swimming leesons

[iloveswimming]

i have recently signed my child up for local lessons, she;s 3(pre-school) and i thought there would be someone in the water with the class helping them, there is no-one. The pool is 1metre deep so deep for little ones(only 1 out of the 8 can touch the bottom) and there are 8 of them in a class.
I find this crazy-if i go swimming with my other kids i need a friend or my DH to make the councils ratio policy of 2 children under 8yrs to 1 adult-yet at lessons there seems to be no 'nod' to this policy.
Its hard to watch as i'm paying good money for lessons, i'm frustrated , the instructor spends more time reining in the floaters than teaching, my daughter isn't 100% sold on swimming being fun.
I used to be a swimming instructor and club swimmer/helper so don't know if my expectations are from 'the olden days' but would like to know AIBU to expect someone to get in the water and help the children learn to swim and enjoy the water??
or at least change their entry policy so that i can take all my kids(with me in the water) swimming at once.

not read full thread but the lessons in our local council specify that for lessons each child under 5 needs a parent in with them and once they reach the age of 5 they go in by themselves. As I had a younger child as well I couldnt go to those lessons and chose to take dd to the neighbouring council lessons where they take them in themselves from the age of 3.

They have a 'floating floor' at the other pool and make the deep end shallow so that the full length of the pool can be used for lessons and the younger children can touch the floor. The pre-school class (from age 3-4) has the instructor in the water with them and then as they move up the classes the instructor teaches fro the side of the pool (out of the water).

p.s. I am in Scotland and the school kids get 1 twelve week block of swimming lessons in Primary 5 and thats it, no other swimming is done through the school.

When I think back to my childhood (I'm 43) it was very rare for kids to have swimming lessons except with the school.

Well I'm 49 and I had swimming lessons as a child, as did my brother.

My 5 yo goes to a swim school that runs 1:2 lessons, with the instructors in the water. I wouldn't be happy with a class with the instructor on the side.

The op seems to have disappeared... mind you, the thread has wandered off her topic so I'm not surprised.

FWIW - I'm a bit surprised the op's dd can't touch the floor and there isn't an adult in the pool to help. I can see that would be really scary for her.

I am one of those mums most of you seem to think is wasting her money on lessons. I can swim but I can't say I enjoy it. DH wasn't taken swimming by his parents and ended up loathing it when he moved schools and went for school lessons where everyone else could swim (aged 8). I decided for myself it was a life-skill long before I heard about the sort of lessons I take dd to, so I don't consider myself duped by marketing. I would not have been brave enough to take her on my own, or have had a clue how to start "teaching" her to swim. Someone said upthread that people are "joyless" about "ticking off" swimming lessons - not the case here. We love our lessons, and I love that dd will not end up scared of the water like her father was, or scared of lessons like I was.