Buoyancy aid for schoolchild

I would have a word with her teacher and leave it at that. And tell her not to go out of her depth. If anything, maybe a woggle? They are big bendy floaty sticks. Bit cumbersome so might be worth checking with the teacher that it's ok.

I would have a chat with her class teacher and let them know that she can't swim yet. Also are you sure that none of the teachers will be going in with the kids? Just seems like a very difficult thing to supervise otherwise! Can completely understand why you'd be worried about her attending though and I wouldn't be surprised if the school suggests she doesn't take part if she can't swim and does an alternative activity.

potentially dumb question, but you have been there before, will she easily reach the bottom of the pool? Standing in the water will her head be above water?
you say she enjoys being in the pool, can she float? Is she able to go underwater and not panic?
is she more of a quiet sensible (for a 11 year old girl) girl, with quiet sensible friends? Or is she on the super excited/adventure seeking side?
if the answer is yes to all, yes her head would be above water, yes she can float, yes she can go under for 20 seconds without panicking, and she’s on the sensible side with sensible friends, I would still inform each and everyone of the people going with that she’s a non swimmer and let her go
if however she cannot float, hates going underwater, the pool is too deep for her and her and her friends are more excitable/adventurous kids… then I don’t have that much good advice, but hopefully someone here will

Look at the website for the venue... its likely to have the depths etc. Or if you want, say where and a poster may know the pool and be able to advise. But we live near a po like that, and my 9yo can stand up in the water in the main bit of the pool (but not the deeper attached pool). Its just over a metre deep.

Remind her that wave machines can be strong and to remain in shallower water and near the side.

First of you need to check the pool and see if they will allow buoyancy aids. Some don't.
Speak to the teachers. Make sure they truly understand that she cannot swim. A nine year old drowned in our local pool during a swimming lesson last year. The parents had told the teacher the child couldn't swim but she was sent into the deep pool with the rest of the class. Don't take the risk. I withdrew my child from swimming lessons (also cannot swim) because the teacher said they would look 1-1 with my child and leave the rest of the class under the supervision of the swim teacher. I'm sorry, but I would not allow this trip unless I could go as an adult helper on the understanding I would be watching only my child. Especially as you said there is a wave machine. And honestly, is she going to want to wear a buoyancy aid in front of her friends?

I'm amazed that a school would do this sort of trip. there must be other non swimmers. Is she in Y7 or Y6? there is too much risk v responsibility.

You can't send a Y7 on a school trip to a pool with a buoyancy aid she will be ripped.

You should probably teach her how to swim tbh

She needs to skip that part of the trip.
Fun pools, with your friends, out of your depth, cant swim is a recipie for disaster.
Sorry.

Would she wear a buoyancy aid if none of her friends are? Does she actually want to go? I was a late swimmer and I would have dreaded going somewhere like this where everyone else could swim and I couldn't. I'd have been v embarrassed about it at that age and wearing armbands or something would have been even worse.

Do school understand she cannot swim at all?

Ah sorry just saw your reply, MN has been acting odd for me today!

Honestly I think I would say that it's not possible for her to go to that. I don't think it would be a fun environment if she's unable to swim but doesn't have parents there to help her out? And I'd worry it would mark her out early for bullying or as different if she's unable to swim and the majority of them are. Obviously it shouldn't, but it's something that would occur to me.

As a non-swimmer, I think this IS insane. But if she insists, you really ought to try out beforehand any proposed boyancy aids to see if they really work. Preferably at the same/similar pool, so you can see how she manages if she loses her footing just as they turn the wave machine on.

Of course the teachers won't be in the pool - much harder to keeps eyes on all the kids from water level as opposed to from the side.

OP I would give your DD the option of a buoyancy jacket (some are quite slim) or not going. If she is yr 6 and amongst friends then they should be able to accept she isn't confident in the water and not take the piss. You know the class and what her friends are like though. If she's yr 7 she will be super embarrassed and then it's a flat no.

But I would also have a discussion with the teacher.

Obviously, going forward, you know this needs to be sorted though. But she isn't the first child at this age who can't swim. Also learning to swim confidently takes a lot of work. My girls did swimming lessons since aged 3 and it did take a good couple of years to see a result. They were allowed to stop when they could swim 100m happily. Yr5/6. So you have to make her stick with lessons as she won't see results quickly is what I'm trying to say.

I don't think she should go.
A life jacket would keep her head above the water (and therefore safe) but she may be too embarrassed to wear one. A buoyancy aid will not stop her from drowning - would just give her a bit of extra buoyancy).

When you say 'school tour', do you mean a multi-day trip, with various activities on different days? Is this the only activity involving water - i.e., for a few hours on part of a several day trip? In that case, it might be worth seeing if it's possible for other arrangements to be made - she doesn't do that activity but goes with another group, or sits by the side and reads, or whatever. If it's somewhere you've been before, could you go again in advance with her and try it out? Or if it's relatively near you, could you take that morning/afternoon off, and just be in the same park at the same time, and keeping an eye on her? Obviously she would know this and might be very embarrassed, but she might not mind, if others don't know. Of course that depends if it's a public pool/water park that is open to others at the same time, or if it's exclusive use of the school.

Has she had school swimming lessons? Is she year 6 or year 7? I would speak to the teacher and see what risk assessment can be do as for buoyancy aids it would be embrassing for her among her peers. She is old enough to go swimming alone in a pool. So I would get her some lessons as soon as you can as its a life skill, I speak as a swimming teacher and also as someone who ex bf drowned.

If you could gatecrash and watch her from a cafe or something it might be okay. That way you could shout to the lifeguard if she gets into trouble.

Will the school not require you to complete a permission form stating whether she can swim? They may put non swimmers into a separate group.

I'm a pretty relaxed parent, I believe that a bit of managed risk is good for kids. But there is no way on earth that I would allow a non-swimmer or even low-confidence swimmer into this type of pool without attached buoyancy aids. I also don't believe that the pool management would let this happen. Can you imagine the insurance risk?

Wave machines, slides, screaming, splashing, dunking. Too easy to panic and very hard to spot a child in distress. Hopefully missing out on this will be good motivation to learn to swim.