Leaving school 10 minutes early each week for swimming lesson

[PattyPower]

Hi all

Just wondering if it’s unreasonable to ask headmistress if I can pick up my year 2 DC 10 mins early for a swim lesson every week? He is academically able but is very unsure in the water.

He has been having some 1-2-1s with a swim teacher he loves and is getting his confidence - it would be a shame to stop. Unfortunately she now only has availability at 3.30pm - which would mean DC pickup at 3.05. Normally DC finishes at 3.15 and is in playground for pickup.

Weekend lessons seem to be booked solid...

I think it wouldn’t be that unreasonable but really grateful for thoughts. Thanks!

TA's don't just 'tidy up' you know. We have many things to do, and some of them are done 10 minutes before the end of the day. To stop doing them so one child can go swimming would be disruptive.

I never said they did. My point was, the last ten minutes of any day in my daughter’s class was tidying up.

But again by insisting this is so disruptive, you are suggesting that for her entire primary school experience, my daughter was responsible for what is apparently massive disruption because she had to leave class then minutes early. Thankfully her school and her teachers and the SFLA realised that managing this was simply another part of their job they she was no less important than any of the other children.

YABU. The lesson clashes with school so you need to find one that doesn’t.

My point being is that it depends on the reason for leaving early, of which I realise there are many.

All I know is that in my school, swimming wouldn't be one of them. Swim another time like everyone else.

I think unless you work in a school you just won't understand.

But all you can do is ask.

My point being is that it depends on the reason for leaving early, of which I realise there are many.

My point is, it is either wholly disruptive, or it isn’t. It’s entirely manageable when there is a will. The reason I don’t need to work in a school to know that is, because I see schools who refuse to manage it for spurious reasons, even for kids who do need it for one of those reasons you deem to be ok. Attitudes of staff are the only difference.

Staff don't make the rules, SLT do and we have to follow those rules, including who can and can't leave early and why.

As I have said, all you can do is ask.

I suspect it depends on the school and their size. Our small village school allows this.

I worked in an Infant school office when we got exactly this request.

My response was "I'm sure that will be fine, but I'll have to check with the head" for all the reasons you described OP.

The head soon set me straight! She wasn't going to consider it in a million years, too disruptive to the rest of the class, what if everyone wants to do it etc.

If your child gets her homework assignments and can leave quietly,there is no problem. Learning to swim is a vital life skill. I know people who took musical instrument lessons for years, and gave it up once they left school.

It is unreasonable yes

It's not unreasonable to ask.
It would be unreasonable to expect.

At least with swimming, it is on the curriculum which strengthens your request.

I’m a teacher and I think this is fine. YANBU.

Can see both sides to this, which probably means the OP should just ask the particular teacher concerned about her particular child.

As a side note, though, there aren't many people with children at independent schools who'd be rushing to take them out of school early once a week. Do people think it's a bit more ok because they're not (directly) paying for school?

@Macon

Can see both sides to this, which probably means the OP should just ask the particular teacher concerned about her particular child.

As a side note, though, there aren't many people with children at independent schools who'd be rushing to take them out of school early once a week. Do people think it's a bit more ok because they're not (directly) paying for school?

God no that's absolutely not my experience. I had a cracker of a parent a few years ago who demanded that I not teach 'important subjects' before 9:30am as her child found it hard to get out of bed before then...and before someone says it, no additional needs. Beyond entitlement.

10 minutes before the end of the day is a flurry of collecting books, tidying up, handing out letter and book bags, collecting coats and lunchboxes and rushing down to the playground to be collected. I know first hand the teacher won't mind and the head probably won't either. I'd definitely ask.