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?

It’s not a part of curriculum in Scotland so we all have to suck it up and either teach them ourselves or pay for lessons

Schools don’t teach kids to swim you have to do it.

What can you do? Consider who you vote for and if you already don't vote conservative consider actively campaigning against them. The Tory party continuously and consistently underfunds education. It's the expensive extras like swimming that are cut first.

@Hesma

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. Maybe you should teach your child yourself 🤷‍♀️

What on earth is the "British national curriculum"?

@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.

It’s a vital life skill which is why it’s on the national curriculum.

Honestly I am surprised at some of the responses to the original post given that a large proportion of Mumsnet members are meant to be Labour voters and therefore think of those less fortunate than themselves. Maybe I was wrong and they are all champagne socialists devoid of the understanding that not everyone is as fortunate as themselves…

@saffy2

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.

I was also that child at school who had a few lessons there but no back up from home so literally floundered. I leaned in a v unsafe way as a teen in the sea.. just trying to do what my friends were doing. In the intervening years I have taught myself to swim properly by watching others closely. I can now plough up abs down a pool with a tolerable front crawl, ans happily potter about out of my depth in the sea. But I shuddered to think of my children putting themselves at risk as I did as a teenager so made damn sure they had a head start before they reached school age. It was so worthwhile and FUN!

My sons school does weekly swimming lessons from reception to year 6 so it's not unheard of. But we never ever expected this as something the school HAS to do. Certain things are up to the parents to teach, and I consider swimming one of them. You wouldn't expect the school to teach your children to ride a bike would you? Swimming lessons aren't expensive, we pay £140 for three months of swimming lessons as extra lessons for our son, and I know there's cheaper out there.

@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?

We do them for year 4. But the school is right in that provision would have been when covid hit. Not really the school's fault and most parents source external lessons for their kids anyway!

If you can contact your local leisure centre! Good luck

In the school I worked at the children had swimming lessons in yr1 then yr3 and yr5. Here they are back up and running, it helps with confidence in the water but without private lessons it’s doubtful they’ll learn to swim as there’s too many of them and not enough time

@danni92

My sons school does weekly swimming lessons from reception to year 6 so it's not unheard of. But we never ever expected this as something the school HAS to do. Certain things are up to the parents to teach, and I consider swimming one of them. You wouldn't expect the school to teach your children to ride a bike would you? Swimming lessons aren't expensive, we pay £140 for three months of swimming lessons as extra lessons for our son, and I know there's cheaper out there.

To add though, my sons school is fortunate enough to have it's own swimming pool actually in the school so that's why it's able to provide the lessons.

@WanderlyWagonInWales

It’s your responsibility to teach your child basic life skills. School is for academics and enrichment. If you want your child to swim the. Pay for lessons yourself at the local pool!

This is bull shit. So by your reasoning they shouldn't do P.E either?

Don't know if it's been suggested yet as have not rtft, but do it the French way.

Take them to municipal pool.

Fit them with fully inflated armbands.

Gradually, with each successive visit, deflate the armbands by small increments.

They'll eventually be swimming with totally useless flaps of plastic on their arms.

Take the armbands fully off, after having explained to them that they can now swim.

The national curriculum specifies swimming lessons for key stage 2, under normal circumstances.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study

When I was a headteacher we took them in year 3 and 4 for a term, the catch up lessons for those who didn't meet the required standard. Parents were asked to pay for the coach, but it is illegal to ask for the cost of the lessons.

However, they are very basic and many parents paid for private lessons too.

@danni92

My sons school does weekly swimming lessons from reception to year 6 so it's not unheard of. But we never ever expected this as something the school HAS to do. Certain things are up to the parents to teach, and I consider swimming one of them. You wouldn't expect the school to teach your children to ride a bike would you? Swimming lessons aren't expensive, we pay £140 for three months of swimming lessons as extra lessons for our son, and I know there's cheaper out there.

FFS @danni92 Learning how to ride a bike isn't the same as how to stop yourself from drowning.

