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Original poster

Make swimming mandatory from the age of 5

61 replies

EGREGORY1993 · 17/04/2023 20:09

Heyy

Hope people dont mind me posting

Im looking for support from other mums for an online government petition I have just had published. I am asking the government to provide funding to schools to provide swimming lessons from the age of 5 upwards as research has shown children who learn to swim earlier reach major cognitive development milestones including speech, literacy, numeracy and visual motor skills much earlier than non swimmers. Not only this but it teaches children the dangers of water and can help families who may not be able to afford swimming lessons as well as helping mental health. Currently the government’s guidelines are swimming is mandatory in either key stage 1 or 2 however most schools only provide this in years 5 and 6 i am wanting to change this and make it mandatory for both key stages 🙂 . If any of you could sign my petition on the below link or share it with anyone who you no i would be really grateful thank you 🫶🏼

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/635283

OP posts:
WaitingfortheTardis · 17/04/2023 20:43

Schools around here all do swimming for all years, but the fee and transport costs are paid for by us (though it isn't a great deal). I think the school does pay for those who cannot afford it though.

MrsSchrute · 17/04/2023 20:45

Currently the government’s guidelines are swimming is mandatory in either key stage 1 or 2 however most schools only provide this in years 5 and 6

At my DC's school, the chn go swimming for two terms every year from year 1.
The lessons are absolutely terrible. There is no way that a child would learn to swim from those alone.
Plus, as others have said, it takes up a huge chunk of the day for 30 mins in the water.

I agree that swimming is an important life skill, I'm just not sure that this is the way to do it.

EggBlanket · 17/04/2023 20:45

“…research has shown children who learn to swim earlier reach major cognitive development milestones including speech, literacy, numeracy and visual motor skills much earlier than non swimmers”

I very much doubt that this is causation. Given that the parents of these children have had to pay for private lessons it’s far more likely that the types of families that go out of their way to get their kids swimming lessons are overwhelmingly from certain socioeconomic groups that are more likely to reach “major cognitive milestones” earlier.

MathsNervous · 17/04/2023 20:55

Learning outwith school hours at a subsided rate would be more realistic. Five year olds need a lot of assistance to get changed. Well, mine does!

MathsNervous · 17/04/2023 20:56

I remember my eldest done lessons aged five. He mucked around and didn't get anything out of it. We stopped and tried him again when 9yo and he managed to learn very quickly.

Atethehalloweenchocs · 17/04/2023 20:58

If it were not for school lessons I would not have learned to swim. It is really important kids get support in this.

dougandpenny · 17/04/2023 21:02

Sorry no I won't support this.

It would be a nightmare to get a class of 4/5 year olds undressed and dressed for swimming.

And it would be at least half a day off school premises.

In rural areas it might be even longer

ZebraKid71 · 17/04/2023 21:04

I 100% agree it is so important to get kids swimming competently, but I don't think the responsibility lies with schools. If implemented it would likely take away from other activities like PE, music, art etc. as the only way to fit it into the school week.

As PPs have suggested, we need subsidised, affordable lessons - or even just family swim sessions - locally available.

At a very basic level, there are 87 primary schools in my local authority and 3 swimming pools - it is pretty impossible on that basis alone.

SpringIntoChaos · 17/04/2023 21:07

I'm a teacher...year 2 at the moment, but I've taught every primary year group. I've also taken classes swimming...in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, depending on the particular school policy.

I simply cannot imagine taking Reception/Year 1 children...I could JUST ABOUT cope, I think, with Year 2! At some schools it's us, the class teacher, who also have to actually teach the swimming 😱 I've had zero training on this and am a none-swimmer myself! It was a car crash...with me following some 'Instruction Cards' that were supposed to support my teaching 🤷‍♀️ Not every school/authority can afford the MASSIVE cost of swimming instructors, on top of the pool rental and coach costs. So, to cut down, they get class teachers and TAs taking the role of 'swimming instructor'.

In terms of curriculum time...the kids get 30 minutes in the water...and it wipes out an entire afternoon of lesson time.

So no, I won't be signing your petition! I would, however, sign one to support the BASIC resourcing of classrooms! I spent a day and a half of my Easter 'holiday' making a class set of mini-clocks to support my teaching of Time this week, as we don't have any in school and have no money left to purchase any! 😢 In 'the olden days' (when I first started teaching!!) we could have used one of our maths lessons to get the children to make themselves a little clock, but the timetable is so tight (and so micromanaged by SLT!) that we'd be shot for 'wasting learning time' if we tried this now 😢

Can2022getanyworse · 17/04/2023 21:20

A whole morning - 10% of the whole week - for a skill, indeed a number of skills - that parents can, and should be teaching their dc.

I can't teach algebra, or the fancy words for English grammar, but I can and did teach my own dc how to be safe in and around water, and I've never paid for a swimming lesson outside school for them. School swimming costs more than a family swim, when you factor in that parents have to pay a huge sum for the transport.

