School offering zero swimming lessons, son is now in year 6 and cant swim

[Jobseeker19]

Is it compulsory for a school to do swimming lessons?

My son has never had them and is now in year 6.

When I was a child we did it every year.

I asked them today and was told that they are not doing it because of covid, when I told them my child is in year 6 and never had them they told me they only do it in year 5 for one term thats it and thats how all primary schools do it.

They are chatting shit as I have had an older child through there who also never had lessons.

What can I do about it?

@dootball

Take them to the sea?

Please dont try to teach a non swimmer in the sea 🤦🏻‍♀️

All those saying that the schools "should provide" lessons... just how, when there are so few pools available?
We used to use the secondary pool a short walk away. Then they demolished it, rebuilt the school and didn't replace it. Any other pools are not only an expensive coach ride away but are chock-a-block full with other local schools.
Leaving aside the fact that it can take out the best part of a whole morning, farting about with coaches and changing etc. for the sake of half an hour in the water, just what are these schools meant to do?
They can't magic lessons out of thin air.

We had good lessons at school but I remember all the children classed as non swimmers in the first lesson stayed that way till the end. They rest of us did get better as we gained badges etc.

DS had one term at school. Same, the non swimmers stayed non swimmers and the already swimmers got a bit better. He got a few badges that he already had.

I’d not have trusted school lessons to teach them, even with the requirements.

Oh, and while the children were in the pool, the bus went back to school to pick up the next lot of children (3 form entry school), so when our children were going out of the pool and to the changing room, the next lot of children were coming out of the changing room and into the pool.

@CallmeHendricks

All those saying that the schools "should provide" lessons... just how, when there are so few pools available? We used to use the secondary pool a short walk away. Then they demolished it, rebuilt the school and didn't replace it. Any other pools are not only an expensive coach ride away but are chock-a-block full with other local schools. Leaving aside the fact that it can take out the best part of a whole morning, farting about with coaches and changing etc. for the sake of half an hour in the water, just what are these schools meant to do? They can't magic lessons out of thin air.

People are saying they should provide lessons because it is on the national curriculum. It’s part of key stage 2.

Sorry key stage 1 or 2(I think they usually do it is 2 though).

These comments are so harsh - not everyone can afford all of the extras, I’m aware my dc are lucky as our school provides weekly swimming lessons for two terms in year 4 and two terms in year 5 and then any child who hasn’t gotten 25 metres gets another term of lessons in year 6. (The other children have PE at that time so nobody is missing classroom learning)

This is just a normal state school and thankfully the children can walk to the pool so no transport costs.
The school view it as essential for the children to be able to swim 25 metres by the time they leave primary and they also have water safety week each year and coastguard visit because we’re in a seaside town.

I hope you manage to get something sorted OP sorry your getting a hard time on here.

If a school decided not to do another part of the curriculum, let’s say history, would everyone be saying that parents should be paying for tutors?

DD had about 7 weekly lessons in Y3.

She's had 0 at Secondary school (now Y10).

My mum taught her to swim (doggy paddle) when we went on holiday, when she was about 6.

She still hates lengths and prefers to mess about. She can't dive but jumps in, swims 25 metres on front crawl. I can't say the school lessons had much of an impact, to be honest.

Swimming lessons are expensive. I never could afford them. I can't afford to take her swimming now. Best part of £7-8 a time, at our local leisure centre.

I'm glad DM taught her. I don't think we should land schools all the responsibility.

Swimming is the only statutory sport in the national PE curriculum but I think the objectives are fairly vague - something about water safety and swimming competently - and there is no statutory guidance on number of lessons or when they should take place - it's either in KS1 or KS2.

Maybe it depends on how much funding your LA provides?

In our area, schools tend to provide one term of weekly lessons in years 4, 5, and 6. So it's not unreasonable of OP to have expected this, but Covid has meant some children have missed out completely.

My son had his term of lessons in Year 4 but missed them in Year 5 and 6 because of Covid.

Erm you pay for swimming lessons or take them to the pool yourself and teach them (it isn't that expensive at the council owned pool, in fact I think kids go free). I was lucky I went with school once a week from reception, though they didn't actually teach me to swim. My parents had already taught me to swim by aged 4, they saw it as a valuable life skill so took us swimming regularly, Sunday morning was swimming with my parents. For our own children we pay for lessons afterschool and also go swimming as a family at the weekend, my husband is quite strict on making sure they go. It's your responsibility to teach your child to swim not school. I'm not sure how you get to aged 11 and not be able to swim unless there's some sort of disability involved.

If you can swim yourself to a reasonable standard it isn't hard to teach your kids to swim. My DPs did this from when I was a baby and I swam very well and can still swim very well.

You should not rely on the school teaching your DC to swim. If you can afford it separate swimming lessons outside the school are a good idea to teach your children to swim if you can afford them.

You lost me at ‘chatting shit’, that attitude won’t get you far.

