Swim Skills progression

[WeeM]

Child is in Swim Skills 1 and has been for some time. Sometimes I feel like the lessons spend a lot of time going over basic things that they are all competent in already. The lessons are already short and I just wonder if she is getting the most out of it. How long did your child spend in Swim Skills 1 before progressing to 2?

Swim Skills is split into two levels 1a & 1b. My daughter only spent a term in each as she’d already done 2 years of preschool swimming. She’s now in Swim Skills 2 and has done 1 term and achieved 50% of the checklist. I think she won’t achieve it all this term either.

My son spent 5 terms in Swim Skills 4.

What is it your child isn’t achieving to move up? Is it the same thing each term? If so, speak to the teacher.

Our swim skills 1 doesn’t appear to be split up (or it doesn’t show up that way when you log in). Been in that class almost a year but only thing left to achieve is the swimming 10m on front and back and she does need to improve her stroke with breathing. But they sometimes spend a fair amount of the time going through the mushroom floats/star floats one at a time. Unfortunately we have also suffered with inconsistent teachers so when a new one is there they don’t know what Sort of stage they are all at. One week she was marked as having achieved her 10m on front then the next week it got changed back to ‘progressing’ by someone else. The changeover is always so busy and rushed it’s very hard to talk to them but I will maybe need to try and see. Thanks for your help

We had similar issues. DS2 spent over two years in Swim Skills 1 and over a year in Swim Skills 2. He gained great water confidence, completely at ease under the water going through hoops and picking up sinkers but without mastering the strokes and actually swimming! He's now made great progress after having some 1:1 tuition in a much bigger pool where he was able to swim multiple widths at each lesson and develop some rhythm in his swimming which was very difficult in a larger class in a tiny stretch of pool.

DS1 took 7 years on and off to complete swim programme to end of swim skills 4 but had been a proficient lengths swimmer for a couple of years before that. He used to stop or put his feet down mid length because he was worried about crashing into others. He also didn't move up levels for long periods sometimes due to there being no space in the level above.

If you can, I'd get some 1:1s to focus on stroke technique and see if you can speak to swim staff to query lack of progression.

My ds had some 1:1 lessons when he was at that stage which helped him progress. He then got stuck in level 3 or 4. I can't remember which so I took him out and we go swimming together once a week which he much prefers. I am thinking of booking some more 1:1 sessions but they are expensive. Or maybe I will get him into lessons during the summer holidays. He really needed a break from weekly lessons after doing them for over 2 years.

Is the teacher in the water, or out the pool? My DS stopped making progress when the teacher came out the water. I have changed to a private swimming school where there are smaller ratios & the teacher is in the pool.

My kids never had any sort of swimming before swim skills 1 and they started that in August. They're still there but have passed all the assessment except for back stroke. They just need to do that for 10m.

I've noticed that one of the instructors is amazing and the kids make so much progress... the other is very laidback and they don't seem to really do much during the lesson (just a lot of splashing) so I feel he has slowed them down.

Well the previous teacher was mainly out of the water which I’m not so keen on as I feel she spent a lot of time shouting to be heard. The newest one has been in the water so maybe that’ll help. I think I might look into some 1:1 although it sticks in my throat a bit to pay for it when I’m already paying a DD for her to learn to swim!