School won’t teach non-swimmers!

[Platypuslover]

I don’t think I’m unreasonable just considering how far I may need to take this. Year 6 now lost out on swimming lessons because school is useless head was suspended last year and never returned and this has been a pattern for her from previous school. Not sure why other than incompetence but the grapevine said possibly to do with money. So kids didn’t get swimming lesson as no one thought to arrange them once lock down was relaxed the pools reopened.

They waited until end of year to do 2 session to asses swimming. Told we’d get an email if she can’t swim and will have further session.

No email arrived and I called today. So then was told they don’t take non-swimmers only the children that are confident and can almost swim independently and we have to pay for our own swimming lesson.

So I am expected to pay for someone else’s kids to learn to swim with my very hard earned taxes amidst a cost of living crisis and us barely being able to afford basics and we can not afford the extortionate private lessons.

Bet the letter they said they’d send us to give details to book those lessons are with the same company they use to take them swimming now. This reeks of an extortion ring to me why else would you not take the children that need it most!

It doesn't matter why the child can't swim.

The point is, if there are lessons available at the school, the non swimmers should get priority. NOT refused access.

Do you have any friends or family who can swim who are patient and willing to take them?

I'm not a swimming instructor but have taught several friends children and my DH to swim - enough to get them swimming lengths and basic water safety such as how to get to the side, how to float on your back and how to climb out.

If you doing lots of 'hooking' kids out when canoeing, then you aren't teaching well.

You will rarely go swimming if you are canoeing. But you should have a buoyancy aid anyway if you are doing it at any reputable centre (and even if you are doing it independently you should have one).

Kayaking you may be more likely to get wet, but even then you have a buoyancy aid, so the amount of swimming you do is a) miniumal b) lacks the need for much skill c) even if you can swim your buoyancy aid is going to limit your ability to swim well.

Hence my point that being confident in water is more appropriate than being able to swim. The child that falls in and panics (regardless of swimming ability) is more of a liability than a child who can't swim and falls in.

It definitely isn't prohibitive to not be able to swim at all. Its useful but not prohibitive.

What is far more scary is people going out in sea kayaks or paddle boards who CAN swim but either are inappropriately equiped or don't understand the sea well. Thats much more dangerous than non-swimmers doing water activities in flat water with appropriate equipment.

Funnily enough I come from a line of non swimmers.
luckily the school lessons sorted mine out - which I guess is why it’s important for schools to step in.

But no I didn’t have anyone I knew well enough to have asked. As I say, our local pool is 9 miles away so I would have felt cheeky asking someone to give up that amount of time.

your incredibly kind doing that for friends.

Yes. It’s £45 a month for my children to have lessons

This is completely true but very few kids at average income state primaries swim competitively. Round here approx 50% of competitive swimmers are at private schools.

Only 5 kids in dd2’s class were stage 6 or above and in a separate group to the others.

All of the other 25 needed the lessons, and the 5 who could swim properly were the easiest to manage. So in a way it doesn’t help.

The other thing is school swimming isn’t even free… or at least it hasn’t been in the 2 schools my children went to. It must be for pupil premium I guess?

Well I can’t swim so I’d have to be an utter maniac think going in the sea is a good thing to do

It was at my dcs. I did voluntarily (not asked) contribute towards the coach cost as it seemed the right thing to do.

Well that's a bit of a drip feed op about no council swimming pools.
They are using private pool that doesnt have a shallow end then it isnt suitable for non swimmers. They won't set the rules the pool owners will. So I'm guessing the options are that no one goes swimming or confident swimmers do. I wouldn't kick up a fuss about none swimmers I would be asking what fun thing the none swimmers are going to do while the others are away swimming.

Well yes. Thats another point entirely. But understanding water and being confident in water so you can do things like kayaking despite not being able to swim for anyone who wants the opportunity like someone else was bleating on about is better than not even having that.

I would love to be able to swim. Its not going to happen (I have such bad habits and struggle with coordination / copying someone / feel really self conscious doing actions) but I have done kayaking and canoeing. I don't feel at risk. I very much respect the water. But again - not completely prohibitive.

You are just being an arse with that. But do carry on.

This is correct. It is in the National Curriculum that students have to be taught to swim 25m. The school can ask parents to pay costs towards lessons and transport but they cannot withdraw non-swimmers from the curriculum. You need to put your complaint in writing pointing this out.

It was a priority to me that all mine learned to swim by Reception. Regardless of how far away a pool was. Op you're just full of excuses and yet another parent who expects the school to tick another box for you whilst putting nothing in there yourself.

they have been to the beach on day trips but not in the water before they had their lessons. They are teens now so have paddled since but not without life guards and not over waist height as obviously they aren’t great swimmers. But can swim

I haven’t read the full thread just the OP’s posts. I understand it’s difficult if there is no local public swimming pool but you are making excuses to every suggestion given. Regardless if the school took them swimming, they won’t learn in a few lessons. You simply have to bring your children yourself to get them water confident and teach them safety.

My dc didn’t get lessons until they were 7 but were proficient at swimming lengths in different strokes within a year. I brought them to the pool as often as I could from the time they were babies. They were very water confident but lacked technique until they got lessons.

Adult lessons £55 a month

Just to add my mother learnt to swim in her 40’s, goes weekly now. Point being effort being out in.

This exactly!