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!

I love being near water but I’m careful not to get in it or do anything that could be accidental. Even went sailing at school, which i loved. Hated canoeing though!
Had a friend with a canal boat (didn’t do locks though!)
it’s risk assessing which surely any swimmer should do?

Tbf @RedToothBrush is right and you can easily get good at kayaking without being able to swim properly as what you do with a buoyancy aid on and how you swim out of a kayak is very different. You lie on your back with feet pointed down river and do big circles with your arms then usually get thrown a rescue line!

My DH is one of those who is a very skilled kayaker but when we met he couldn't swim a width of a swimming pool. I found it baffling and he simply stated he's always had a BA on! So despite 14 years of kayaking it was me who taught him to swim.

You just Bob about until you’re hoiked out don’t you?!
it is what swimmers were told too

Nice to see the upper middle class entitlement here and the bullies. Bet you bullied the no swimmers in school. It’s not a drip feed and utter irrelevant if there are pools or not. And for those with the entitlement of take them on holiday. Can’t afford it! Take them to the beach can’t afford it it’s a several hour drive! And some genius closed all the pools round here over the last 30 years to the point gyms and hotels is all that is left. And before you ask there are no lakes man made or otherwise within reasonable distance and you should never swim in rivers. And you may also have missed the recent news Blackpool way, up and down the coast it’s unsafe due to sewage to name just one of these incidents!

DH isn't the world's best swimmer.

DS will be made to swim whether he likes or not but ultimately if he doesn't get much better it's not a disaster. I would like him to be able to precisely because I wish I could!

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz Did I say parents shouldn't also teach it, erm no I never I said it is down to the schools as they are told they have to teach it if they like it or not if you like it or not they have todo it simple as that!!

Yes of course they should prioritise the non-swimmers. I've had a nightmare getting my kids to swim and have paid well over £1000 on lessons. Not only are school lessons crap, leisure centre classes are even more ridiculous just water babysitting. You have to be level 5 or something before they teach breaststroke and level 3 before they teach arms to go with the legs. It's a nightmare, suits a very small number of kids. When I was at school it was all about the length, now they obsess so much about technique but even after years of lessons my kids can't swim a length because they never swim lengths in their lessons and in free time they're not allowed to swim in the deep end. Also council lessons here are a good £7 each so it is expensive. You won't get any help from the school or elsewhere though so if you want them to swim you're going to have to come up with a plan b!

Swimming in lakes etc is never going to instil a love of water either. It’s cold, there’s “stuff” that touches you

plus all the shit floating about

Swimming is part of the curriculum.

Generally you get shouted out by people your with to lie on your back make big circles with your arms to try to get to an eddy or the bank and get chucked a line or a friend in a boat comes to grab you where you ungracefully chuck yourself onto your stomach and try and grab the end of their boat!

As it goes it apparently is Drowning Prevention Week:
https://www.rlss.org.uk/Pages/Category/drowning-prevention-week-campaign

The water safety code is:

Stop and Think
Stay Together
Call 999
Float

Nothing about swimming as such.

It actually says the following on the website:

We believe that water safety information should be accessible to all. In an ideal world, every child would learn to swim. However, as this is not the case, our resources can be delivered in the classroom or at home, which means while there may be barriers to accessing water, every child can still benefit from water safety education.
^^
Our water safety resources encourage a safe relationship with the water. We also hope it will inspire children to have a future relationship with water, with all the mental and physical benefits that being in, on and around water brings.

From the website

Calling this a drip feed? Really?

OP wasn't discussing her out of school options, nor was it about details of different pools. The question was more about school's communication, attitude and following the curriculum.

I understand what you are saying, I just disagree. 11 yos can be learning to swim in normal deep pool with proper guidance and support, and if the school is renting the whole pool, it has a say in rules. Promising further communication and than leaving them behind is still wrong.

Stop being an arse.

You are determined to be one. And I'm not biting anymore.

Can't help yourself can you?

OP I have swam in many a river from childhood to adulthood. It's safe to swim in rivers if you know where to go and how to read a river. If you have rivers nearby then likely the teenagers know a swim spot!

The fact that you have canals nearby to me would be a huge driving force to teach water safety and the basics of how to float on their backs and how to get to the side. You can teach these things in a paddling pool! Nobody plans to fall in a canal but it does happen falling off a bike or a fall.

Please investigate the other options available in your area it really is a invaluable safety skill.

I have read many privileged threads on MN. Where people don’t understand the barriers to accessing the basics. But this one takes the biscuit for the largest number of people who simply don’t get it.

I see your point. It’s not fair to exclude them.
Having said that school ends in a couple of weeks so I assume it isn’t many lessons. That would not be enough time for an 11 year old to learn to swim. Like everything it gets harder when you are older

"Told we’d get an email if she can’t swim and will have further session." So you don't know if she can swim?

This whole post is confusing. Why does it matter why the last head left? How come you're paying for other childrens lessons? Why would your first thought be an extortion ring?

Take a breath, speak to someone (nicely) and take it from there. You're doing no one any good the way you are acting now.

Does any child learn to swim competently just from the school lessons? I don’t know any locally who have done. Most of the kids I know had group lessons at the local hotel pool.

With DS, I paid for five 1:1 sessions from an instructor and that was all he needed to gain confidence and swim well.

It’s parental responsibility to make sure children can swim. Why haven’t you arranged this?

I think the clue might be the bit where she said she cannot afford it?