Swimming

[Lorr123]

Hi, my son is year 8 at high school. His school has introduced swimming which is not part of the national curriculum in high school.
He hates it and has severe sensory issues regarding it, like being wet with shorts on, the chlorine smell, noise etc and is a weak swimmer, worrying that all his friends can swim well. He is SEN with adhd and anxiety disorder.The school have said he has to do it, can I refuse him too as it is causing so much stress to him and us this discrimination? TIA

The National Curriculum is a red herring. Don’t focus on that. Lots of secondary schools are not maintained schools so don’t have to follow the national curriculum. Although they are required to offer a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the physical development of pupils. Swimming is part of PE and some schools offer it as part of that.

However, the school must make reasonable adjustments and make their best endeavours to meet DS’s SEN. That includes adapting PE where necessary. Focus on that rather than the national curriculum.

If swimming is off-site you could also withdraw permission to go off-site.