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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:
MsTSwift · 22/09/2021 17:01

We had one term of swimming lessons. 90% of the kids had had private lessons and just did lengths the tiny minority who hadn’t had private lessons were frantically taught by the teacher but it wasn’t enough. I felt really sorry for those kids not being able to swim was embarrassing for them. Budgets have been slashed parents have to sort this themselves now.

shallIswim · 22/09/2021 17:35

School swim lessons were awful when my DC were at that stage in the early 2000s. Thank goodness I taught the eldest to swim and the youngest learned from him!
It's not hard. I couldn't swim until I was a teenager because my mum did zero about getting g me lessons or taking me herself. Just do some fun stuff. Get them used to putting their heads in the water and 'blowing bubbles at the fish' or something g similarly playful. They need to learn to hold their breath or blow when submerged. I'm sure the next stage is Google-able.

Loopylou555 · 22/09/2021 17:35

We were very lucky. My kids had 30 30min lessons over years 3,4 and 5. The leisure centre is a 10min walk from school and has both a teaching pool and a competition pool. There were 3 instructions so the class were divided up into good and medium swimmers who went in the competition pool and non swimmers of which there were about 6 including one of my children who went in the teaching pool. He can now swim, but more importantly knows about water safety, how to save himself and others etc. I recognise we are lucky to have good facilities near by but he genuinely did learn to swim just through the school lessons.

Mummadeze · 22/09/2021 17:38

I taught my child myself. School lessons weren’t enough

saffy2 · 22/09/2021 17:41

I was a non swimmer when my school did swimming lessons. I’m still a non swimmer at 36.
I paid for my son to learn from age 4-11. Which meant a lot of cutbacks. I also remember being severely laughed at during school swimming lessons as I was one of the
Only ones who was a non swimmer. I couldn’t bare that to happen to my
Children. So they learn. And they learn until they are very competent at swimming.
Our school did lessons in year 4 and year 5. For 1 half term each, so basically 12 weeks in total. And there was a contribution expected, so you’d have to pay anyway. You can’t llearn to swim competently in only 12 weeks while in a large group.
It’s not the school that have done your children a disservice. And your son is about to leave, so I don’t think there’s anything you can do.
Most parents (as in every single parent that I know…) pay for swimming as extra curricular. And from quite a young age. At 4 my son was one of the older ones in his beginner class. My daughter is almost 3 and she will start after Christmas in the beginner class.
I think you’re being unreasonable,
Sorry.

DanceItOut · 22/09/2021 17:43

My kids don’t know how to swim. The school doesn’t do them here and I can’t afford to pay the prices for the ones local to me. I live in a very expensive area of the south so it’s prohibitively expensive for me to pay for them and it was the same for my parents because they couldn’t afford to get me lessons as a child either so I can’t teach the kids as I can’t swim myself. We just don’t go in or near water.

hellyannas · 22/09/2021 17:46

Since 1994, swimming and water safety has been a statutory element of the national curriculum for physical education in England.

This means that every 11-year old child should leave primary school with the skills to keep themselves safe while enjoying swimming with friends and family.
www.swimming.org/schools/swimming-national-curriculum/#:~:text=Swimming%20is%20the%20only%20sport%20to%20be%20included,lessons%20in%20either%20Key%20Stage%201%20or%202.

threatmatrix · 22/09/2021 17:47

Do what lots of parents do, if you are that worried about him swimming pay for some private lessons.

threatmatrix · 22/09/2021 17:47

Ridiculous comment.

TartanJumper · 22/09/2021 17:48

OP is correct that the school should provide lessons in KS 1 or 2.
I do agree OP should consider getting her own private lessons, though.

liveforsummer · 22/09/2021 17:50

Children don't learn to swim from school lessons, ours get one block in p5

cansu · 22/09/2021 17:54

schools usually do one or two terms. It will not be enough to teach a child to sim. You need to start taking them to the pool yourself. This is part of being a parent.

eeyore228 · 22/09/2021 17:55

Our school are fortunate enough to have their own pool. We are charged for use to pay for the upkeep of the pool. All pupils have ‘lessons’ for a term in summer but OP they aren't qualified swim teachers. Most people I know pay and send them to the local swim centre despite having it.

