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

It's was 1:6. All total beginners. The teacher was aware of the risk but thought that part of learning to swim was learning to follow instructions ie don't jump into the pool.

Dd is only 4 so I think I'll leave the lessons for another year or two. She'll be taller and be able to reach the bottom of the pool.

Will definitely use the local pool. These lessons were held in the local hotel pool. Great facilities but safety standards are low. I'm assuming they are keeping within the law and no more.

She could pay someone minimum wage to stand by the pool and watch the kids

Qualified life guards have done an expensive training course and regular training sessions to keep their qualification valid, they are a heck of a lot more than kids paid minimum wage. My son had been with a life saving club for six years prior to becoming a pool lifeguard at lessons and disabled swimming sessions, trained in dealing with incidents like suspected paralysis and had completed 12 different life guarding awards for pool, beach and open water as well as canoeing training for life guards.

Minimum wage kids indeed

@schoolcats I'm not minimising the qualifications of a fully trained lifeguard. Not at all. If the swimming club were prepared to pay for that it would be fabulous.

Unfortunately they haven't. What I was attempting to say was that as they obviously weren't prepared to do that they could even pay someone minimum wage to watch from poolside. Christ, they could even ask one of the parents from each class to do it.

Anything would be better than having the teacher at the other end of the pool in the water.

I have cousins who are lifeguards. I know the training and qualifications that are involved. Apologies if I was confusing.