1 out of 4 children can’t swim when going into year 7.

[Quiethelper]

As the title says really. I was shocked to read over 1 out 4 children can’t swim 25m when going into year 7.

Secondary schools in our area don’t do lessons. Surly this needs to be addressed for the ones who couldn’t save themselves if they fell into water.

I would fully support and be happy for budget to be allocated for children to have essential swimming skills.

I feel really sad about this statistic.

Doesn't surprise me at all.

My mum can't swim
I can't swim
DS can't swim

All due to cost. My son also has a physical disability and it's unknown if he is capable of swimming.

Obviously that’s a very specialist case.

Swimming lessons are part of the national curriculum in England. Sadly, it’s yet another thing that academy schools get away with not providing

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study

I noted your edit as well.

it’s not that special a case. Kids with dyspraxia and adhd can find coordination difficult.

I was a single parent to three. I wasn’t allowed due to pool regs to take them all myself even if he hadn’t been disabled.

so we did other things.

no biggie. He knows he can’t swim and I’d say he’s safer than some young men who think they’re the big lads coz they can swim in pool in trunks and decide to jump into a cold quarry.

sometimes it’s not shit parenting - and that sometimes is often more than you’d expect.

School swimming lessons aren't long enough to learn, they're usually packed, the children get embarrassed in their togs, the noise levels, only a few are successful from school swimming lessons alone, 6 per year, every 2nd year.

My mum hates the water. She took my brother and me from a young age, to local pool. We could swim before starting in Reception.

People today think normal schools are crèches / psychologists/ problem behaviour specialists. They’re there to educate not cover up for shit parents.

Obviously there are children who have some special needs. I’m not commenting on their parents or those specialist schools. I know it’s hard enough.

I'd say you need at least a years worth of regular swimming (at least once a week) to consider yourself a competent swimmer.

We had 6 week blocks of swimming every year for each KS2 class. But we cannot afford the cost of the coach( we are a rural school and it’s a 30 minute drive to the nearest pool) and parents simply won’t contribute towards the cost. So we are having to reduce this to lessons just in year 4 and 6. We also run daily swimming intervention for a week for those in year 6 who still can’t swim, usually around 10-12 a year. How long we can continue to run that, I don’t know. But a 30 minute lesson once a week for six weeks doesn’t make a swimmer, and many parents ( for whatever reason) don’t take children swimming any more.

Aw, you had to edit your insightful comment, how cute. 🙄

I thought it was obvious initially. Then I remembered the average MN level of comprehension.

My kids are all grown now but I did prioritise swimming young, partly because neither of my parents could swim. Whilst I did learn through school I can just about manage a couple of lengths of unconfident breaststroke. So I wanted them to learn early and be more confident.

They can all swim to varying levels, DS3 took to it best and reached minor competition level. DS2 is autistic so rather than the local swimming club he had 1:1 lessons in a small pool with a lovely instructor who was in the pool with him. That cost a lot but to me was worth it.

Agree there are a lot of water dangers where even being a good swimmer wouldn't save you so for me it was more about not passing on the lack of confidence around swimming I got from my parents.

We went on our first AI holiday abroad for DH's 50th when they were all teens and under. The pools there were fantastic and it was nice they could confidently spend all day swimming together and I didn't have to overly worry about any of them being out of their depth.

DH is a confident swimmer so I think that helped too. He took them swimming a lot outside of lessons. I rarely went because I've never quite shook the dislike of swimming.

Which is also the case with many children who are in nappies at a later age.

Yes I agree. Sadly there are many more kids who start reception in nappies because their parents were lazy.

Similar. I took DD as a baby, it was bizarrely one of the first baby classes to open up when still in partial lockdown, and we've kept it up till she's now 5.
Regular weekly lessons.

She's pretty physically able in a lot of ways too. So I admit I kind of assumed that and the early start would give her the advantage and we'd be a lot further forward by now, but she's not really getting it!

