I write this really upset for my DD2 (age 10) who has just started Year 6 in her normally lovely state primary school. They have been going swimming since Year 1 for 6 weeks (1 session per week) every year. She has progressed from being a non- swimmer to now swimming unaided (don't know how far she can swim in distance). She has never particularly liked one of the swimming teachers but has always been happy enough to go.
However, she had one session last Thursday and this week, cried her little heart out on Monday evening and again this morning that she didn't want to go- but would only tell me that she didn't want to put her face in the water. I have just spoken to her teacher on the phone to tell her that she is really upset and she basically said 'well she has to go as it's part of the National Curriculum'. She did say she would check with the TA who goes with them but my daughter is not one to cry or fuss at school, so im sure she would have not showed any emotion last week. This has left me feeling really upset for my daughter as she is so upset. My daughter is bright, has lots of friends and otherwise really happy at school- we have never taken her out of anything at school in the past. Has anybody got any ideas? My gut feeling is to write a letter refusing her permission to go but I normally have such a good relationship with the school and her teacher (who she's had as her class teacher for 2 years so appeared to know her quite well) and seems a shame to mess this up in her last year. I appreciate in life we have to do things we don't always want to do, but she was so upset and we do swim on holiday and in the school holidays locally as well and she absolutely loves going to the pool with me and her older sister.