Would you let your child go swimming with school?

[Jj2431]

As the title says really..I don't feel comfortable with it but prepared to be told I'm being over the top. They reckon they are cleaning water before the kids get there and that changing rooms will be clean. They also can't share books etc at school but can share water that their body's and spit etc has probably been in..

Yes, I would if the school had its own pool or was taken by coach to a nearby school with a pool. Maybe not the public swimming baths.

I don't know.
The air can be quite close in an indoor pool. Depends if they're ventilating it or not.

Drowning will kill a child.
Covid almost certainly won’t.

Being able to competently is an essential life skill.

My toddler has been attending her swimming lessons since they reopened, even though she's not resumed any of the other classes she used to do because I don't want to risk it. I figure the risk in chlorinated water is minimal.

Not school swimming, but DC1 and DC2 are swimming twice a week, DC3 once a week, all in the public pool. I would rather they were fit, active & improving their safety in water than missing out because of a practically totally non existent Covid risk.

Yes I would

Yes. The risk assessments would already go further than necessary in regards to the children's safety as they are to prevent the spread of the virus though the community to the vulnerable and elderly.

My kids have gone back to swimming lessons but I wouldn't be happy with school swimming because they will be in a big group with no distancing in the changing rooms.

I would ask to see the risk assessment too, but I think it is a bad idea for a school group.

@RepeatSwan

My kids have gone back to swimming lessons but I wouldn't be happy with school swimming because they will be in a big group with no distancing in the changing rooms.

I would ask to see the risk assessment too, but I think it is a bad idea for a school group.

What makes you think there's distancing between them in the classroom?

My dd in y7 went swimming 2 weeks ago. The school are only taking 30 children swimming as part of PE lessons and these children are already in the school in bubble.

Class bubble

DD is going swimming with school week after next, she's swimming with her class who she is mixing closely with already anyway so there's no added risk.

What makes you think there's distancing between them in the classroom?

I don't really but I think it'll be more organised than the cramped changing rooms and it won't be a generally manky environment.

I just think swimming is higher risk than the classroom, somehow.

I guess I would say swimming with thirty school.kids is at the best of times, and it seems worse now.

It's the one frigging form of access to swimming my kid is getting these days - local pool's only reopened for the adults in a lane swim, and the uni pool they do swimming lessons at is obviously otherwise occupied worrying about other stuff at the moment.

They're asked to come into school with costume under their PE kit (thankfully their lesson's first thing) - bus to the pool in the same class group they're in all day - and no they don't have to go back in wet cozzies - they're changed and dried off there.

I just think swimming is higher risk than the classroom, somehow.

I don't wish to be unkind, but if the only thing keeping your child from accessing swimming lessons is a this level of vague concern, your own anxiety / inability to assess risk is the problem, and it would be wrong to prevent your child from accessing swimming lessons because of that.

If you have concerns, ask about the safety measures, ask to see the risk assessment. But don't just assume it's dangerous "somehow".

No I wouldn’t. When in doubt, I’d err on the safe side. Your DC won’t miss a lot with a few sessions especially school swimming.

Yes I would. My DD is back to swimming lessons and enjoying it. Equipment is cleaned before and after use. They have to arrive with costume under clothes and can use the changing rooms after for 10 minutes. School swimming would probably be preferable as she would be mixing with the same children she is all day rather then different children from different schools. The leisure centre we use for her lesson is the same our school uses and I am very happy with the measures in place. Covid isn’t going anywhere quickly.

I think it's an unnecessary risk. Not so much the water itself but everything else that getting there and back would involve. Swimming is not important nor is it part of the national curriculum. They could instead arrange for another sport activity to replace it on school grounds. The risk is also them getting to the destination. To have a whole class trotting along the street together is selfish IMO. Then you have a swimming teacher, who is not in the class bubble and would have been mixing with other schools.

Swimming is not important Not drowning is pretty important.

Swimming is on the national curriculum. Some kids will only learn to swim through school.

@Char2015

I think it's an unnecessary risk. Not so much the water itself but everything else that getting there and back would involve. Swimming is not important nor is it part of the national curriculum. They could instead arrange for another sport activity to replace it on school grounds. The risk is also them getting to the destination. To have a whole class trotting along the street together is selfish IMO. Then you have a swimming teacher, who is not in the class bubble and would have been mixing with other schools.

They've got to learn eventually. Not all parents send them to private classes of teach them themselves, and it's an important life skill. The vaccine for COVID is not designed for children and will not be rolled out to them. I think it's fine to go swimming.

There is growing evidence that hard surfaces are less of a risk than first thought. The water will be fine. A swimming trip will be as safe as almost every other school activity

The grand kids were back swimming as soon as the pools opened, they have been fine, the council really are well organised safety wise.

Char2015 Swimming IS on the National Curriculum.