Swimming lessons no lifeguard

[MadeForThis]

Hi

I've just came back from DD's first swimming lesson. She's just turned 4 and it's held in a local hotel pool. She loved the lesson but I was on edge for most of the time.

They spend most of the time sitting on the side splashing. It's a mixed age group from about 4-10. Only 6 dc in the group. But when the instructor took each child for a swim the rest were left sitting on the edge of the pool. At one point she took each child the full length of the pool so on several occasions she was the full length of the pool away from the other dc. About 20/25m. No other adult/lifeguard was at poolside. Parents watch through a window in a viewing gallery.

The pool is 1.2m depth but dd is less than a metre tall. If she fell in it would be a scary amount of time before the teacher could get to her.

There is a door from the view window directly to poolside and I had visions of having to jump in and rescue my child.

Am I totally pfb about this? I've never been more that a few foot from dd if she was in a baby pool and she was well within her depth there.

Is this normal in beginners lessons? Should I wait until she can reach the bottom of the pool?

Thanks for any advice

Turning your back on children in a swimming class is a complete no no.

Venues don’t need to provide a lifeguard if the pool is under a certain size I believe.

I would be looking elsewhere for lessons it sounds very unsafe

Sounds normal to me. There's not usually a lifeguard in private (Hotel) pools. I think the pool needs to be a certain length to require a lifeguard and this might not apply to a private hire (lessons).

At 4years old most children should be able to take instruction to wait at the side of the pool for their turn. Also if she has progressed from adult/child lessons she should be able to get herself to edge of the pool, climb in/out herself. Our pool doesn't let preschoolers have lessons without an adult without assessing they are competent to do this alone.

She's never had a swimming lesson before. This was the first time she has ever sat by a pool alone. She will follow instructions and pay attention But the possibility of slipping or being knocked by another child was worrying.

The eldest boy was about 10 he was messing a bit and lifting things from the side when the teacher was taking a child swimming. If she was sat beside him she could get distracted or knocked.

If there was an adult at the side of the pool I wouldn't worry but the teacher is obviously focusing on the child she is leading through the water. If dd slipped in quietly it could be unnoticed.

I have a 2yo with me and was worried every time I took my eyes off the pool. If she fell in she could drowned or at the very least be scared of the water forever.

I've seen this in the pool I go to. I think it's dangerous. The teacher relies on the children doing exactly as told.

But it's a long time for them to wait their turn and they get cold and fidgety.

I would suggest that you swim in the other part of the pool during the class if allowed.

Or find another place for lessons.

I’d look for another pool. You need a spotter if the instructor is focussing on one child only. It’s not just about the risk of a child slipping into the pool but also mucking about factors too.
As an aside, in the 70s, we had ten year olds supervising the 5 year olds in the pool!

I wouldn't be happy with either the lack of lifeguard, the big age range or them sitting on the side of the pool.

When my 5 year old started lessons he was in a group of 6-8 children around his age (pre-school/reception/Year 1I would say) in the shallow end of the pool where they could touch the bottom. There was a lifeguard.
The teacher had them all swimming widths of the pool together or in small groups so there was little waiting.

YANBU. If the instructor is in the pool, there should be a ‘spotter’ on the side. And as a PP said, turning your back is a big no-no. I’d be looking for somewhere else tbh.

The teacher isn't turning her back. She's walking backwards and the child has their hands on her shoulders as they kick. Everyone in the class is a total beginner.

I did assume they would all be roughly the same age but their is a couple of young 4/5 yo and the rest 8-10.

Are they wearing attached swimming aids?
How quickly would the teacher be able to get herself back plus the child she is leading away at the end of the pool, in order to help a child left at the side if they went under the water?

For complete beginners this is unsafe practice. There should be a parent spotter or poolside staff member with the other children. The ratio of one teacher to a large group of children isn’t great either tbh. If it’s beginners you will have a range of ages from 4-10 if but none of them can swim then it doesn’t matter how old they are, if they panic it could be very dangerous.

