Paying school for swimming lessons

[ISpeakBecauseICan]

We have received a letter from school advising us that swimming is on the curriculum (year 3) and the children will be having swimming lessons in the school pool in the summer. Each family must contribute £25 per child.

My 8 year old Dd has been having swimming lessons at the leisure centre since she was 4 and is a competent swimmer so I don’t really see the point of paying for the school lessons.

Also the non-swimmers in the class will receive extra swimming lessons- so effectively we will be subsidising the kids who can’t yet swim

Is it a bit cheeky to expect parents to pay for something that is on the curriculum or is that standard?

FTR the school seem to be constantly asking for money and contributions for cake sales, Christmas fair, mufti days, various charity collections, school disco, raffle tickets, special visitors... and the list goes on. Though I will probably end up sending the money in so she doesn’t feel left out.

I really don't understand this, if people don't push back things won't change, parents will be expected to pay for more and more. Schools should be telling the government this isn't deliverable.

The fact is that it is really ridiculous that schools load children onto a bus to a local swimming pool to be taught by, probably, an unqualified swimming teacher. The benefits do not equal the amount of time taken out of the school day. It must be very disruptive, it's expensive and a study by the ASA has shown that a high proportion of children still can't swim when they leave primary. Plus this is supposed to be swimming for all however I get the impression that those can swim aren't taught anymore. We wouldn't accept this with academic subjects so why are we with sport.

Learning to swim is a long process (for most) and the amount they get at school is never going to cut it.

To whoever compared this to NZ, not really relevant. In NZ parents are expected to pay a school contribution, an annual amount for trips and for all books, tissues, whiteboard markers etc so it is a completely different system. In my experience many schools have pools or were very close to them anyway.

I am in Scotland where schools don't do swimming so this whole thing is alien to me.

However, if schools can't charge for the actual swimming, only transport, and the OP's child is being taught in the school pool, what is the £25 for?

I think those of us who can afford private lessons should just suck this one up

Some people make financial sacrifices to pay for private swimming lessons so shouldn't have to pay twice. DSs school charged £120 for transport 7 miles up the road. I didn't pay.

Good to hear about the Head Teacher who is teaching two days a week - I think this should be compulsory as too many HT are completely out of touch.

I can't get worked up about TAs being let go. Many are unqualified and untrained and don't enhance a child's learning.

Snapes maybe it was a good opportunity for your ds to be top of the class. If he struggles in school it must have been nice for him to get out of that situation for a short while and do something in front of his peers that he excels at. I'm sure that was helpful to his confidence.
I teach children with learning difficulties and only yesterday had this conversation with a girl who is a super swimmer. She can't wait for swimming lessons to start as she can totally relax and be in her element for once.
As said already this is common in lreland. In my school we have DC who have never been in a pool in their lives. It's a fantastic opportunity for them . Parents pay for everything here, always have so never expect to get stuff free.
Coming from a large family in the 60s we all learnt to swim at school lessons. My parents managed to pay but couldn't have managed to bring us all to a pool or individual swimming lessons.
Just pay and don't make it any more difficult for the school by complaining.

Swimming lessons through school are banded into ability at our younger dc’s school. On the first lesson they’re assessed and put into different groups. So there’s an advanced group, all the way through to a non swimmers group. My dc were raised in NZ, and were junior surf life savers, as well as swimming competitively, but I still paid for them to do the pretty basic school swim lessons here in the UK, because I didn’t want them to be the odd one out. Pretty miserable sitting at school, or poolside on your own whilst everyone else swims.

The money paid is for the transport I think, as opposed to the lessons, but I could be wrong.

my experience is that swimming pools have dedicated swim teachers. The class teacher will simply be there to escort children

At DS's school the teacher and TA taught the swimming lessons.

To add, we’re used to paying for things for school, as despite going to ordinary schools in NZ, we had to stump up for stationery, voluntary donations, trips, maths levy, communication etc etc and it was the best part of £200 per child, per school year. I preferred it though, paying everything up front meant it was all done and dusted, and there were no mad panics to find cash to pay for the 422 billion things I seem to shell out for here

Our school charges the same amount it costs to just actually take your child to the same council provided lessons over the month. Stupid really as I’m sure those who can easily afford already do/did lessons at the same prices at a time that’s convenient for them and it then includes free swimming for the child outside of lesson times too.

"Subsidising the kids who can't swim"

I don't understand how anybody feels bitter about less advantaged children.
Swimming is expensive, schools are struggling, not everybody is equal in society. That's just the way it is. If you don't want them to swim then can they just opt out?
Because sitting on the side lines while every body else is in enjoying themselves is what disadvantaged kids do a lot of IME. Maybe your kids will learn a life lesson. Meanwhile the kids who can't swim are learning a skill that could well save their life.

