8yo's to be unaccompanied at swimming lessons?

[Xuli]

Our local pool is starting lessons in a week's time but has said all 8+ kids must be dropped at the door to the centre and then collected afterwards. Apparently the changing rooms might be open, might not. The messages online aren't entirely clear. But the jist of it is that 8+ are expected to be unaccompanied, get themselves changed before (not really an issue as they can wear their suit under their clothes) and after, possibly without changing rooms, in a pool that will have 50+ kids for lessons and public swimming at the same time. No mention of any extra staff, only staff around would presumably be actively involved in teaching lessons so couldn't help the kids.

I'm not normally an upright parent but AIBU to think this isn't a good idea? Some 8yos are still very young and won't have done anything like this on their own. Plus everyone's teaching kids about privacy and safety and then expecting them to potentially get changed at the poolside? No one to help if they get stuck or upset, if older kids are being annoying, let alone the safeguarding issues here.

My 8yo is pretty sensible and mature but even I can see issues for her. I don't care not being there for the lesson, but the changing seems hard.

I know I'm not alone amongst other mums here not being keen on this. AIBU, would you be happy with this?

My eldest 2 have been going to ‘fun swims’ unaccompanied since they were 8 they love it.

This is the case with our leisure pool too. I have a age 7 dc. I have no problem with this nor does the DC, but I admit we have been going to the same centre for a few years so no chance of getting lost. Its a big centre and it must be open to others at the same time unless they are going to shut down all classes and sports so the swimming dc can go in and out? They go swimming with school and no one helps them then.

Not quite understanding the boys-have-to-from-8 scenario. Surely that only applies if a female takes them swimming? And equally applies to girls when a male takes them swimming? Kids should be in their appropriate changing from 8, not boys but everyone.

And why do people assume a child over 8 will find taking off costume, goggles and having a towel is beyond them to put 3 rings in a bag.

Honestly - how do you think they cope at school for 7 hours a day when mummy and daddy aren't there to help them?

It's no coincidence many teachers spend a lot of parents evening convincing parents that their kids are actually competent little human beings and yes they can do x y and z.

It's often not the kids who think they can't do something!

Safeguarding eh???
Do you have a local paper?
This is just the kind of thing that local journalists would tackle.
They would be able to speak to 'the person who really takes responsibility' and challenge them. Not fobbed off by a half interested receptionist.

They trained to do these things.
Don't let them get away with it.
Made me quite angry, it remind me of when I looked after our kids.

Our pool is closed to the public during lessons so this wouldn't bother me at all. My dc have been going in and changing themselves since 5/6. By 8 I definitely wouldn't be concerned.

8 is probably borderline. A lot of the older children at our swimming school seem to get into the water before their lessons and have a play with parents watching from the spectator area but most seem to have someone back in there for changing.

If ours try to impose something similar for smaller children we won’t be going back and I’ll find somewhere with a smaller pool or private lessons even if it is temporarily more expensive. Mine will be just turned 4 and it has always been chaos at pick-up drop-off even with parents. In the pre-school class she always had a teacher in the water so that will be different whatever happens. Lots of the kids seem to need a wee during the lesson at that age as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if some places just don’t do lessons for the younger ones as it seems like a massive hassle.

We'll have a good chat about needing to remember everything taken and I'll probably just get her to slide into some sort of onesie and then wander home. Not great but yes, the best of a bad bunch of possibilities, and all in all better than not going to swimming lessons.

I wonder if they have room for maybe 30+ parents to public swim at the same time as every lesson?!

As a PP said, I think what actually concerns me at the heart of it is throwing away safeguarding (IF the pool is open to public swimming at the same time)

At least it's summer so waiting in a queue outside and going home slightly damp won't be the end of the world!

If you can’t drive and she wouldn’t cope changing without you, this might be a bit extreme but... Towelling poncho/hoody on her way in and out and then a pop up toilet tent for a quick change in the car park??? We’ve got one that pops up in five seconds and goes away again in less than thirty...

Also our council lessons are all poolside teaching even for the tiny tots so no change there

@Xuli

I not worried about my child dressing either, It was always a safeguarding concern, to send my 8 year old into the men’s changing rooms on his own.
Always felt wrong. But as I mentioned they’re so many thread telling mums to get on with it.

I really don’t care if he comes back with a few things missing. My concern was always safeguarding. Same as yours.
So why is the expectations and responses now different. I’m just curious.

Don’t go if you can’t handle the safety measures. Problem solved!

