Non swimmer out of depth

[Bramblecrest]

DD (4) is about to start swimming lessons at school.

She's tiny and will be completely out of her depth,but the swimming teacher says no armbands and that they should use noodles only.

I can see the logic in this however, almost all the other children will be able to stand up. If DD let's go of the noodle she'll go under.

There will be swim teacher not in pool and parent helper in pool, 10 children.

AIBU to feel uncomfortable? Maybe I'm just an over anxious parent

I'm sure your DD will be fine but I take issue with the 'no armbands' brigade. I'm a swimming teacher and when I took my DC and DGS swimming (at least once a week) they would wear armbands to have fun and enjoy the water but take them off for short periods to have a go at swimming. All could swim by 4yo.

Swimming certainly isn’t pointless before 7. I know two kids who have been able to swim well before then. One got their 400m badge at 6 and the other is swimming lengths at 3.

But, I run my own swim school and I can't believe that ratio!! Are they 4 & 5? I would have 1 x teacher in or out, 1 x lifeguard out and 2 x helpers in the water for 10 children.

Am very glad it’s not just me who has concerns over the ratio.

Will the 10 children be in the water at the same time. I would worry about that.
Even our local pool has a lower ratio for public lessons.
Noodles are a great way to learn. My Ds stage 4 aged 4 learned with a noodle but was so scared for the first few lessons he also wore his shark fin.
My DD has had a noodle from aged 2 and she couldn't touch the bottom.

I think she'll be fine with just a noodle. They aren't easy to just let go of. Both my kids learnt to swim inn a deeper pool without being able to touch the bottom and were ok.

I also disagree with the pp that lessons are pointless, both my dc were swimming well before they were 7.

Our swimming teacher was always in the pool with the dc though.

Agree that the ratios are not good. When we moved to Aus DD was three and her swimming class had six kids max with the teacher in the pool. A lot of kids here can do 50 meters by the time they start school (5/6) so I don't understand the poster who said early lessons are pointless. Lots of people where we live have pools, making sure kids can swim early is absolutely vital. It is really sad but true that a lot of small children who drown here come from families where culturally early swimming isn't the norm.

are you saying there will be one adult in the pool with 10 non-swimmers of which your dd is the only one who couldn't reach the bottom?

Tbh I think that is pretty lax. We had ds in lessons at that age with a much higher ratio and watched him go under and no one notice. We did and shouted and someone fished him out (and we moved to a different pool). If you go ahead with these lessons, you should be poolside and vigilent for the lesson.

My kids learned to swim through the red cross progamme - no arm bands, parents in the pool as toddlers, swim teachers (fab high school students) in the pool with 3-4 kids after that. All of mine could swim well by 7 but that was a combination of weekly swim lessons all year round and summer camps with daily lessons - I think the daily lessons and time in the pool really nailed it.