I think the mentally that state schools are completely free needs to change, they aren't anymore, they clearly can't afford to be which is why they constantly ask parents for X Y and Z. Cake sales are different, these are run by parents associations to fund extra items for the school. To help buy computers or to fund a bit of grass - non essential items for the school.

Are you planning to stop your child using the pool? If you are then you could write to your head and ask for your child not to swim and not pay. £25 to help your school keep a swimming pool doesn't sound unreasonable.

Look, £25 might be a lot to some families, but if you have been paying for lessons outside school, they cost WAY more than that per term, so I doubt it is hurting you to pay £25.

They will have £25 quid's worth of fun doing something different with their school friends.

I get all the views about subsidising less fortunate children, but when making these statements, do we know the demongraphics of the children at OPs school.

I only ask because at my son’s school, swimming costs £75/term (coach with only maximum of 29 children on, as the only swim in one year). In my son’s year, I can only think of two children who do not have swimming lessons outside of school, and one of them has an indoor pool at home, so au assume is a proficient swimmer. When parents have questioned this in recent years, the school have said there is nothing they can do because it’s on the National Curriculum and they can’t make it cheaper. The PTA pay for the odd family who cannot afford it, but basically we are all forced to pay for our children to have additional classes they don’t need! If this is the case with the OP, I feel her pain and annoyance.

yabu
it will be fun for your dc and essential for the dc who can't already swim.

Maybe the school needs the £25 to maintain the pool - cleaning, filters, chemicals, pumps - and that's why they're asking for it additionally?

KathyfromHaworth, that's a horrible thing to say about TAs. All the ones I've known have been fantastic - well trained, looking for additional training/development and they've all made a massive difference to my child's learning. Since my kid has had TA input since before reception on a 1:1 basis, that adds to up to a lot of TAs! Nobody deserves to lose their job because of budget cuts and you sound really callous saying you can't get worked up about it

Schools are skint, surely we all know that by now?

Your school is really lucky to have a pool but it has to be paid for somehow.

If you cannot afford it, speak to the school.

If you can, pay up and let your DC enjoy themselves whilst ensuring all the children learn to swim.

Do people do this with other school subjects:
I'm not paying for ingredients for Home Ec as my kid can already cook.
I'm not paying for extra art supplies as my kid can already draw and paint.
I'm not paying for the trip to the museum as my kid has already been.
I'm not paying a contribution to the visiting theatre group as my kid has seen a play before.

Its an easy thing to charge for because its quantifiable. if the school pays its just something else that gets cut that is less easy to raise funds against My childrens infant school didnt charge for swimming but everyone had to donate toilet rolls on a rota. Ffs! There have been massive protests by headteachers about funding. Marches on parliament, invitations to the education secretary to hear headteaches views which have been declined. So saying schools should just say 'this isnt deliverable' is exactly what is happening. You should see the crisis is SEND funding. The government isnt listening to the push back.

Op you soundly quite frankly unpleasant: begrudging a small amount of money, what you think you might be subsidising those who are less fortunate. The reality is, you won't. This is a nominal amount towards pool maintenance.

Isn't the money for the coach?

We pay £40 per year at our school. It's actually a voluntary donation to help maintain the school pool but if you don't pay it on time you get a very stern letter from the head. I missed a reminder to pay an instalment once and the tone of the letter was so bad that I now pay the whole amount at the start of the school year.

The kids get about 15-20 mins of swim time a week for that with about 16 kids in the pool at anyone time. No one really learns to swim in that time , it's just practice really ,and most of the kids have lessons in smaller groups after school which they pay extra for.

Most kids start at our school having already had swimming lessons from a very young age - mine both started at 10 months old.We live on the coast so swimming lessons are high priority.

I think £25 is reasonable. They will be swimming with thier school chums which will be fun and different from ordinary swimming or lessons.

Education is free in this country so I think we need to be greatful and give back when we are able to as well.

Mostly it's a tick box exercise so that the school has covered part of the curriculum and they can put it in the child's report. Used to amuse me when my children's report came back with an added line under sport, that they could swim 25m. They were in a swimming club, and swam 60 odd lengths per night!!

My children were good swimmers bef the school lessons but they still enjoyed the school lessons and it was good exerc and swimming practice.
I'd pay up, your child will actually get a lot out of it. Our school also does swimathon, galas etc you won't get picked for those if the teacher had not seen your swimming capacity

Our school charges £1 a week for lessons. The council pool that they use charge £20.60 a month for weekly lessons.

Not sure id grumble bout £25 for a term i would

Our local council £25 a month for lessons, that includes free swimming at other pools outside of lesson times and discounted family fun swims. Much better value than the school swimming at £6 per week for 20 minutes.