No, too young. I'd say year 5 and up this is ok but I'd still feel a bit uncomfortable.
Why don't you call the pool and ask them some questions if you're on the fence?
I doubt you'll be the only person uncomfortable with this though.

Serious question.

If it's safeguarding why can 8yo go swimming unaccompanied in a public session?

What's the difference?

Just because some parents wouldn't allow their children doesn't mean it's a risk.

My local pool it's usual for kids to be dropped off and picked up after their swim with friends. Usual for kids to change themselves in the changing village and most actually manage to go home with their stuff

In case you havnt read the thread. This is a mixed sex changing room and the pool is open to the public. So basically every one is allowed in apart from the parents. This is a massive safeguarding concern.

When they are at school they are always being supervised. Changing rooms are incredibly slippy due to shampoos over running from the showers or residue being walked in to the changing room from the shower area . Kids will mess about and slip.

I taught swimming for over ten years, private and schools. There is no way I’d allow my kids to do this.

Also the kids that are going to walk dripping wet straight from pool side through dry side areas to get out are going to caused a people hazard by getting the floor wet. You will not be able to stop parents coming in looking for their kids. It will be a nightmare to manage.

But in reality the children do not have a safe space to change because the public adults will be in those changing rooms with the kids. This wouldn’t happen at any other time so we have to be careful not to throw away important and well established safeguarding practices in the name of ‘COVID’

GarlicMcAtackney The safety measures have to be practical for the age of the children though. I’m not convinced some of the guidance actually is for the younger ones. I’ll be interested to see what my pool does but in my mind, it would be better to be honest and say lessons can’t run for under 6s for example than try and impose something that is covid secure but unrealistic.

If it's safeguarding why can 8yo go swimming unaccompanied in a public session

Because the life guards will supervise them. In segregated changing rooms in a normal situation there shouldn’t be any issue - but these are mixed changing rooms with members of the public and they are unsupervised.

@Codexdivinchi

In case you havnt read the thread. This is a mixed sex changing room and the pool is open to the public. So basically every one is allowed in apart from the parents. This is a massive safeguarding concern.

When they are at school they are always being supervised. Changing rooms are incredibly slippy due to shampoos over running from the showers or residue being walked in to the changing room from the shower area . Kids will mess about and slip.

I taught swimming for over ten years, private and schools. There is no way I’d allow my kids to do this.

Also the kids that are going to walk dripping wet straight from pool side through dry side areas to get out are going to caused a people hazard by getting the floor wet. You will not be able to stop parents coming in looking for their kids. It will be a nightmare to manage.

But in reality the children do not have a safe space to change because the public adults will be in those changing rooms with the kids. This wouldn’t happen at any other time so we have to be careful not to throw away important and well established safeguarding practices in the name of ‘COVID’

That's expressed it better than I could. 8 can be very young. What if they fall and hurt themselves? What if they drop their bag in a puddle and can't get dressed? What if someone nicks their goggles? I mean, those are tiny things, but for many 8yo's they can't always think around the problem and they'll just end up wandering around soaking wet trying to find someone to help!

And yes, as you say, it's about everyone else being allowed in accept their parents.

I'd happily let my 8yo start to do this all themself with me outside the changing room, or waiting in the cafe - but that's gradually learning, not being thrown in.

Also most of the year 3 and 4's in this town haven't been able to get back to school at all so there'll be the added chaos of kids that are either too excited or too overwhelmed after 4 months without any school or clubs!

My local pool just has cubicles. All in same area. Used by all sexes and genders.

And lifeguards will still be around now.

So again what is different from normal set up?

Just because some parents think something is a safeguarding risk it doesn't make it one.

If it was believed to be a huge risk to over 8's then it wouldn't happen day in and day out pre covid.

This is the perfect occasion for a onesie.

Our swim school is not allowing swim classes to use the changing rooms at all. So children come dressed with swim costume under clothes, leave in bag at side of pool, and just put on a poncho type robe after class before walking out to parent. Why not just do this?

RedskyAtnight What are you doing about toilets if no changing rooms?

Covid Officer

I've heard it all now.

I'll be teaching my own kid to swim thanks, ridiculous.

Wouldn't bother me, id probably send DS in, in a dressing gown, so he can walk straight through and out to me after the lesson.

@Greyrobe

I am literally laughing my head off .....

My childrens' swimming club has Covid officers as well. I think it was a condition they had to meet to be allowed to restart.