Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

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

681 replies

Jobseeker19 · 21/09/2021 13:53

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?

OP posts:
LovePoppy · 21/09/2021 18:41

Surely if you wanted your child to swim….you’d pay for swim lessons??

RobinPenguins · 21/09/2021 18:41

It is expensive to have three children and we should acknowledge that and help.

It is also - in the overwhelming majority of cases - a choice to have 3 or more children.

I completely disagree with your figures but won’t bother quoting them as you’ve said not to pull them apart.

Original poster
Jobseeker19 · 21/09/2021 18:41

Just finished work.

Yes, I was rude and entitled in the first post but in my defence I had just gotten off the phone with the school and was just shocked that I had missed the opportunity.

I'm looking at the swimming lesson in the Borough and it looks really confusing and has different ages and grade groups. I dont know where to start.

Those people that are saying i shouldn't have had 3 children if I couldn't afford swimming?! What kind of crap is that?

There are threads right now with people saying how can they cut corners because of fuel and food rises, are you on there telling them they shouldn't have had children because now they are scared of struggling?

Do you say it on threads where people are talking about getting better subsidised childcare?

I really thought that every primary school taught children how to swim and I was just waiting for the school to start doing it and then I would've carried on with them.

I have asked them in the past and they said they were thinking about next term. But not once did I ever think that they would never do it.

OP posts:
Neverenoughflowers · 21/09/2021 18:43

@Blendabrethinn .... Unfortunately, swimming, whether on the national curriculum or not, is considered an important part of the 'parenting role' these days. Just like eating with cutlery, riding a bike, putting on your socks, etc.

It's widely perceived, by the majority as something parents do for their kids. Probably, ironically, as a result of many decades of crap school swimming!

That's fundamentally why everyone is frothing at the mouth. Whether rightly or wrongly, to those with this perspective (a lot of people) the OPs post comes across as shirking on their parental responsibilities. It's a tough one!

dreamingofsun · 21/09/2021 18:44

sailyourships - just to highlight the other side to your suggestion.....parents who had less children than they ideally wanted due to financial reasons should subsidise parents who had loads of kids even if they couldnt afford them? Parents who both work long hours (despite one of them ideally wanting to be a SAHM) should also subsidise those that dont want to put the effort into earning. How is that fair?

I think this all goes back to the argument that you shouldnt have more children than you can support financially, and if in doubt have less rather than more

Neverenoughflowers · 21/09/2021 18:44

@SailYourShips why should I, with one kid, pay for people with 3 or more? I'm pretty Liberal on 'fairs fair', but that's bonkers.

Embracelife · 21/09/2021 18:46

Even if did go thru school
You need to take them swimming yourself as well
Take oldest while someone else looks after youngest

MintJulia · 21/09/2021 18:46

My ds had eight 30 minute lessons in year 4 but didn't learn to swim.

I found him a local council weekly swimming lesson from age 8 which he has carried on until now (4 years excluding covid). He can swim reasonably well, and can do front crawl with correct breathing technique. It has cost £7.50 a week.

dreamingofsun · 21/09/2021 18:46

neverenough - i agree just because i chose to have 3 i dont see why you should subsidise my choices.

N4ish · 21/09/2021 18:47

For the swimming lessons if your DS is a complete beginner you’ll need to look for lessons named Foundation or similar. Our local pool offers special foundation lessons for older kids who need to catch up as a lot of 10 year olds would be reluctant to join a class with 5 year old beginners.

PaulGallico · 21/09/2021 18:47

My DCs primary (pre covid) did a really good job with swimming - one session each week. However with a class of at least 25 this didnt make effective swimmers - you could probably say the children were safe in the water. The children who could swim really well had input from home or private lessons. Think the OP blaming the school is unfair - I suspect OP blames lots of things on teachers/school.

Original poster
Jobseeker19 · 21/09/2021 18:49

I am working so will also be paying into this pot. Don't make assumptions.

We are all paying into a system for things that we may never use.

Also if it is part of the curriculum then why shouldn't I expect it? Remove it otherwise.

OP posts:
AlwaysLatte · 21/09/2021 18:52

Just take him! Mine went from babies. I think it's very important that they learn to swim and I wouldn't rely on a possibility of a massive group session once a week at school

rhonddacynontaf · 21/09/2021 18:52

You really really don't want to teach your own kids to swim, do you?

dreamingofsun · 21/09/2021 18:53

i agree jobseekers - its not right to have something on the curriculum that isnt provided and it should be removed.

Where we live it meant all one afternoon out of school and buses/coaches had to be booked as the nearest pool is 4 miles away. Apart from the financial issues my guess is the parents didnt want their kids taken away from academic learning for that length of time

Original poster
Jobseeker19 · 21/09/2021 18:55

@rhonddacynontaf

You really really don't want to teach your own kids to swim, do you?
No, just defending myself.

It isn't about trying to get something for free or wanting something extra.

Its about expecting what is on the curriculum to be taught.

OP posts:
Poppitt58 · 21/09/2021 18:56

Can you not afford swimming lessons? My understanding is that the British national curriculum is for 1 term in year 4 and 1 term in year 6

There’s no time or year group specified. That will just be what your school offer. The requirement is that children can swim 25 metres. My daughter started in year 2.

SailYourShips · 21/09/2021 18:56

@Jobseeker19

Do you know anyone in the local community who may have a pool-indoor preferably as the the colder months kick in?

If so, it might be worth asking the school if they would approach them with a view to letting some non-swimmers learn how to swim.

I know someone with an indoor pool and I think this is something she would be glad to accommodate as a way of helping the community.

I guess insurance etc would have to be sorted out but that wouldn't be beyond the wit of the school or local authority.

unsure111 · 21/09/2021 18:57

@Porfre

Our school does it for a term.for year 5 children.

I've already taken my older one swimming she did it for 2 years. She got her 10m. But it's been a while and I think shes probably forgotten most of it. Just need to start the lessons again. Problem is shes already got loads of other things she goes to.
Then next year will sign up the younger one.

Our school is the same. Just a term in year 5
WTF475878237NC · 21/09/2021 18:58

I learnt to swim in primary school too OP. We had lessons once a term every year.

WTF475878237NC · 21/09/2021 18:59

Not once a term. I mean one term every year.

unsure111 · 21/09/2021 18:59

@Jobseeker19

How did I learn to swim then at school if they they were so shit?

Everyone i know learnt how ro swim from school. I never had lessons outside of school.

You would still need to pay even if they did them at school. It's not free. But to be fair I did learn how to swim at school.
Poppitt58 · 21/09/2021 19:02

You would still need to pay even if they did them at school. It's not free.

They’re free in England. School can’t charge for them as it’s a statutory part of the NC. They can only charge for transport.

whenwillthemadnessend · 21/09/2021 19:03

School swimming provision is usually nit anywhere long enough to save a life in open water. A pool Maybe with a life guard

To swim in sea or lakes rivers you need to be able to swim confidently so if I were you I'd seriously think about getting those lessons for your kids.

Even if you do one at a time Or take them
Yourself regularly

TheGrumpyGoat · 21/09/2021 19:05

Of course taking them one at a time relies on there being someone to look after the other 2. Not everyone has that. And most pools won’t allow you to take 3 non swimmers with a lone adult.