Swimming lessons teacher

[bluebee17]

DD has been having swimming lessons since she was 2 is now 6 and in stage 4 and was on 90% but on two occasions now over the last three months they've put her back and forward twice by 2 points on the same swimming technique. AIBU do you think that this isn't okay? My daughter is getting very upset over it. DD been in stage 4 for 10 months so far.

My children do swimming lessons with the Swim England stages, but they don’t get an ever changing score or points, that sounds weird and I’d be minimising its importance to my child. We just get told when they’re ready to go up a stage, and a very very short summary of what they need to work on or practice at the end of each term.

Presumably the points have gone up and down slightly depending on your child’s performance on the day, which will naturally fluctuate. If she’s overall making progress you’re happy with then I’d just gloss over the scores. If you’re not happy with progress then ask the teacher what the story is. But remember it’s a six year olds swimming lessons, it’s meant to be fun not a source of upset. If you aren’t happy then you could always look elsewhere.

You need to ask the teacher. Points going up and down doesn’t sound right.

We are also with Swim England and have a portal link that we can check every time after a swimming lessons to see how they're progressing which my daughter is aware. There is never been any pressure on my daughter as she loves swimming and really enjoyed it but I don't think it's fair that deducting and adding the same two points on the same swimming technique it's really disheartening for.

Yeah she has a swimming lesson tomorrow think I'll have to speak to the teacher. This can't keep happening It's not fair on my daughter.

Well I’d stop showing her the portal for a start.

I can entirely see how the scores vary though if it’s reassessed every class - progress isn’t linear. My own children can do something really well one week then the next they’re struggling to coordinate breathing on a particular side again or maybe they forgot what they learnt last week about elbow position or whatever. It’s normal for a new skill to take time to become really secure, and is I would have thought a good reason not to have progress reports after every lesson! A weekly report on a six year old’s swimming lesson all sounds a bit intense to me.

I'm a swimming teacher I hate the portal parents fixate on the percentage. Il pass them when they have good technique and can maintain a good 25metres before progressing to stage 5. A 6 year old is very young still, very rare I've had them in stage 5 unless they are very good. It's quite normal to be in stage 4 group lessons for a year. I'd say it's the longest stage to be in. They learn butterfly, breastroke 25metres frontcrawl and backstroke. You'll have faster progression doing 121 but they are like gold dust as teachers often don't get much of the cut for 121s.

Why are you showing her the portal?

Yes, I was told stage four could take 12 to 18 months and that's not the problem to be honest. It's adding and deducting the points on the same technique that I don't understand.

Does it matter if shes progressing? It's hard to assess when the table states needs practice fair good and pass. It's not particularly measurable. To me a pass for example is 25 metres frontcrawl breathing to the side smoothly with ease without scrabbling or lifting their head. I look at body position, aquatic breathing, arm entry, leg kick, position of head when breathing to the side if there are streamline and efficient in the water. These aren't broken down on the tablet to assess its just needs practice fair, good and pass which is rather subjective depending on the teacher.

"Dramatic

Because my daughter is not stupid and and seen lots of parents talking about at swimming lessons. She's never actually seen the portal but she does ask me if she's gone at points.
And my question wasn't regarding whether or not I should be showing my daughter anything it was about whether or not I was being unreasonable about adding and deducting points.

At 6 she should be having fun and not aware of the percentage. The teacher will move her when ready. Kids are only aware of percentages when parents make them aware.

People have said you're being unreasonable. Of course progress isn't linear and goes up and down. Do you think you'd get the same marks every time you did a physical activity, accounting for all other variables that happened that day/week etc?

Your daughter isn't stupid as you've said, so it'll be easy to teach her how progress isn't linear and that's OK.

'Katy232425

She has never seen the portal, but she's had numerous parents talking about that in the change of room and has asked me.

And you seem to be getting the wrong end of the stick because that's not what I asked I asked whether or not I was being unreasonable because they keep adding and deducting on the same technique.

I've just explained why it's not measurable it doesn't breakdown key elements on technique for a particular stroke.

There is absolutely no pressure from me and her dad when she goes swimming we tell her to have fun and try her best. But obviously she's aware of the scoring and she likes to know.

So you can you explain to me why a swim teacher would be adding and deducting points on the same swim technique? Why even give the points to start with if you're only gonna take them back. Surely once you're assessed on one technique you just move onto the next one? Just because you don't pass your driving test straight away doesn't mean you have to go straight back and sit your theory test.

If she got 90% on an arithmetic test one week and 88% the week would you be complaining?

Isn't it as simple as she doesn't perform in the same way each week?

That's not how it works she'll get a pass one week on this particular swim technique and then maybe a few weeks later it will take her back to a fair. To complete stage four has to be 100% but I can see when they deduct 2 points off the same technique

Then lie. Tell her you've not looked. She's 6 - too young to understand that progress isn't linear and that the marks she's receiving are based in what she does. Don't hassle the teacher for telling you the truth.

The same happens where my children swim and it annoys me too when they pass a child on something and then the next week they haven't passed it anymore. Obviously I understand that progress isn't linear, however they shouldn't pass a child until they can do something consistently.