Do you pay for school swimming lessons?

[Wigeon]

DD1 has just started in Y3 and the school charges £48 a term for school swimming lessons, to cover the cost of the coach and swimming teacher. They are emphasising that this is a compulsory part of the national curriculum, but their budget doesn't stretch to funding it.

There seems to be a point of principle here - are school budgets really so tight that schools can't afford to fund all the compulsory elements of the curriculum? There would be an outcry if parents were asked to fund part of teacher's salaries, or the caretakers' brooms, or to buy a new noticeboard for the staffroom, which are other essential elements of running a school. When asked, the HT said that if parents didn't pay for the swimming lessons, she'd have to ask them to pay for something else like textbooks.

I know that not all parents do cough up (on principle, not because of poverty), and so there's an additional issue that those that do are subsidising those that don't. Or the school pays for some people - in which case why can't they pay for all?

I don't mind paying at all for extra trips, or end of term treats etc etc, but am pretty annoyed about paying for something which is a core part of the school's responsibility to deliver.

I want to write to someone (the local authority? The local MP?) to make the point that it appears schools are so badly underfunded that they can't afford to pay for compulsory elements of what they are expected to do.

So, does your school charge for swimming lesson? How much? What justification have they given? And are you happy to pay?

We pay, im not entirely sure how much but my DS sch swim all year, in every year group (ex recep).

Got to say I'm at all of this! Dd1 will be going at some point this year (Y3). Am I going to have to pay lots? I'm already paying £100 a term for council swimming lessons for both my dds and dd1 has her 800m already and is working on Stage 7.

If it's £££ can I opt out?!?

You can't opt out because it is a compulsory part of the national curriculum. However, the school can't insist that you pay, so technically the charge is voluntary. Or you might be in one of the schools that doesn't charge, or charges a nominal amount...

I opted out even though it is part of the national curriculum. It did involve a lot of angry messages from the school and them pointing out the national curriculum requirements to me.
I didn't opt out due to the cost (which was £25 for half a term) as I had already paid, I opted out because they insisted on my child wearing Arm bands when he could already swim 500m unaided. The arm bands really knocked his confidence and his private swim teacher said that swimming with arm bands would hamper his technique.

DS goes to private lessons and goes with school as well. School charges £1 a week, but I am not sure it is compulsory. DS could not find his coin this week and they still took him... We paid the next day.

You can't legally opt out of swimming lessons but you can opt out of paying for a statutory subject.

We really suffer as rural schools - in town many schools simply walk. It also takes up a bigger proportion of curriculum time. As a parent I hated it as all my children swam from a very early age. Would rather they learnt Latin or something. As a teacher I see the importance - so many children in year 5/6 will have never been swimming if they haven't gone with the school.

You can opt out of the swimming lessons at our school, but you have to put it in writing (presumably to cover the school as you are opting out of part of the curriculum). Someone in DD's class didn't go. In fact, DD herself wasn't too keen and had to be talked into going, she did enjoy it (and she does swimming lessons outside school as well).

I do know that some parents are not keen on paying sending their children because they can already swim and they don't see the point of having two lots of lessons. My DD is not a strong swimmer so the more practice the better IMO! They are split by ability and we complete paperwork with distance or skills certificates (or to say non-swimmer).

You can't legally opt out of the statutory curriculum no matter what you write. I'm afraid school is acting illegally.

Our school has it's own pool, but I've just paid £40 for this term.
DS in yr 6. Have been paying since reception.
All of the yr 6 children can now swim. I had no idea payment wasn't compulsory

A school with a pool can ask for a contribution towards the upkeep of the pool. They are not asking you to pay for the teaching time. If schools do not use local pools it is likely they will close. Many have. There will be no lessons at all then. Like it used to be. I am not sure I like the idea of parents picking and choosing what part of the curriculum they want and what they don't want. What on earth is wrong with swimming with the class? My children loved swimming both in lessons at the local pool and with their class. Some parents grumble about everything. Must be so hard for the teachers to deal with this.

Swimming starts in year 4 and we have to pay £28 a term to cover the cost of coach hire. Kids rarely learn to swim because the groups are so big so I have had to supplement these lessons with our own private ones too.

I know people are saying that you can't legally opt out of school swimming but the fact is that I did opt out for my child and there were no repercussions. It had nothing to do with payment (as I said above, I had already paid). I wasn't going to let my child continue having school lessons that were hindering his private lessons and swimming technique.

What do you think a school does if your child just 'forgets' his swim kit every week? Most schools don't have spares so your child doesn't go swimming.
Or if the class go swimming first thing in the morning and your child is purposefully late every swim day and misses the coach then they don't go swimming. There are ways of opting out if a school won't agree to it.

My child's school agreed after some argument that we could opt out of swimming but I did have to show them evidence of my child having already met the national curriculum requirements.

It's the school who are breaking the law, not the parent!