The lessons (and we've tried several different ones) are just not particularly effective - 6 kids in a tiny scrap of the pool (at the local posh private school which the company hires the use of, so it's not like a full size leisure centre one). Most of them kind of hanging around while each child takes it in turn to do whatever skill they're working on for a couple of metres and back.

It frustrates me that whenever we go on holiday and swim every day she's basically swimming (and I'm talking like Haven type holidays, not villas with private pools) and then comes back to lessons and seems to get no further.

Frequently consider just giving up as it's a lot of money for little progress really, but we're persevering for now.

The lesson is already on a weekend day, after school is out of the question with work and the times of the swimming slots, and going swimming again on the other weekend day seems a bit OTT really, so we don't tend to take her outside of lessons unless it's in holidays.

It’s also time…my DC have been able to go because DH is a teacher and could take them at the right time. Lessons at 4:30 aren’t exactly easy to get to for most people.

£64 per child and month (our leisure centre) isn’t cheap….. school lessons are one term, so 11 lessons of 20 minutes, 60 kids in a small pool. nobody learns swimming there!
In the holidays we walk, cycle, dance, go to museums, the theatre. Swimming is wildly expensive (£40 for a family for 1 hour), so no, not an option!

This doesn't surprise me. I still can't swim (I just splash about). I had minimal lessons at school and my parents never took me swimming despite my DM not working. And it takes practice and money.

My DS was taught by my DF but I was concerned he was losing the skill prior to going on a residential school holiday so I paid for private lessons to top his knowledge up.

To me anyone swimming is impressive!

The main pool in our city was bulldozed when it was deemed too expensive to continuoulsy fix. The remaining pools can not meet the needs for all the schools in the city (ks 2 swim lessons)

As PP have stated, lessons are expensive , as are general swim sessions .
Not a priority when peopel are choosing heating over eating !

Sad though I agree

My kids' school have free swimming lessons from KS2

I was surprised my children's school only do about 6 lessons. I remember doing years of swimming lessons as a child.

We cancelled swimming lessons outside school as they were rubbish. They cancelled most weeks due to teacher shortage or the sports centre needing work. It's £68 a month for about 10 minutes if that of one to one. My children were not learning anything and were getting bored.

What we did do was get a £120 large pool in the garden (we are very lucky in that we have the space to accommodate it I'm very aware lots of families wouldn't be able to) so every summer they get lots of swimming time more for confidence than actual strokes.

It does feel such a shame that so much is so expensive now and out of reach for most families I know. Going swimming as a family is really expensive and the swimming pools are really run down too. I remember it being much more affordable as a child and the facilities were well kept and warm.

We've been to centre parcs and actually the facilities are run down and the pools are really cold. For the price they are charging it doesn't seem worth it.

Are there? In my experience, the vast majority of children start reception toilet trained with some who may have the odd accident due to distraction etc but those in nappies who aren't toilet trained at all? Very few and usually there is something else going on even if it isn't yet currently known.

My family were poor so couldn’t afford to take us swimming. It was one of those things that was ‘for other people’.

I tried to get my DC swimming, DH took them a few times, but we couldn’t afford to take them often let alone pay for lessons. And they didn’t have lessons with school, so neither of them can swim either.

I have to laugh at the ‘what about if you’re on a boat?!’ comment.
The kids living in poverty are hardly likely to be regular boat goers.

the primary budget for a half term of weekly lessons each year of KS2 is nowhere near enough but actual lessons cost a bloody fortune (guess who has a DS who isn't quick at learning physical skills!)
But absolute non-negotiable life skill IMO (even if we didn't live immediately adjacent to a river with high, canalised banks)

The only way to improve this is with an actual effective swimming programme delivered through schools

Why schools? Do the children not have parents?

I live by the sea - the local kids k ow the dangers - inner city kids do not!

They do need to learn - but i think schools do enough

some academy schools
DS school go over and above