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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Swimming Lessons / Your Thoughts

18 replies

Trinidading3 · 04/12/2022 12:46

School has decided to give two weeks intensive Swimming Lessons every morning. I have a feeling that my child should maybe not attend....due to freezing weather....Strep A issues..can't understand why they are going during coldest days.....what do you think?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

2reefsin30knots · 04/12/2022 12:47

It's on the National Curriculum, so you may not have the option to withdraw.

thewriteradmitsthat · 04/12/2022 12:48

Is there a link between swimming and strep A?

Hangingtrousers · 04/12/2022 12:48

My dd is swimming this term.. i pack a hat for the walk back to school. It would be better in the summer I agree, but viruses cause illnesses not being cold so just take sure your child has warm clothes for after and a good swimming hat to keep their dry.

Hangingtrousers · 04/12/2022 12:49

Schools dont often get to choose when their slot is at the local pool and it does cost schools a lot of money so just try and see the positve.

Wolfiefan · 04/12/2022 12:52

in an outside pool? Bad idea.
in a heated indoor pool? Great idea

angelopal · 04/12/2022 12:52

We have been doing weekly school lessons and they wear swimming hats so no wet hair. They are not close enough to the pool to walk so get a bus. Not bothered about illness. They are in clas all day together so probably more risk of catching something there than the swimming pool.

Singleandproud · 04/12/2022 12:56

Everyone in the class basically having a dunk in bleach - sounds perfect for killing some pathogens.

You don't catch illnesses by being wet or even by being cold. A swimming hat and a nice bobbly hat and warm coat for the journey sounds great.

If you are allowed to you could send them in with soup in a food flask or something else warming for lunch it's what I did for DD during the winter months regardless.

DDs school didn't even go swimming as it was too expensive - yes, it's on the NC but academies can do as they please. The school is 10 minutes walk from the sea so it's a pretty important skill to have. Many of her friends couldn't swim at all when she had a swimming party in year 5.

Sherrystrull · 04/12/2022 12:58

Can your child swim?

PuttingDownRoots · 04/12/2022 13:01

If they are doing the lessons in the North Sea you may have a point.

But children do swimming lessons all year round.

oviraptor21 · 04/12/2022 13:06

I'd be a bit annoyed too but I don't think the school have much choice about it.
I always used to get a cold after swimming - absolutely without fail so I do think there's a connection. It is what it is though and at least DC will have the holidays in which to get better.

Lightningrain · 04/12/2022 13:10

The school probably don’t get a choice when the lessons are and it’s an important life skill. Just make sure she’s got warm clothes to put on afterwards if you’re worried.

arethereanyleftatall · 04/12/2022 13:11

I'd think how wonderful it is that our children get the opportunity to learn to swim at school.

olympicsrock · 04/12/2022 13:20

I think it’s a great opportunity. My children are swimming twice a week in December. As long as the pool is heated then then is no issue.

jannier · 04/12/2022 13:25

Your child won't get Ill from swimming....more important issue is some parents will struggle to get stuff dry especially with a family perhaps others swimming ...not everyone has endless towel supplies and drying towels needs heat.

LeafHunter · 04/12/2022 13:31

Sounds absolutely fine to me. Teach your child how to dry off properly and if they have long hair either provide a swimming cap and teach them
how to use it or a hat for walking back.

local independent school have a pool and are still using it regularly - it’s a pretty normal thing to do.

LondonGirl83 · 04/12/2022 17:38

Viruses cause illness and are more prevalent in the winter because people spend more time indoors not because it's cold per se.

Children do swimming lessons all year round so it would be very unreasonable for the school to have lessons this time of year at all.

QueenofLouisiana · 04/12/2022 18:00

There has been a huge drop in the number of children accessing swimming: covid, pool closures and now reduced parental spending are a few of the causes.
Schools which are trying to address this issue (assuming heated indoor pool rather than a lake) should’ve congratulated. They don’t get a lot of choice about the timings.

HectorGloop · 05/12/2022 12:09

DD (Yr 4) had this a couple of weeks ago. The school got allocated a two week slot, so I'm not sure how much choice your school will have had. They concentrated very much on life saving skills and water safety, rather than technique, which seems very sensible to me considering how much covid has interrupted lessons and access to pools over the last couple of years. I guess it's not the best 2 week block to have because of all the christmas activites that are going on, but the benefits will be worth it.

Just make sure your child has a warm coat and a hat to put on for the journey back. I got DD a towel turban thing to wrap her long hair up in which was useful too.

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