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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:
Vickles20 · 21/09/2021 16:18

All 4 of mine began learning to swim swim before they started school. I took them swimming and then we continued it whilst they were in school. I don’t expect school to cover that. But yes. Some schools do provide swimming lessons at their local pool. But honestly. I feel you’re a little lazy expecting school to cover that.

MajorCarolDanvers · 21/09/2021 16:20

I'm in Scotland abs there's no requirement for swimming lessons here. My eldest is 13 and has never had anything via school.

We paid for lessons at the local public pool for about age 4.

Gonnagetgoing · 21/09/2021 16:20

@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.

Is it?! My swimming lessons were fun - if you liked going on the school bus to a decrepit Victorian swimming pool (since been demolished and rebuilt), hardly getting any swimming done (and I was quite a good swimmer), freezing cold showers and kids mucking about and worrying you'd miss the school bus back...

Little wonder most schools stopped them!

SpeakingFranglais · 21/09/2021 16:21

My kids are 27 and 24 and swimming at school back then was only about 20 minutes in the water for all 30 kids. It was pointless, & apart from one parent that I can recall who never took her child swimming, all the rest of us took them to cheapo council run Ducklings lessons at the local grotty pool from age 5. They were not expensive and by the time DC2 reached 5, DC1 could swim.

Thesearmsofmine · 21/09/2021 16:21

It is on the curriculum but tbh our local area seems to do them for a term in one year and when I’ve seen the school lessons happening at our local school the lesson itself is very short and involves a lot of shouting so I wouldn’t rely on them to actually teach a child to swim to a good standard.
It is a life skill but unfortunately there are many children out there who won’t be able to swim because the school lesson are rubbish and parents can’t afford lessons. We have 3 in lessons at the moment and it is £70 a month which is a big chunk of money.

Gonnagetgoing · 21/09/2021 16:21

I don't have DC but neighbours with 3 DC paid for swimming lessons from 4/5 years old upwards and took them themselves. As did my parents re paid for swimming lessons and took us themselves.

cookingisoverrated · 21/09/2021 16:22

You'll have to pay for lessons.

Covid prevented most schools from offering swimming for the past 2 school years.

Most schools don't have pools and they have to sort out transport and everything else, which isn't happening yet for obvious reasons. And it's not the priority when everyone has missed out so much academic time.

I think it needs to stop being part of the curriculum, frankly, and vouchers should be provided to parents below a certain income to acquire a term's worth of basic swimming lessons.

SpunBodgeSquarepants · 21/09/2021 16:22

My DS is very lucky in that his school has its own pool and so they take swimming lessons once a week from May-July and in September too. They should definitely be providing swimming lessons but they wouldn't be free, I'm sure? I'm not sure who you would have to take it up with though, LEA?

Gonnagetgoing · 21/09/2021 16:22

@Thesearmsofmine

It is on the curriculum but tbh our local area seems to do them for a term in one year and when I’ve seen the school lessons happening at our local school the lesson itself is very short and involves a lot of shouting so I wouldn’t rely on them to actually teach a child to swim to a good standard. It is a life skill but unfortunately there are many children out there who won’t be able to swim because the school lesson are rubbish and parents can’t afford lessons. We have 3 in lessons at the moment and it is £70 a month which is a big chunk of money.
That was my memory years ago - of being shouted at - trying to get your 25m or whatever swimming badge - but not much swimming going on really! Certainly not teaching to a good standard.
EggSheeran · 21/09/2021 16:24

Nobody I know learnt to swim through school. It's a life lesson that is usually taught at a young age (3-4 y/o) by parents. My parents didn't have a lot of money, but they would still take me to the pool the odd weekend and taught me to do the basic doggy paddle. When I did finally have swimming lessons through the school in year 5 (10 y/o) I could swim but was classed as a weak swimmer. The school lessons just taught me different swimming strokes and improved my confidence. But basic swimming level is taught be parents like most life skills and the earlier the better in my opinion, as it gets harder learning later in life.

The school swimming lessons were not free either.

Have you looked at the cost of swimming at your local leisure centre? I know my parents local leisure centre offers free swimming access to under 16's and over 60's.

Thesearmsofmine · 21/09/2021 16:26

Some areas do offer free swimming for kids, so definitely have a look to see if it’s available so you can take them to the pool yourself as it can be expensive to go as a family. Before the youngest started lessons it was over £10 for me and him to go at our council pool.

Londono · 21/09/2021 16:27

I haven't RTFT but to all those posters saying the OP should have to pay for lessons - swimming is a compulsory part of the curriculum and schools should not be using Covid as an excuse not to fulfil this requirement.

OP, I would write to the chair of governors if the head doesn't give you a satisfactory response.