Yes children can sit on the side and follow instruction but at beginner Non swimmer level it’s so much safer to have another adult supervising if the teacher is focusing on individual children.

Also being left on the side is a big waste of swimming lesson time and it’s much better to have a better teacher: child ratio for this reason also!

I agree. I'm going to stop the lessons. Even if it's within the rules I'm not comfortable with the risk.

Thanks for all the responses.

After seeing they are complete beginners I'd tend to agree with you. My son had lessons since a baby and by the time he was in lessons without me at 3yrs old he would be able to enter/exit pool himself and swim a metre or so to the edge. I wouldn't of worried about him getting knocked in as he had ability to pull himself up and out. But if you're not confident your daughter can do this and don't think it's afe then you should withdraw her.

Also 4yr okds in lessons with 10yr olds doesn't seem ideal. Try a council pool, the lessons are often cheaper and the instructors well trained with back up of lifeguard at the side of the pool too.

It’s dangerous. Glad you are stopping the lessons.

I would not go back. I felt nervous just reading this!!

I wouldn’t stop them because it was ‘dangerous’ I’d stop them because it’s difficult to learn to swim if you’re not in the water much.
Can you or her father not just take her for fun swimming and splashing each week until she’s water confident then when she’s a bit older book her into leisure centre lessons, that are generally well policed?

I wouldn’t be confident with a child who had had baby/toddler swimming sessions in this situation either.

They might have water confidence and be able to swim 1m but they’re not strong enough swimmers to always be able to get themselves out of trouble if they need to.

I don' think any of that sounds good.

6 complete beginners is too many children for a start. I think 3 is ideal, 5 is maximum as long as all the children listen to the teacher.

I also think the age difference is too great. A 4yo will learn different things at a different rate than a 10yo, how will the teacher manage to supervise all that as well as the large number of children?

In my DCs swimming classes the DC either all sit on the steps of the pool or all swim at the same time with swimming aids (they use different ones through-out the lesson). The only time they do things one by one is when they practice 'star' but then the teacher is right next to all of them.

Also, in my experience 4yo is a bit too young for proper swimming lessons. My two both found it difficult to coordinate arms and legs at that age and to figure out the breathing. But we do have a pool so instead they spent a lot of time playing around and getting used to the water with arm-bands on. Can you take her to a pool to play for the next year or so and try again when she is a little bit older?

I spoke to the swimming teacher today and pulled her out of the lessons. I explained my concerns and she offered to move her to a class of all 4-6 yo. Unfortunately that was only a minor concern.

She said that she explained clearly to the children not to get into the pool but she was honest and said that kids had fell in before and she couldn't guarantee this wouldn't happen. Although it was rare. It's not a risk I would ever be happy to take.

We'll take her swimming at the weekends to increase her confidence and water safety awareness. And to just let her have fun. The lessons can wait another year or two.

I'm alternating between shock that this is common practice and relief that she won't be going again.

Thanks for all your replies.

I would have pulled mine too. It’s very very bad care - there will be much better lessons somewhere else.

The teacher told you that kids have fallen in before and she still sticks to this style of lesson?! Bloody hell, where did she learn to do her risk assessment?!

Best solution OP, keep your DD safe, this setup sounds awful.

There have always been lifeguards during swimming lessons at the 25m pool here, my son is one.

Report this to your local environmental health department please

The lessons only run from 3-6pm each day. She could pay someone minimum wage to stand by the pool and watch the kids. Pool is 1.2m deep so not a complicated rescue.

The more I think about it the more shocked I am.

This is why I didn't pick any of the swimming lessons they have at health clubs etc locally as although classes were small there was only one adult and no parents allowed poolside.
My children go to the council pool and the classes are much bigger but there's a teacher, a helper who is in the pool for the lower grade classes and at least one life guard. Parents are poolside and It's also half the price.

She should have done a risk assessment and being in the water and Swimming teachers association recommends 1 teacher to 6 swimmers