Swimming lessons - how many lessons per stage?

[Grk1964]

Due to being unable to get regular swimming lessons sorted for my kids (they are stuck on waiting lists), I took my two DCs (age 6 & 7) to a week long intensive course last Summer, in the October half term and just recently in February half term. These are small groups of just 3-4 children. Each course has been stage 1 and from what I can see, they have met all the requirements of stage 1 but as it is an intensive course, they obviously don’t get stage awards.

I’ve just booked them on another course over Easter and they have been booked on stage 1 again. Am I right in thinking they should be on stage 2 by now after 15 x 30 minute lessons?

How many lessons per stage is normal?

Depends on the child, DD was in Stage 1 for well over a year.

Her friends have moved on after 2 or 3 lessons, others have done 15-20 lessons per stage.

Totally depends on the child. DD is 7 and has been having weekly swimming lessons since she was 3, albeit with two terms interupted for covid. She has just progressed to Stage 2. I don't even want to think how many lessons that is.

Do you take them swimming between these?

The ASA give some guidance here - that most kids should earn 2-3 stages a year
www.swimming.org/learntoswim/your-childs-swimming-lesson-progress/

So with half hour lessons once a week it should take 17-26 lessons to complete a stage.

Of course if you're confident that they can do all the achievements outlined in stage one absolutely have a chat with the instructors and see if they should move up. Does the intensive course follow the same stages as the ASA though? Are there 7 stage groups or might they have grouped together 2 or 3 ability levels for this?

Our pool day they should go up a stage every 6 months or so which would be 24 lessons.

At our pool Stage awards are given as part if the intensive crash courses of the requirements have all been met.

DS seems to have been on stage 3 for over 2 years ( although Covid interruptions didn't help!). He started stage 1 when he was 4 and is 9 now so they all took a while.

I have posted this before but I honestly would recommend waiting til 5 /5 and a half and paying for 1-1 for the first couple of stages. So much time is spent sat at the side waiting for your "go" and not a lot is achieved each week.

We did lots of fun "play" as a family but with child 2 had 1-1 sessions until she could do widths, and then she could join a higher level group and could soon do lengths.

The money "saved" by starting a year later is worth spending on the 1-1 as although expensive they can work at the issues they have rather than "this week its back arms" or whatever.

One of mine went into a new stage in August, then went up in December.
The other went in to his current stage in October and is about to move up.

So on that basis I'd say 4-6 months per stage. Somewhere around 20 lessons seeing as they're off occasionally for holidays/illness/Christmas.

My 4 year old did an intensive wk in august- then started weekly lessons in September, she’s 96% completed stage 1. The first 2 lessons of her intensive week she screamed and hugged the instructors- so that may have lost us some time

It depends on the child and the teacher. Ds1 spent a year on stage 1. He was scared of the pool.

Ds2 has spent 5 months on stage 1 before progressing to stage 2. His first teacher wasted time/ played a lot but ds1 really enjoyed his lessons. However, when ds1 progressed I moved ds2 day + teacher so I only needed to take them one day a week.

The new teacher is amazing. He learnt so much in such a little time. He has complained that they don't play much anymore. But he has progressed a lot. I'm now willing to take dc to swimming lessons on different days and take both of them to fun family swim once a month.

Well it's definitely interesting reading this thread and how long it's taken people!
It took my child a year to complete stage one and a year to complete stage 2!
Lessons every week

Mone qas one Stage 1 from age 4-7, includong Covid years.
Then in a few months he sped through Stage 2 and on to 3, still age 7.

Totally depend on the child and the teacher. My eldest spent 2 years in stage 1 ( I remember exactly because her very 1dt lesson was her 4th birthday). They then had a stand in teach for a week and the stand in moved her up straight away. She spent 3 weeks in stage 2 then moved to to stage 3. I have no idea why the stage 1 teacher wouldn't graduate her from the class, seems mad with hindsight

DS1 started stage 1 when he was 3 (nursery) stage 2 when he was 4 (reception), stage 3 at 5 (Y1), now he’s stage 4 at 6 (still Y1). He’s 75% after a few months so I reckon he’ll be stage 5 in a month or so.

DS2 started pre-school level when he was 3 and was still on this 1.5 years later - so not even stage 1! He’s now 4 (reception) and I had a word with the teacher as he’d not been assessed in most things since June/July/August - really annoying. Anyway they moved him to stage 1 so we’ll see how long he’ll be there (he’s totally different to DS1 though and doesn’t even like jumping in). They are all so different!

My year 1 son started in September and moved to stage 2 at half term. I’d have said he’d been ready earlier if his teacher paid any attention. I have to complain about him twice!
DS went through a period of being scared to swim on his back. The instructor would note he couldn’t do it and walk off. He only managed to learn because I took him every week. I was furious. New stage 2 instructor seems much better. Lessons are on a different day and the stage 1 instructor for this day is amazing.

My DD completed stage 1 after 3 lessons but that’s because she was almost 3 by the time she got a place and had quite a lot of time in the water with us before. Just depends on the child.

As everyone has said depends on the child. I've got 2 sons, one who progresses quickly and the other still in stage 1 after a year. Swimming is really something to learn at your individual pace. I'm so pleased that unlike other aspects of life there seems to be little pressure to keep going up stages. It's not a race