The L.A should absolutely provide swimming lessons.

I honestly think MN live in LaLa land sometimes. Some families cannot even afford a loaf of bread and are using food banks. Its these children that need the L.A to pay for these lessons and they will never get those private lessons

@NerrSnerr

Even if the school did offer some lessons it's highly likely that it wouldn't be enough to teach your children to be safe and confident in the water. That is your responsibility as a parent.

This

My mum taught me to swim 40 odd years ago! Although I can only do breast stroke, front crawl and treading water. Never managed the backstroke. My Pa taught me how to dive too.

Do you have a friend or relative who could help you out op, or maybe the children's dad? Swimming is an essential life skill and if the school aren't doing lessons for whatever reason then it falls to the parents. As others have said, school swimming is generally not enough anyway to teach a child to swim anyway.

How much of this is about the "principle" that schools "should" be doing this, as opposed to you objecting to "How much of my time is going to be spent taking then to lessons and moving my work around that?!"

And how much of a consolation will that be if, God forbid, one of your children should ever get into trouble in water.

@NerrSnerr

Even if the school did offer some lessons it's highly likely that it wouldn't be enough to teach your children to be safe and confident in the water. That is your responsibility as a parent.

Absolutely this. They never " learn to swim" at school. Would you belive...parent involved in life skill ...who knew !!!

I'm not judging her for not having much money or struggling, but I was simply pointing out that learning to swim is important, it's not the same as not being able to afford ballet or tennis lessons. I'm sure op can teach them for a few quid a visit at the local pool.

My grandkids have a school pool...so every year from nursery up get a lesson every week ( normal state school) .... my grandchildren are very lucky I think

Swimming is a compulsory part of the curriculum. Schools have to report on their website the number of children who can swim etc at the end of year 6.
We do 11 weeks in Y3 and 11 weeks in Y4, 45 minute lessons. 30 children have 4 instructors and use two pools. Costs us over £7000 but it's compulsory so we have to just get on with it.

The National Curriculum suggests that schools are supposed to offer swimming lessons with the aim of childrenn being able to swim 25m and self rescue themselves. Thinking of my own and friend's children, I would say it took approximately 3-5 years of private lessons (30 mins a week) for them to acheive this aim. 3-5 years of swimming lessons during school time is completely unrealistic! The lost learning and financial implications for schools, make it pretty much impossible, for schools to teach children to swim. I've always thought it was a parent's responsibility to teach their child to swim.

@BungleandGeorge

It’s true that not all children can learn swimming in the amount of lessons available(same as any other subject) but this school haven’t even tried because they are providing zero lessons!

Because right now we are in a pandemic and you can't always risk assess everything as safe.

Government restrictions and school RA aren't one of the same.

It's on the ciriculum and therefore swimming should be taught through school in Y5.

At our school my eldest had 10 weeks of free lessons at the local leisure centre. The following year the pandemic meant a lot of schools didn't do it because of the leisure centres being closed. This year my youngest will be having his free 10 weeks.

It's £6 per lesson where I live, SE and unaffordable for some but also involves a parent taking them and staying. Other clubs I drop off and later pick up, but for swimming I have to stay.

Aside from Covid which did stop lessons in the first & second lockdown for a while; the primary school where I am Governor start in year 3. They do it until year 5. Any children who still can’t swim the 25m then also go back in year 6. So whilst the pandemic means less swimming lessons happening no one will have gone without any lessons at all . However there are issues which will impact each schools offering:

1. Proximity - our leisure centre is about ten minutes by coach so it’s very easy to fit into the timetable . We don’t charge parents for the lesson but we do charge those that can afford (so not free school meal pupils etc ) their share of the cost of the coach . Note quite a few rural schools have their own pools so those kids will swim most summers so no distance issues for them!!
2. We heavily rely on DBS checked parent helpers - no helpers would mean no swimming . But as the cost of property increases more households have two parents working full time so the pool of helpers us diminishing

So these factors might dictate what level of lessons are offered . But they should be offered .