Is it fair that parents should have to go in to change their child during school swimming lessons???

[trainspotter]

Our primary school insists that we, as parents, have to go in to school each week, during school hours, to change our children for their swimming lesson. It's a nightmare!! I've got a 21 month old who I have to take with me and it's bang in the middle of his sleep time. The changing rooms are tiny and boiling hot. What do I do when i have to return to work? does anyone know whether I have to accept this. But I don't want to be known as 'the troublesome parent!!!'

This is ridiculous! Why can't the children change themselves?

if they all can't dress and undress then maybe school should rethink swimming lessons

is this only for the children who can't dress themselves?

School will stand by the 'we're not allowed to' rule I'm afraid .. H&S or Child Protection or something

Do you mean that every parent has to go in to change their own child? That sounds like complete overkill! How many in the class?

The schools were I've worked had a rota for parents to sign up to if they were free. I think we worked on a ratio of about 1 adult to 4 or 5 children whenever possible (these were year 1s).

where obviously, not were

What? Ridiculous. How do working parents manage that?

Oh that's so sad.
What utter, utter lunacy. I would at least make your feelings clear and ask if there's any way around this.

Only CRB checked parents can do this at ds's school - are there no parents who are CRB checked and would be prepared to do this for the whole class ?

ridiculous

suggest a rota of parents to help

one parent for 5 kids

most kids should beable to do it themselves and just need supervision

They change them for PE, so why not for swimming? We've started a two-weekly rota,but although this gives me a week off, it also means, double the trouble!

I've written the headteacher a polite but firm letter, but am quite nervous about handing it in.

oh my i dont even dress my reception aged child after swimming outside of school with me!! she can dress herself perfectly well

They can all dress themselves (Yr 1), they're just a bit slow and need someone to chivvy them along. In fact, my son behaves better when I'm not there. But our headmaster has guilt-tripped us and said that the money would be better spent elsewhere in the school, than on someone to supervise the changing rooms.

We do already pay £36 a year though towards the upkeep of the pool, which I don't mind paying. In fact, I'd probably remortgage my house and pay a bit more if it meant I didn't have to go in!

I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in all my life.

Maybe the school are trying to make a political point to their Child Protection Officer or something?

In our school this is voluntary and normally about 4 parents go with the kids.
Obviously most mothers work so they would be unable to comply with this. Are you sure you have understood the situation correctly as this seems a bit odd to me.

It is odd and most of the parents hate it, but apparently letters have been written before, but nothing changes. I love the school, it's just the swimming arrangements that are crazy.

do you not have any parents who work at this time?

What do parents who work do ?
My childrens school take them swimming right from Reception, the teachers , TAs and a couple of parents help each week though the children are encouraged to change themselves. Seems mad you have to go in !

Absolutely ridiculous - don't people work? Are they expected to just walk out of work to supervise dressing and undressing.

I'd refuse permission for my DS to have the swimming lessons personally, I take him swimming as it is so I don't need the school to teach him, PE lessons are scarce enough they could be doing something much more fun (by the time they get undressed and dressed again about half the lesson time is gone, some of the kids will be really confident, some will be terrified and it is all just a palavar).

Do you live in an area where there is exceptionally high unemployment and every child has at least one parent who is not working at swimming time?

utterly ridiculous, so what if they are slow? it is nor as if in Y1 they are missing out on something else vital... actually the practice in getting themselves dressed and putting away their googles/towel/swimsuit is probably better education for them at their age than anything else....???

Not unfair, ridiculous.

Are children who are not physically coordinated enough to dress and undress themselves actually physically coordinated enough to learn to swim?

actually Anna yes they can be

I would have to tell them my child can't go swimming then... if it was on one of the days I work.

The swimming lessons at dd's school were generally crap anyway. She learned during lessons at the local pool instead.

The school should have to find a solution to this. If the children are not quick enough, for example changed by the time the whistle blows, they will not get the swimming lesson.

Could this be the schools way of telling you parents you have to encourage your children to do as they are told, and some self sufficiency?

Capp - how can that be? Children can usually dress/undress by 4 but are rarely able to swim before 6...