Calling anyone with a local swimming pool - can you answer a couple of questions for me please?

[flashingnose]

1. Are people ever able to take 2 under 5's swimming on their own?

2. Are people ever able to take 3 under 8's swimming on their own?

3. What county or area of the country is the pool in?

Thank you - can you guess I've had a run-in with our local pool today??

We have 2 local pools

so for the closest

1. No
2. Not sure

and the 2nd (10 min drive)

1. Yes
2. Yes

but the shallow pool is a lot shallower

both in North Herts.

Cut from local pool website:

Children under 8 years of age must be accompanied in the water at all times by a responsible person/guardian (minimum age of 18 years) of parent of the child with minimum ratio of 1 responsible person to 2 children under the age of 8.

For children aged 8 and over and strong swimmers, different ratios may apply*. Please contact our reception for more details

Seems to be sensible - but how do ou prove "Strong swimmers"

Generally have to be one to one with under 5s, but there are special sessions where they put on more lifeguards so you can be one to two.

Don't know about older age range - haven't reached that stage yet.

Have also had a run-in with the local pool today, but over something different.

This was a big issue here some time ago - the council (and lots of private pools) started to enforce the national guidelines very vigourously. There was a bit of uproar in the local press, saying it discriminated against single parent families and families with children close in age. Now you can take at least two under 5's if it is a designated toddler splash type of session in one of the council run pools (don't know about 3 under 8's). The private pool belonging to a local 3rd level institute (which is open to the public) did not budge and so at one stage, even if dh and I both went along, the only way we could take all our kids was by lying about the age of the oldest (ie pretending she was already over 8).

Ironically dd can swim far better than I can so what use I would be in an emergency i don't know!

I'm in Herts by the way

. Are people ever able to take 2 under 5's swimming on their own? NO

2. Are people ever able to take 3 under 8's swimming on their own? NO

3. What county or area of the country is the pool in? Cumbria

I had a run in on holiday with a pool that insisted under 8's should wear armbands.Neither of mine have ever worn armbands and dd1 had 50m badge also wouldn't let me in with both kids on my own (they are 6 &4 btw)

Locally a compentant swimmer seems to have 50m and can tread water for 30 secs.

Apart from distance both my kids can now swimmer better than me (i can just go further and there is not much in that between me and dd1! )

1. Yes in one pool but not in another
2. Yes to both
3. Lincs

2. only if 2 or more of them can swim that is

2 kids only per adult. regardless of age.
wiltshire

Thanks very much for your responses everyone.

Why does H&S always have to be implemented so lazily i.e. if in doubt, ban it? Makes me so, so .

1. Yes

2. No 3. Leicestershire

1. No Each adult can only take one child under 5 with no other children under 8 with them. e.g. you can take a 3 year old and 4 8year olds with you but not a 4 year old and a 7 year old if that makes sense.

2. No

Cardiff

alot will depend on your type of pool flashingnose

have you got a separate, shallow, learner pool?

no
no
London

Do you know about the Right to Swim campaign which campaigns on exactly this issue? There may be info on their site that gives what you are looking for.

is that at Pools on the Park cd? sure I've taken my two in there together (but maybe they thought dd was older)

Yes, (but some of them ask me if I can swim, and I'd fudge the answer because I only ever took them into the baby pool)

No (and still no even though DS1 is 8, because he can't swim)

South London

So agree with you about the 'if in doubt ban it' attitude. i approve of H&S carefulness tbh but it's too easy to just close an option off without thinking creatively.