I know that our school contacted all parents in year 6 and asked which ones couldn't swim and needed to have a term or two of lessons and they just provided lessons to them as a costcutting measure but that seemed fair enough I guess as most will learn via families.

It is a very privileged position to be in to advise the OP to pay as if finding the money for any kind of activity for children is simple for all families.

yomellamoHelly · 21/09/2021 16:28

Ours got 10 weeks of lessons - but they had to go, get changed, have the lesson and be out within 20. (And then change while the next lot were in.) Was only way to fit all the kids in. 3 kids in the year group water-phobic too, so whole affair a real mess. And for that we had to pay £20 each for insurance or none of them could go. - They didn't learn to swim

XingMing · 21/09/2021 16:31

Back when we were small, there was no public swimming pool within 30 miles. So we didn't learn to swim via school. But it was by the sea, so most of us taught ourselves anyway. I still don't swim very well.

Nocutenamesleft · 21/09/2021 16:33

I’m almost certain swimming has gone off the curriculum. It’s not a necessity anymore. They think

So right now it’s private lessons. Or nothing else.

Ihopeyourcakeisshit · 21/09/2021 16:34

How do schools which are miles away from swimming pools manage to implement this?
I can't imagine the headache arranging transport not to mention the time it takes in order to do this.
I really don't feel it's the responsibility of schools to do this kind of thing.

PyjamaMamma · 21/09/2021 16:35

OP, it is part of the national curriculum and worth raising with the school, but as the mother of a non swimmer who has done 2 lots of school swimming lessons (she moved schools half way through primary) I will tell you she came out the other end as a non-swimmer. She probably wouldn’t drown in a swimming pool but that’s about it.

Whoopy1 · 21/09/2021 16:36

I never had swimming lessons at school. My children had the opportunity, but it was out of school hours and it was the parents responsibility to take children to pool and back (pool was 12 miles away from school and 3 different buses to get there) so no use to many parents. Also had to pay for the lessons as well! It certainly wasn’t integrated into the curriculum and to be honest I don’t think it is something that the school should have to do as the resources needed would take away from other aspects of education as there is only so much money available.

dootball · 21/09/2021 16:37

Take them to the sea?

Nomorepies · 21/09/2021 16:39

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on the poster's request

PyjamaMamma · 21/09/2021 16:39

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit

How do schools which are miles away from swimming pools manage to implement this? I can't imagine the headache arranging transport not to mention the time it takes in order to do this. I really don't feel it's the responsibility of schools to do this kind of thing.
I was a parent helper in one of DD’s schools and it was a tightly controlled task Grin - the pool was in a different town. Count children into the bus, count children off the bus, change, help them put swim caps - thank you parents who sent fabric caps! -, in the pool, out of the pool, change, count them into the bus, count them out of the bus. Hour and a half-ish a week.
TheGrumpyGoat · 21/09/2021 16:42

We had swimming lessons all through primary school in the late 80’s and early 90’s. That’s where I learnt to swim. The pool wasn’t on site, we got a bus every Tuesday morning.
Our school now only offers them in year 4 for one term, and only for children who can’t already swim 25m. Take up is fairly low because most already can by that age.
Swimming lessons are expensive and can be really difficult to juggle with multiple children. DD1’s lesson is 4-4.30 on a Thursday evening and DD2’s is 5-5.30 the same day. So we’re there from 4-5.30 and I have my toddler with me there too. I can only do it as I’ve juggled work hours to fit it in. So I can see why it’s not so easy as just ‘paying for swimming lessons’ for a lot of people.

Crazycakelady17 · 21/09/2021 16:42

I do think they are on the curriculum all 3 of mine had them for a term in y5 and those who didn’t meet the standard sis them again In y6,
But they were crap all mine had lessons from 3 pretty reasonable at the local council pool and all could swim 25 metres by 5/6

Yogsgirl · 21/09/2021 16:43

School swimming lessons are just about learning how not to drown!

If you want your children to be confined swimmers who will go on to be adults that enjoy swimming then you will need to pay for private lessons and also take them to the pool as a leisure activity for fun and water play!

It's like riding a bike, tying your shoe-laces, teaching them how to hold a knife and fork properly etc. - parent's responsibility. If you can't afford to provide basic life-skills and essentials to your children then you shouldn't have planned to have them- or at least not so many!

RampantIvy · 21/09/2021 16:43

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit

How do schools which are miles away from swimming pools manage to implement this? I can't imagine the headache arranging transport not to mention the time it takes in order to do this. I really don't feel it's the responsibility of schools to do this kind of thing.
They get a local bus company to bus them to and from the pool. We are rural and our nearest pool for school swimming lessons is 8 miles away. DD had a term of swimming lessons - not enough to learn to swim, but she also had after school swimming lessons that I took her to.