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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want to pay for other kids to learn to swim?

284 replies

tomdayleymum · 31/08/2012 12:58

DS about to go into Year 3. Got a letter from school saying that from now til next July Year 3 will be going swimming and please can we have a voluntary contribution of £3.25 per week?

He can swim very well thanks to me paying for him to have private lessons. If other parents haven't bothered (or can't afford) to teach their kids to swim outside of school hours then fine, let the school teach 'em. But I don't want to pay for him to go in school hours when he could do with catching up on his reading instead.

AIBU?

OP posts:
teacherwith2kids · 31/08/2012 20:15

"Which is why I think they should take the non-swimmers and concentrate on them."

I just don't get this. So in maths, I should ignore those who can already do maths and concentrate only on those who can't? Should do no reading with the readers because they can read, and only read with those who can't? Only teach ICT skills to those who don't have them?

In swimming, as in all lessons, the teaching starts with where a child is. There is initial 'assessment for learning', decision on 'objectives and next steps', and teaching to enable each child to make progress.

If a child can swim, they are taught to swim better. If they can't, they are taught to. If they can swim crawl but not breaststroke, we teach them breaststroke. If they are strong swimmers, we teach them lifesaving skills or water polo or synchronised swimming....

jamdonut · 31/08/2012 20:17

I think £3.25 a week is asking lot, especially as at our school it is free!! However, EVERYONE has to go swimming in year 3/4. It is a military operation getting the children to and from the pool with the correct amount of staff support. A lot of children are taking lessons, and we have quite a few "champion" swimmers but they still go and are taught by the pool's instructors...school staff sit on the seats at the side, watching and encouraging! The good swimmers are coached in their technique and diving, whilst the rest (non-swimmers and inexperienced) are taught how to swim.
I think it would be very sad for him not to go,just because he can already swim,but I can actually understand not wanting to pay,especially for a whole year!! Our children go swimming for 10 weeks in the Summer term.

Floggingmolly · 31/08/2012 20:19

I've kept up perfectly well, tomdaley, my point remains; swimming is part of the national curriculum and thereby obligatory, and the exercise is beneficial too.
(And it's £3.25, you misery)

teacherwith2kids · 31/08/2012 20:22

£3.25 is a lot - as I say, our VC is under £2 a week and covers only [part of - we're rural and the bus is a lot] transport costs.

Could you perhaps query this with the school and e.g. find out whether it is to cover transport costs or whether it is the cost of the pool and instructors? If it includes the latter, I don't think it would be unreasonable to pay just the transport contribution and not the rest, as the school should cover the actual swimming costs as it's part of the NC.

Or join the PTA, organise extra fundraising activities and lobby for the money to go into the 'swimming' pot so that it can be free for all?

spoonsspoonsspoons · 31/08/2012 20:22

"So in maths, I should ignore those who can already do maths and concentrate only on those who can't? Should do no reading with the readers because they can read, and only read with those who can't?"

Are you asking for extra contributions so children can have more maths lessons or more reading lessons?

It's not AIBU to not want my child to have extra lessons it's AIBU to not want to pay for my child to have extra lessons

ByTheWay1 · 31/08/2012 20:23

I don't get the "exercise" angle on the swimming- I have been a parent helper often on the swimming days- 45 min on the coach, get off, get changed, swim on and off (mostly off - waiting your turn) for 20 min, get changed, 45 min on the coach. The kids get more exercise getting on the coach than swimming to be honest - and it all takes half a bleedin' day

All that to catch 3 colds a term - I don't know why but whenever we go swimming we get colds - since we stopped using the municipal pool I do not get them any more!

jamdonut · 31/08/2012 20:26

Luckily it is a 15 min coach drive to our pool,so it all happens in one afternoon in 3 sessions!

teacherwith2kids · 31/08/2012 20:26

[In case I seem contradictory, my point is that a voluntary contribution which helps towards transport costs of swimming is reasonable as that is not in the school's budget and many schools in urban areas don't have that cost.

I see no reason for a parent who CAN pay not to make that VC - spread over a whole year in small increments if the one-off cost is too great - for all the reasons outlined above.

But I don't think it reasonable for the school to try to recoup the whole cost of swimming through VC.]

poorfoxyloxy · 31/08/2012 20:27

YABU, your child might like to go along and swim with his friends, I think he might feel punished if he couldn't go and had to do reading.

Redbindy · 31/08/2012 20:29

OP Your'e alright, fuck the rest of them. After all £3.25 when you've already spent loads on swimming lessons is an awful lot to ask.

exoticfruits · 31/08/2012 20:30

Swimming is part of the school curriculum - for everyone not just for those who can't swim.

