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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be surprised at the cost of school swimming lessons?

39 replies

EndoplasmicReticulum · 20/04/2012 14:14

£3.50 per session.

They go about seven times per half term. So that's about 42 sessions per year.

£147.

They go for three years - in years 2, 3 and 4.

£147 x 3 = £441.

I have two children at the school.

So, over the next three years I am going to be spending £882 on swimming lessons, assuming that the price stays the same.

State primary, in case you're wondering. And we can afford it. But it still made me when I worked out the total cost!

OP posts:

yomellamoHelly · 20/04/2012 19:39

Depends what you get for the money. Ds's school lessons (which run for one term only) cost £18 in total but last 20 minutes. He's also in the lowest third of the class (entire class gets one hour) so his group has three children who have never swum before. Totally impossible situation. Have a feeling he won't be learning to swim at school.

BackforGood · 20/04/2012 19:50

I've never had to pay for any of mine to go for school swimming lessons (nor have any of the schools I've worked at charged).
I think the 'value' would depend on if this is the only chance they get to learn. Mine all learnt to swim when I took them to lessons from when they were 4, so, tbh, the school ones were a waste of their time really, my dcs learned to swim with a club and knew more about technique / strokes etc than the class teacher. OTOH, I've taught many a child who had never been swimming with parents even, let alone lessons, so I felt they were valuable lessons.

MotherOfSuburbia · 20/04/2012 21:17

Ours only do a term of swimming in yr 4 - that's it. A bit of a waste of time if you ask me but I guess the few children who couldn't swim at all might get a bit of water safety in the 10 sessions? We only have to contribute to the coach.

Bewilderedmum · 20/04/2012 21:35

Ds2 has just done a term of school swimming lessons (Yr4) For 10 lessons it cost £14.

There were no travel costs involved though, Cos his primary school shares a site with the senior school (where Ds1 goes) and the senior school has a swimming pool, so they just have to trek across a couple of playing fields to get there. I guess the cost (£1.40 per session) is to cover the hire of the pool to the juniors.

Ds2 already has swimming lessons on a saturday morning at the local pool (8 am!) and these lessons definitely consolidated what he had learned and gave him practice - he moved up a group at the local pool after school lessons.

I thought it was worth it - he's not a natural swimmer - he enjoys it though - but those lessons really were a a bit of a turning point in that he suddenly got to grips with it....

gobbledegook1 · 20/04/2012 21:47

My school (when I was at school many moons ago) didn't charge for swimming lessons and we walked to the local pool.

My DP's kids do school swimming lessons and as far as I am aware he doesn't pay anything for them or the coach. We're in Greater Manchester.

LibrarianByDay · 20/04/2012 23:10

It isn't free for us and the pool is about 100 meteres from the school entrance. It is a privately run pool though (belongs to the secondary school next door), so maybe that makes a difference.

oneofthosedays · 21/04/2012 00:26

We pay just under £37 per month for both DCs to have a 1/2 hr lesson each week. Works out at £4.30 per lesson. Which is on the expensive side of ok for us.

The school swimming lessons they only do first term of yr4 and 5 and ask for a £2.50 per week contribution towards the coach they need to get there. Again, I don't mind paying this as it's extra practice (they only get 20mins in the pool though) for DD.

Kresimir · 12/06/2012 07:52

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

ChasingSquirrels · 12/06/2012 08:03

Ours are free for yR to y4, as they use the school pool. Twice a week for this half term only.
If you as a parent do the first aid course and pay for a £20 ticket the children can use the pool after school, weekends and holidays (with parents in attendance).

y5-6 also use the pool for some lessons, but do a few at the secondary pool as ours isn't very big. No idea if school asks for a contribution for the coach for this as eldest only y4.

tryingtoleave · 12/06/2012 08:12

I've always paid about $18 for a half hour lesson in Australia. You poms are lucky.

MrsFruitcake · 12/06/2012 08:40

DD is very lucky in that her Junior school has a heated pool. She has her first 'lesson' today (she can already swim though so not sure what they'll be doing).

They had another class in there yesterday, in the pouring rain. They lasted 15 minutes before the teacher got them all out as they were going blue!

Scholes34 · 12/06/2012 09:11

Yep - ours are free for one term in years 3 and 5. We just pay £2 a session for the coach to get them there.

MrsFruitCake - if your DC can swim, no doubt they'll concentrate on technique in the lessons.

WorraLiberty · 12/06/2012 09:13

That was a head fuck

I was just about to post and say "Ours are free", when I scrolled down and realised I'd already said that and it's an oldish thread

shrimponastick · 12/06/2012 09:14

I didn't pay for DS swimming at school.

They used a nearby High School's pool - and obviously funded the cost of transport themselves.

n.b. I DID pay indirectly in lost towels/swimshorts.. on a weekly basis - once even a school shirt! He came home in just his jumper and tie.. looked like some kind of juvenile stripagram...

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