t ask). DC2 doesn’t need extra help but does need to improve speed when doing certain strokes.
I’d would be very embarrassed if the parents of the other kids came to me to say DC2 is too slow to stay with the group.

That is a perfectly acceptable solution.

The other child has 121, not because they are being treated favourablly but because that is what is necessary for them to access the lesson. What exactly is it you object to? Your child is receiving the lesson/teaching you have paid for.

OP, the problem you have is that the school should be doing similar and they are not which means that your child is not receiving the lesson/teaching you have paid for.

I'm a swimming teacher op your don't lack compassion. Please speak up the management's, the teacher will likely thankyou for it. She might have expressed her concerns to her manager but been told she's being discriminate against the child. By raising the issue as a client you might have abit more clout at them looking at the issue either by giving the teacher an assistant to support in the water or offering the child 121 lessons.