Our school provides swim lessons at the local pool. DD should have had her term last year but nothing due to covid. The lessons are free, however parents pay for transport in advance (£24 - £3 x 8 weeks).

Our local pool also offers week long crash courses during the summer break. Mon-Fri 30min lesson daily for roughly £30 a child.

@lilmishap I’ll send your charming “do fuck off luv” straight back to you.

The OP has a bad attitude, taking about the school “chatting shit”. Charming.

There are lots of options at local leisure centres for low income families. Yes, a lot of these things are more effort to get to than those better off with cars etc, but that’s tough. It’s life.

I can almost guarantee the OPs children have electronic devices etc worth a lot more than a few swimming lessons would cost. Priorities though, isn’t it?

Schools are suppossed to provide swimming lessons so that all children can swim 25m by the end of year 6. However, it is very hard to achieve this with school provision alone and schools have to take a couple of hours out of the day at huge cost for prob 15 minutes max in the water. It is all about priorities, parental ones. Make it a priority, pay for swimming lessons and yes you have 3 children so you have the responsibility to teach 3 children to swim. Schools have enough to do!!!

@PjsOn

Erm you pay for swimming lessons or take them to the pool yourself and teach them (it isn't that expensive at the council owned pool, in fact I think kids go free). I was lucky I went with school once a week from reception, though they didn't actually teach me to swim. My parents had already taught me to swim by aged 4, they saw it as a valuable life skill so took us swimming regularly, Sunday morning was swimming with my parents. For our own children we pay for lessons afterschool and also go swimming as a family at the weekend, my husband is quite strict on making sure they go. It's your responsibility to teach your child to swim not school. I'm not sure how you get to aged 11 and not be able to swim unless there's some sort of disability involved.

I had the same experience as you, parents took as regularly including weekends in the morning.

When we wanted to join a swimming club as DCs (from approx age 9 and 7 they wanted us to swim competitively which we weren't keen on. I don't think swimming lessons were that common when I was young but we did know a swimming tutor. My DPs were very competent swimmers though partly because my DM took herself off to the local baths to learn to swim aged approx 9/10 who tied her to a rope and she learned that way.

my children's primary school does a term a year for a couple of years (so enough to teach them if they don't know or to improve if they don't). It is not free but not very expensive and those on FSM get the lessons paid for. Our municipal pools have really good value lessons and I also have joined a gym with a pool where I can take my youngest for a bit of practice.

Also, for the hard of reading, like @lilmishap, many primary schools are academies, and therefore do not have any duty to “follow the curriculum” and provide swimming lessons. Educate yourself before goading OP into fighting more with the school, where she charmingly thinks they “chat shit” rather than spend all week caring for and teaching her children, under a lot of pressure from parents like her

There are some things you need to take responsibility for, and swimming is one of them.

So covid is not an excuse for the school to use but lack of knowledge in how to do it is yours?

Find out how to do it, watch the teachers, look online. Teach yourself...You clearly have the internet so the world is your oyster. You have missed the good weather but a large pool for the summer is about £30 - you could've spent the nicer weather showing them at home and learning the strokes. If you didn't use excuses of course.

You also say they have not done what they should've done. Well neither have you as a parent. Try shifting the blame. Excuses are like arseholes - everyone has one.

I hate this sense of entitlement.

If you want something, do it yourself. We can't get everything for free, we have to do our part to make sure the world turns.

Swimming is a luxury- schools can barely afford pens let alone take every child swimming, cost of the coach etc

Some of the comments on this thread are absolutely ridiculous. Have people forgotten the last 18 months?? How on Earth were schools supposed to take classes of children swimming when the leisure centres were closed?? Then there will have been many leisure centres that refused to restart school groups last year. Ours did. It was also a nightmare for schools for their risk assessments because of bubbles etc that could not mix.

It may have been that the OP's son was due to swim in the summer term of year 4 but it was lockdown. He may have been due to swim in year 5 but the leisure centre wasn't allowing school groups.

But sure, let's pile on and blame those lazy teachers and schools for a change

I'm not sure how you get to aged 11 and not be able to swim unless there's some sort of disability involved.

Mine is/was phobic - tried several time to take her to lessons from age 6 months old, but she just couldn’t have her face wet without panicking. I made sure to still take her to the pool regularly though, so she felt safe in water. She has decided aged 12 to face her fears and has started lessons not too long ago with a bunch of 5 year olds - she still has her towel by the pool to dry her face if she panics.

Maybe look at swim schools that do lessons at weekends? I take my 2 for lessons on Saturday, and even though they are in different groups, they have their lesson at the same time (at different ends of the pool)

My Dd is in year 5 and hasn’t had any school swimming lessons yet (they were meant to start in summer term of year 3, but got cancelled for 2 years in a row because of lockdown).

I only had school lessons and I am not confident in the water at all, hate the deep end, can’t tread water etc - so I thought it was important for my kids to learn from an early age, so they don’t end up like me!