KingofEverything · 22/09/2021 17:56

It's part of the curriculum that children should be able to swim 25m. I'm not sure why everyone is giving you shit for wanting your children to access part of the curriculum when other schools are still doing it (ours are).

bunnybuggs · 22/09/2021 17:59

[quote hellyannas]Since 1994, swimming and water safety has been a statutory element of the national curriculum for physical education in England.

This means that every 11-year old child should leave primary school with the skills to keep themselves safe while enjoying swimming with friends and family.
www.swimming.org/schools/swimming-national-curriculum/#:~:text=Swimming%20is%20the%20only%20sport%20to%20be%20included,lessons%20in%20either%20Key%20Stage%201%20or%202.[/quote]
Fine in theory (notice your use of the word 'should') - but what about small rural schools, what about pupils who cannot learn to swim without lots and lots of teaching (not everyone is naturally buoyant or can tolerate their head being under the water, what about children with disabilities
Just because the swimming criteria is part of national curriculum for physical education does not make it an absolute legal requirement. At best it sets out the requirements that teaching of swimming should be done but to expect each and every child to meet the laudable aspirations with inadequate teaching and logistic problems is laughable.
YABU OP - but by all means take it to the school HT and complain - good luck with getting anywhere.

Earthling1994 · 22/09/2021 18:00

It’s not the schools responsibility.
You can either teach your child to swim your self or book them lessons.

I’m a working single parent on a low income and I take my son to swimming lessons after he’s been to after school club

MamatoRnC · 22/09/2021 18:03

Erm take him yourself? Hmm

chanidoll · 22/09/2021 18:04

I think it’s a bit harsh people saying pay for it yourself and some actually being a bit nasty about it. We are almost post covid and for some the damage has been great. She might not be able to afford it! Someone implied not spending on take out coffees - these are a luxury some people can’t afford to buy anyway! Be kind people.

Julia001 · 22/09/2021 18:05

@PileOfBooks

What do you think you can do about it? You can take your child swimming or pay for lessons.

It's very unusual for schools to do regular swimming.

No , it is a compulsory part of the curriculum, having said that , with a pandemic etc I am not surprised that this is not happening at the moment , I took my children to swimming lessons from the age of 4/5. I would say that it is such an important thing to be able to swim that I wouldn’t leave it to a school
Unicorn1976 · 22/09/2021 18:08

Ours did swimming every single week from reception to the end of year 4, but I've heard that's quite unusual. When they moved on to middle school, they did half a term of lessons in year 5 for anyone who wasn't quite up to the standard they wanted for their age. Sounds as if we've been pretty lucky, we did have to pay for the lessons so if we hadn't had them through the school, we would have got lessons for her outside of school.

Mummabear89 · 22/09/2021 18:09

It is now supposed to be part of the national curriculum to have swimming lessons at school. Saying that when I was in primary school we went every single week from reception to year 6. It probably depends on the school.

sotiredofthislonelylife · 22/09/2021 18:10

@NigellaSeed

You can't afford to teach your 3 DC how to swim? I think you needed to have thought of the cost of raising them before you had them then. You'll have to find the money, as pp said, it's a life skill.
I do so agree with your comment! I don’t understand why someone would have children and then complain that they can’t afford this or that. Swimming has always been a life skill surely, but it was never something that schools funded when I was a child.
Justaflippertyjibbet · 22/09/2021 18:11

Just take them swimming regularly as quality family time. Being in the water with you or another adult to encourage them and they’ll most likely swim soon.

KingofEverything · 22/09/2021 18:12

@chanidoll

I think it’s a bit harsh people saying pay for it yourself and some actually being a bit nasty about it. We are almost post covid and for some the damage has been great. She might not be able to afford it! Someone implied not spending on take out coffees - these are a luxury some people can’t afford to buy anyway! Be kind people.
Agree! I hate this kind of assumption. I don't drink, smoke or get take out coffees but I'm a single parent to 3 DC and they are flippin expensive. The cost of everything has risen since COVID and Brexit too and is only set to get higher whilst wages stagnate.
BeetrootPicklePlease · 22/09/2021 18:13

@NigellaSeed

You can't afford to teach your 3 DC how to swim? I think you needed to have thought of the cost of raising them before you had them then. You'll have to find the money, as pp said, it's a life skill.
Couldn't have put it better myself. I'd have loved to have three children but we could only afford to do all the things we wanted to do with one. So we just had the one.