According to this lots of schools are breaking the law by not providing any swimming lessons:

www.theguardian.com/education/2014/nov/05/primary-school-children-swimming-lessons

Aren't lots of schools also breaking the law by asking parents to pay and not making it clear that the payment is voluntary and the child will still be taken swimming regardless of whether the parents pay?

Because lots if schools are doing it does it make it right?

KS2 swim, every week, coach load of them travelling 30 mins to a pool here - never been asked for cash but I would contribute if they did because I can afford to.

Ordinary small primary - all their kids can swim when they leave.

I didn't say it made it right and I certainly don't think that it is right. I'm just wondering how so many schools are getting away with not meeting their legal requirements. Whilst I accept that swimming costs schools money, it is part of the national curriculum and should be provided without charge to the parents and schools should certainly not be asking for contributions without making it very clear that any contributions are voluntary.
Schools get a budget and they need to manage that budget in a way that means all the legal national curriculum requirements are met without them asking parents to pay for stuff.

It would be interesting to see exactly what the NC prescribes.

Our school is fab, the children get to do a lot of things that are over and above what I expect.

Does the NC say that a child should swim every week, all year round for four years? I doubt it, hence I would be happy to pay.

DD has swimming lessons outside school anyway but the more she swims the better as far as I am concerned.

I wasn't going to let my child continue having school lessons that were hindering his private lessons and swimming technique.

My dcs had the same teachers for the school lessons as their private lessons. The school lessons gave them extra practice that week and their swimming came on leaps and bounds, because it was more practise.

FWW these debates were going on when my dc were in primary and they are 18 and 20 now, we had to pay then and I helped out at the pool in the changing room and occassionally in the class with one of the very nervous swimmers.

The National Curriculum says

Physical education–key stages 1 and 2

Subject content
Key stage 1
Pupils should develop
fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and
confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They should be able to engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations.
Pupils should be taught to:

master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and
catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range ofactivities

participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending

perform dances using simple movement patterns.

Key stage 2
Pupils should continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement.
They should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They should develop an understanding of how to improve in different
physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.
Pupils should be taught to:

use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination

play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis],
and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending

develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example,
through athletics and gymnastics]

perform dances using a range of movement patterns

take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team

compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Swimming and water safety

All schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or
key stage 2.

In particular, pupils should be taught to:

swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres

use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and
breaststroke]

perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

as you can see it doesn't specify how long should be spent on teaching any of the activities only what school be taught over the six years and what children should be able to do at the end of that time.

The key word as far as swimming lesson provision is concerned is must

I opted dd out of the lessons for a year (very complicated back story but all resolved and she is back swimming now). I just declined permission to take her off site to the pool.

I opted out of swimming at school too, not because of costs but because the "lessons" were so appalling. In fact, the school sessions managed to make DD regress as a swimmer.

The school were fine with DD opting out.

I like that swimming in part of the national curriculum, and it's an important life skill. However, in general as it's taught through school it's so lame and half-assed . If it's on the national curriculum, it should be done properly - with adequate time and resources committed to the subject. Nothing can be really learnt in a 10-15 slot (after all the changing room faff and register) for a single term. It's a box ticking exercise only.

Seems to be one of those 'doubletalk' issues. Recent Department of Education guidance to Governors and Heads is quite clear at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/365929/charging_for_school_activities_-_October_2014.pdf

Swimming is part of the National Curriculum and the target is to be able to swim 25 Metres by age 11. Primary schools have a mandatory duty and cannot charge either for the provision and tuition or for transport deemed necessary. Part of the funding from Central Govt to Local Govt or direct in the case of Free Schools and Academies is supposed to reflect this.

Schools can ask for donations, they can ask the PTA to raise funds, they can implore Father Christmas but they must provide but cannot charge, cannot insist and cannot embarrass, sanction or discriminate. It's all in the guidance.

Of course, if the same Local Authority is closing pools, charging vast sums, making pools into playgrounds with moving water, slides etc. so unsuitable for teaching then it becomes difficult as it also does if the money which is not 'ringfenced' is diverted.

Teaching swimming was made compulsory in Britain long ago and, like vaccination, resulted in a rapid improvement of survival chances. In other societies, like parts of the USA where drowning remains a major cause of premature death, our UK statistics are used to support the case for a similar positive intervention.

It would be at a cost in lives for us to lose it and it should not be made some sort of 'optional extra' to be paid for - I've just been asked for £120 for my twins to have a terms lessons. Many parents simply could not afford this kind of charge.

Our school has its own pool (sounds grander than it is, it's outdoors!) and they swim May to Oct half term. We are asked for £25 per year which I know isn't much. When I say asked I mean nagged. I don't mind paying but it is the principle of "this is compulsory but you have to pay this." DH was made redundant last year and I did have to ignore the 'reminders' for a while.