To think DS should’ve made some progress by now?

[Poppoppogo]

DS (8) has been doing swimming lessons for about 2/3 years probably.

Before lockdown he was only going every other week as his dad refused to take him. Since April I’ve been taking him every week, he’s also been doing swimming every other week at school. He really enjoys it, but he just isn’t improving. He moved up 2 classes really quickly after starting (within about 6 months), but none since then.

His class is small (3 kids at the moment, in the past it’s been about 8) and the teacher seems nice. I don’t think it’s down to the teaching, I’m just not sure swimming is DS’s thing! (We can’t be good at everything, right?) if it was anything but swimming, I wouldn’t be bothered, but I do think swimming is an essential skill. He’s also noticed that ALL of the other children he’s swum with in the last few years have moved out of the class, which got him down a little today.

Shall I speak to the swim school or am I going to look like a pushy parent? I’m not sure I can pay for private lessons at the moment, but I know that would probably be best for him.

My DS has stalled with swimming and I think it's his stamina. He has dyspraxia which doesn't help but he can do a stroke that will get him across the pool but he struggles to do a length because he gets tired. Could it be that?
We can't get lessons for him at the moment but we are trying to take him when we can (also hard due to restrictions).

The same thing happened with my DS. When he was 9/10 it finally just clicked. To be honest I wish I hadn’t wasted all those years paying for lessons and had just started him later!

Is he not showing any improvement? Or is he showing improvement but hasn’t moved up a stage. My DD is in a stage 1 class but she can now do at the stage skills and seems to be learning stage 2 skills. It doesn’t matter to me what the class is called just that she is enjoying it and it a bonus that she is improving.

Stick with it, he will get it and it's a life saving skill.

The last year has been rough on swimming lessons with all the stop start. I think the kids are just about settling back down - there seems to be a lot of moving up going on this last couple of weeks where mine go.
Tbh every other week will not have helped him - ideally the kids need to be in the water a couple of times a week to really progress (one lesson, one swim with parent etc).
If he's bothered by it then speak to the swim school on that basis. He shouldn't be floundering if he's not happy. They should be able to tell him/you his targets for moving up.

The only thing that worked for kids was 1 to 1 lessons. The difference in 3 lessons was very obvious. One had 10, 1 to 1 lessons, went back to group lessons and continued to improve. One continued with 1 to 1 lessons as that’s what they preferred. They can both swim well now.

He’s not shown any improvement (as far as I can see) since going back full time in April.
He can swim about 4-5 strokes and then stops. His technique has definitely not got any better, he’s still doing all of the same drills they were doing in April. I just think he’s bobbing around being him, (bit of a clown!), but after hearing him say about the other kids, I think actually it might be time to take action.

He does have pretty poor proprioceptive skills at times. I think he finds it tricky to apply what’s he’s being told to do, to his own body iyswim.

Weirdly enough my DS swam like a fish but stalled moving up the levels because he couldn't do a particular stroke.Eventually had a chat with the coach when he noticed everyone had moved uyp without him. I explained that despite hiom not liking that stroke he had to do it to pass and voila up he went. Swimming lesson levels are often box ticking exercises.

Do you take him swimming, so it’s fun as well as lessons?

I'm a swimming teacher. It sounds like he's possibly not breathing correctly. Sometimes, children get moved up too quickly and miss the vital 'blowing bubbles' stage. Then, they just hold their breath, and can only swim as far as one breath takes them.