Teachers are hard pressed enough with the academic requirements, not common sense and safety stuff that is the responsibility of parents. What next - teeth brushing after break and lunch? How to order in a restaurant? Driving lessons at 17 for all 6th formers?

gogohmm · 17/04/2023 21:22

What about those who don't have the coordination yet, my dd is incredibly bright but didn't learn to relied a bike until 7 or swim until 9 - they learn when their development reaches the right stage. Ps I dont think swimming has anything to do with helping reach other milestones, it's more that the same parents who pay for swimming lessons encourage academics too. My physically behind dd was reading at 3!

rwalker · 17/04/2023 21:24

Yes very imp that kids can swim but in all honesty why is it the schools responsibility

It’s basic parenting to me

shadowchancesassy · 17/04/2023 21:27

Signed 😊

Teeshirt · 17/04/2023 21:32

Sorry, no, I would actively oppose this. It’s not even a good idea.

Haribobreshnio · 17/04/2023 21:34

I wouldn't be totally comfortable with the school taking my KS1 child to swim lessons unless they could guarantee lots of adults to help, which they can't. Especially if for some it's literally the first time they go in water.

I do think all children should be entitled to lessons though in another way.

RaraRachael · 17/04/2023 21:37

Having to get 5 year olds ready for PE lessons is enough of a challenge. Perish ths thought of getting them changed for swimming.

LynetteScavo · 17/04/2023 21:40

Lots of good points have been made as to why this isn't the best idea.

What about all children learning a MFL- and not a token nod by singing colours in Y3.

And every child learning a musical instrument? I'm sure there are studies showing children do better academically if they learn an instrument.

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 17/04/2023 22:29

Sorry, no I wouldn't support this. There are many children who find sporting activities difficult and would have their confidence completely crushed by having to do mandatory swimming lessons with their peers.

In addition the money that it would cost to get children to and from a swimming pool wouldn't be much better spent elsewhere.

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 17/04/2023 22:33

Would! Not wouldn't Blush

Deadringer · 17/04/2023 22:48

Teachers and schools have enough to be doing. But yes agree with pp that funding towards lessons would be very helpful.

WandaWonder · 17/04/2023 22:55

Who is going to help kids change, stay calm? At 5 you would need a heap of lessons to be able to swim

Op swimming is good but strong swimmers can drown

My son had small group lessons for quite a few years paid by us privately he did stop eventually as got totally bored of it, he can swim pretty confidently but it cost heaps if we add it all up so sure schools could afford all this

As for your other links about what else it gives that is not all actually proven

ItsNotWhatItsNot · 17/04/2023 22:59

OP, petitions should be posted in the correct topic:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard

Petitions and activism | Mumsnet

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard

Remaker · 17/04/2023 23:05

5 is too young for school swimming programs due to the logistics of getting children changed etc. I’m in Australia and swimming lessons are vitally important due to our weather and the number of beaches and pools (especially home pools). The schools my children have attended do swimming lessons in intensive blocks (so every day for 2 weeks) but not until year 2/3, which is the equivalent of yr 3/4 in the UK as children start school at an older age here. There usually is a cost to parents although parents who can’t afford it are subsidised.

We also have a government program that provides vouchers for swimming lessons between ages 3-6. And we have something called an Active Kids Voucher for all children enrolled in school (K-12) which provides 2 x $100 vouchers per year to spend on any sport or structured physical activity, including swimming.

Kic · 17/04/2023 23:21

I work in EYFS. It would be an absolute nightmare trying to take our 5yr-olds swimming.

We don't have enough staff to meet the ratios to take them out of school, let alone to keep them safe in the water.

I can't imagine it would be all that hygienic either. Several children still have regular toileting accidents, and then there's the ones who have permanent rivers of green snot.

We've had events where children have needed to get changed part-way through the day. This generally involves just swapping their school trousers and shirt for a pair of pyjamas. It takes them absolutely ages. To get them ready for swimming and then dried and dressed afterwards would be incredibly time-consuming.

As staff we also give the children as much privacy as possible when it comes to undressing. Very difficult to do that in a changing room where they're all wet and most will need support.

AT our school they start swimming lessons in Year 4. That's about the youngest that they can be in order for us to meet our staffing and safeguarding requirements.

Badbudgeter · 17/04/2023 23:43

I don’t think this is practical for everyone. It’d take my kids 1.5 hours to get to pool and back plus time to get changed/ unchanged for a 30 minute lesson? You’d lose half a days teaching. We are lucky to have relatively cheap council run swimming lessons where we are. Prices have just gone up but it’s £23.10 a month for a weekly lesson with unlimited swimming in any council pool. Such a good idea as children learn much faster when they have the opportunity to practice away from lessons. I think it’d make more sense to subsidise these lessons/ crash courses in the holidays for families that can’t afford them.