Concerned - reception swimming lessons

[Worriedlisa]

Very concerned about this
DS who is still only 4 is expected to walk 1/2 mile to the leisure centre and then have a group swimming lesson.
He can't swim and isn't fond of swimming but all the other parents have opted in and paid the fee.
It doesn't help last year a child left the leisure centre after getting changed and walked back to school alone, crossing a main road and nobody even noticed - well until he turned up in the reception area.
They're still so young, what a stupid idea.

How brilliant that they have swimming lessons in Reception. Half a mile's nothing. I would have been really pleased if my children had that opportunity.

I don't see the problem, I am gutted that my receptiin age dd who should be swimming at school after easter probably won't be as thete is a maintenance issue with the pool (school has pool on site). All my older children have swum with school once a week from receptiin then in the last two years or so it's gradually been cut back so rather than every week all year round it was one term on one term off and reception don't swim until summer term ad some parents complained it was too cold for them to be swimming earlier than that, ffs!

They swim in small groups with a qualified swim teacher and helpers in the pool and there is a parent help rota to supervise getting changed etc.
Half a mile is nothing Btw my reception child walks two miles to school, normally she cycles it but she has had to walk it for the past few weeks for various reasons and is fine. So a half a mile walk to go swimming is no issue.

thetrouble I can just picture a class of reception age children running fannying around in the changing rooms. Poor teachers.

I would be concerned too; they are very young and maybe not all of them are fully independent on getting change. I imagen they will need at least one qualified teacher per 4 children in the pool and lots of parent helpers to help getting change, packing their stuff, walking with them.

When my 4 year old DD started swimming lessons not with school the teacher got distracted with other kids; she was left behind, let got of her floatis and started to drawn; I was watching closely and managed to grab her out of the water, she was not far from the edge. That teacher doesn't teach anymore in that club.

My daughters school starts in year 2 which is perfect imo and they do it again in year 4.

I think it is a big responsibility.

Drown not drawn. Not sure what would have happened if I wasn't there. I don't let her go in the swimming pool when they do holiday club but I let my oldest one from when she was a competent swimmer at 6; also more independent

Do all your schools have adults in the pool with the children? Dd has been going swimming with school since reception and there has never been an adult in the water, just instructors on the side and school staff, usually TAs sitting watching... I am not sure she learns much from the lessons to be honest, now in year 3 and can still only just do a width...

There should be adults in the lower non swimmer levels

We have adults in the water with the non-swimmers.

The whole trip will have been risk assessed not only by the school but by the swimming pool as well. This includes any individual children who need 1:1 support when on trips, even if they don't need it in the classroom.

I would not be at all concerned at my dd having gone swimming when she was in Reception.

If you choose for your child not to go, then what do you propose the school does with them? All Reception staff will be going swimming.

It seems really strange that there aren't fixed rules about the staff/pupil ratios for this. Also trained instructor, lifeguard, TA, parent volunteers, in/out of the water, supervision in changing rooms etc.

There aren't fixed rules about ratios because each school/class is expected to make sure that the ratio is right for that particular group of children. Some classes may be ok with one adult to 6 or even 8 children, but another class might need 1 adult to 2 or 3 children. If you had a fixed ratio of, say, 1:8, then some classes would be very unsafe.

The risk assessment will also cover things like supervision in the changing rooms etc.

Dd did swimming from start of school upwards for a term or so each year. It was just over half a mile each way. There was no problem - it really isn't far.

They had no parent helpers but covered staff child ratios from school staff.

The teachers didn't go in the pool usually. The swimming pool used their own instructors who were in with the girls. All fully qualified and used to group lessons - the pool also did lessons at weekends etc.

The school staff sat at the edge and supervised additionally that way. So actually in the swimming sessions they were always well over the ratios.

School staff also supervised the changing rooms. And the pool had a locked exit door so children couldn't just leave anyway although the always had a member of teaching staff stood outside the changing rooms waiting.

What on earth is the issue? If young dc can't swim and don't like it, then surely going alongside their friends, most of whom are unlikely to be amazing swimmers, is the ideal opportunity to change their opinion? And not buying the angst about a mile round walk.

The only issue I see on the walk is for the poor staff having to deal with babied dc who haven't ever been anywhere they weren't driven or pushed to.

Walking no problem as far as I can see, half a mile really isn't far and most children enjoy getting out to something different during the school day, but having taken a group of foundation stage children swimming before now (age 3, mostly non swimmers) I think the teachers are nuts. Brave but nuts
Way more hassle than it's worth and we spent more time getting the children ready than actually in the pool. I'm not even going to get started about getting them all dry and dressed again!
Our school does lessons from year 2 which seems to be easier for everyone.

We took nursery each week at my last school although parents could go in the water too. With reception we had parent helpers for changing and they swam in pretty large groups. The pool floor was raised so that the smallest hold could always touch the bottom. It was great by the time they were in year 2 everyone could swim.

1/2 a Mile?! A four year old should find walking half a mile a doddle, physical disabilities aside.

Learning to swim is an essential life skill, look at those poor little boys who recently drowned in their pond and be grateful that your child is being given the opportunity to learn to swim.

Ds goes to a nursery school with a pool, they have been taking them weekly since they started (some of them are only just coming up 3). They go in the water in groups of 4, with an instructor and a teaching assistant, another teaching assistant sits on the side with the others, and then all staff help the kids redress and walk them back to class. On the same day the kids will easy do a 1/2 mile walk.

I love it, ds loves it - it's one of the reasons I chose his school, and he's come on leaps and bounds with his swimming.