Do your children have swimming lessons with school?? How much do you pay?

[johnbarrowmanlovesme]

I am astounded at how much they are expecting us to pay to go for swimming lessons I have helped in the past & know that they don't actually achieve much. How much do you pay?

They are free... part of the National Curriculum and thus as much of an automatic entitlement as Maths and English

Swimming is a compulsory part of the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Lessons at state schools shoule be free unless they are offered as an optional extra in addition to the standard lessons or for different age groups.

Ours are £2.60 for about 20 mins I think - it is expensive and I'd agree they don't learn much. My DSs have lessons at the weekend which are £3 for 30 mins but they work hard in that time.

Are you in England? Thought that they were free unless these are optional ones?

We are asked to make a 'voluntary' payment because the school has it's own pool to maintain. (state school).

Wow I've just seen the other replies - maybe the cost of ours is for the bus to take them to the pool rather than the lessons, still its expensive

My DTDs havn't been offered swimming lessons with school (yet). Just started Yr3.

A friend's DD is just starting lessons with school and I think that is costing ~£30 per term.

They can not even charge you for the bus on the assumption that a bus is the only way to access the lessons. All children in that particular key stage are entitled to school swimming lessons of some sort in the same way as they are entitled to any other national curriculum subject.

I think we pay something nominal like £5 for the term or something like that, but we may not even pay that. They walk to the pool, so no transport costs. They do it from Y1.

The "cost" of the lessons is always referred to as a contribution because as I understand it schools aren't allowed to make payment for any activity/trip compulsary to avoid disadvantaging children whose parents woldn't be able to pay for it so I suppose I could refuse to pay. I've actually just done the cheque today -nearly £50 for 3 DSs and they only go once a fortnight !

Oh do you pay? Ds1 starts in January but I assumed it was free!

When I learned swimming at school it was free/

Thanks for all your replies. They want us to pay £50 that does include the price of the coach there.

Where could I find out 'officially'?

Our kids walk to the pool. The lessons are £1.50 a time, or £9 for the whole lot (about 6 lessons). They have sent a note home saying they are not getting a subsidy this year.

Free lessons at school (school has own pool). We pay extra for after-school swimming lessons (about £5 a session I think).

Yes, one term a year from Y1. Done at a local swimming baths, using the pool instructors. Coached to and from, 5 min drive. Included in school fees.

About £20 for half a term - two lessons a week. But that's in their own outdoor pool. The money is for the instructor and pool maintenance.

Last school was free as they had their own outside pool and they swam every day in the summer term. New school is charging £2.50 a lesson at local pool.

ours are £4 every week at our English state primary - they go on a coach that's shared with another school.

The lessons are rubbish tbh and it does feel like a waste of money. I am in theory very happy that they go swimming with the school, but in practice it's a huge amount of hassle for a far too short, worthless swimming lesson.

£13 a term - £1 week ish for transport

All our children get free swimming lessons

£10 per child or £15 per family to swim 2/3 times a week in our own pool. Children who don't pay still get one session.

£53 for the term and they are crap
they are not a requirement of the national curriculum the requirement is that all children can swim 25m by the end of yr6 (I think) so the school don't actually have to do anything until then when they could just take all the ones who can't swim 25 metres
that's what my mate who is a primary teacher told me