BackforGood · 31/08/2012 20:32

teacherwith2kids What you say at 20:15 is what would happen in an ideal world, but not what happens in real life, now, I know for a fact. My children have all been far more knowledgable about swimming strokes and techniques etc when they have gone with their school than the (class) teachers who are made to take the lesson. I don't know what happens in all authorities, but here, the class gets split and a (qualified) swimming teacher who works at the baths takes one group and the class teacher takes the other. Very often, it is deemed the most sensible route to give the expert to the group who haven't had lessons previously, so the more able swimmers get the class teacher who may well know nothing about swimming.
This certainly isn't teacher bashing - but it's the same old story with things like MFL, if the teacher hasn't learnt themselves, it makes it pretty hard to teach.
However, that's not what the OP was asking, but I think she's probably had enough replies Grin

NellyJob · 31/08/2012 20:32

If other parents haven't bothered (or can't afford) to teach their kids to swim outside of school hours then fine, let the school teach em
I think it was this unpleasant and superior tone that led to this thread going on and on and on and on.

aamia · 31/08/2012 20:33

It's VOLUNTARY. So if you choose not to pay, you choose not to pay. He'll be put into an ability group and will be learning new things just as he learns when he does other sports. The non-swimmers will be in a different group. If you don't want to contribute, don't. It'll be part of his 2 hours or so of PE a week, he'll be getting exercise, and the cost will come out of school funds. They ask for the contributions (usually heavily subsidised already) because it costs a lot for the whole class to go, and detracts from money spent on resources etc elsewhere in the curriculum.

So up to you what you do. No pressure from anyone so no need to be upset.

Idocrazythings · 31/08/2012 20:33

YABU I don't think swimming lessons are just about swimming. They are teaching children to listen whilst in a group in a dangerous environment, risk taking, time management, social skills, taking instructions in a different setting, from a different type of teacher. Yes your son gets this in his after school lesson, but the class then would be structured differently and not have as many children around.

treadonthecracks · 31/08/2012 20:35

YABU, he'll have a fab time swimming with his class and it will be great exercise.

Let him go along and pay the modest sum (compared with private lessons).

teacherwith2kids · 31/08/2012 20:35

20 mins on the coach, get changed, 30 minutes absolutely continuous swimming - if they're taking turns there must be too many in the pool, mine never stop except for brief instructions on the next exercise - get changed, 20 minutes back.

Spoons - how do I establish who the non-swimmers are if the 'swimmers' don't come? I well remember one parent who swore her child could swim lengths and swore a lot made quite a lot of fuss about him being taken swimming with school ... the first lesson he got in, set off for about a yard, then I had to fish him out using the lifesaving pole. Couldn't swim a stroke.

Equally, who is going to teach the children left behind in school? I'm at the pool, teaching swimming. So is my TA. The other year group teachers aren't going to take in extra chiuldren for the afternoon....

Idocrazythings · 31/08/2012 20:37

Plus he'll be one of the cool kids because he's really good at it. I have sad memories of always being a loser at swimming Sad

Original poster
tomdayleymum · 31/08/2012 20:38

"If they are strong swimmers, we teach them lifesaving skills or water polo or synchronised swimming.... "

What - during a school swimming lesson? Good for you if you provide all of that but I can assure you the pool DS's school uses doesn't.

Flogging how does paying for my son to learn to swim out of school and doing everything I can to keep him safe and make him happy make me a "misery" Confused

I'm glad £3.25 per week for a whole academic year is peanuts to so many of you but it's not to me.

OP posts:
spoonsspoonsspoons · 31/08/2012 20:45

I'm not saying that swimming shouldn't happen, I just don't think a school should ask for a 'voluntary' contribution when it's part of the curriculum and I don't think people are unreasonable to feel put out at being asked to pay even if they can afford it.

NoComet · 31/08/2012 20:53

I think you are being unreasonable if you can afford it.

But I know we have Mums who refuse to pay for the same reason.

I don't mind, DD2 likes swimming and DD1 really preferred it to other forms of PE. Both are fish so don't learn anything.

If I end up supporting the small no. of DCs who are unfortunate enough not to do swimming lessons I really don't mind.

Seeing one little girl (who's family life is somewhat chaotic) joining in at DD2's swimming party is testimony enough for me.

bruschetta · 31/08/2012 20:57

frankly, everyone who pays tax, whether or not they have kids in a state school, is paying for other pp'ls children to be educated aren't they? Most ppl make contributions in life that aren't directly related to their own situation.
It's pretty standard these days to be asked to make donations for things we used to see as being the responsibilty of the govt (or, in fact, taxpayer).
It's just an activity, like another sport. I assume he likes swimming and he can keep improving with school lessons.
Would you want him not to have English lessons just because he can read? Unless he's ready for RiO 2016 and doesn't need any exercise then it seems very likely that he'll benefit from a bit of a swim. It might be really good for his confidence to be one of the good swimmers in his class.

NoComet · 31/08/2012 21:01

Now whether swimming should be charged for as it's part of the NC is a very grey area.

I believe schools only have to teach DCs until they can do 25m. At our very MC school that would probably be most of reception plus 5 others out of 100.

DD2 would never have gone as she skipped preschool swimming lessons (stupidly timed to be 3-3.30) and did the later 4-5 group so she could collect big sister. One of her friends did too and he could swim by the summer of reception too!

HermioneE · 31/08/2012 21:07

OP - good for you for saying you were BU.

I was a very good swimmer by the time I went to school lessons but still really felt I benefited. Can see why you're annoyed at paying twice for something, but personally I would go for it anyway. It's such a useful (and potentially lifesaving) skill, how can you have too much practise?

Moominsarescary · 31/08/2012 21:08

Ours only go for 6 weeks a year, do some realy go every week for the whole year?