To think it shouldn't be this hard to book swimming lessons!

[HolesInTheFloor]

Currently sat in my local leisure centre as today is the day they release spaces at their swim school. Got here at 8.45. Given a ticket. Queued up. Confirmed space available on session I want. Filled in direct debit form. Now sat in the cafe waiting with my form to be seen by the swim coordinator. Been waiting nearly 2 hours. Still at least 2 hour wait ahead of me.

This is for a fucking swimming lesson! Is it like this everywhere? It seems complete madness and I'm losing the will to live.

Agreed!

Im on a waiting list, well they say its a waiting list - i asked what place i was on it and got fobbed off.

They also start at stupid oclock afterschool which means a military precision afterschool pick up, with a slight break in speedlimit and kids getting changed in the back of the car en route.

Gave up and attempting to teach tnem myself in the holidays.

One near me is like that, Sounds ridiculous! You're not in Essex are you?

I'm in Kent. Though it might just have been terrible organisation at local leisure centre. Can't believe it seems to be the same everywhere.

We are very lucky! No queuing, occasional waiting lists but can remain in current lesson until space available. Longest waiting list has been a couple of weeks shortest was less than an hour!

I just phone the swim school.
Confirm which level they are swimming at.
They check which class has a space.
We book.

About 8 minutes usually

And until you move up a class, you keep your slot.

We use a private swim school. Two weeks before end of term, you get a renewal form. If going up a level, they call to tell you available times to check which is most convenient. You return form and payment by end of term. Place confirmed. The most time consuming bit is finding the cheque book because they don't accept back!

I rang up the LA sportscentre and put her name on the list. 3 weeks later they rang me back and told me to have her at the pool at 5pm Monday. We pay by direct debit.

She went up a group. They told us to have her at the pool 4pm Monday. DH muttered about having to leave work early and drove like a loon. But she's at the pool 4pm

No problem no fuss.

By gum your area are making heavy work of it.

Very similar set up here too, minus the wait for the swim co-ordinator. Despite my son not being able to swim (he's 4) we still had to go through the motions of getting in the water for 20 seconds, blowing bubbles in the water etc for the swim assessor to conclude that he is, in fact, a beginner.

Private swim schools in the area are either term time only and at inconvenient times for working parents, or fully booked.

I don't know if it's changed now, but when I wanted to get dtds into LA leisure centre swimming lessons it was phone only, line open at 9 am one particular morning. I sat there with the number on speed dial for forty minutes. When I got through, it was too late, all places already allocated, try again next term. Private lessons were expensive and even more inconveniently timed, so I was rather stuck with the place.

Next term I did get them both in, but frustratingly in two different Level One classes, separated by two hours!

However, once in the system, they had priority for moving up to appropriate classes.

Private swim school all the way here. Only marginally more expensive than the leisure lessons and no ridiculous faff every term.