Swimming Lessons how many would be beneficial?

[coff33pot]

Just called the leisure centre regarding 1 to 1 private lessons for DS.

He developed total refusal to go to swimming lessons at school due to being moaned at and picked on for not being quick enough getting dressed and has sensory issues about clothes biting his wet skin.

I have managed to discuss going swimming again and then perhaps he could go surfing like some of the other children and he seems keen again.

For me its safety seeing as we live by the sea and he has no fear. He said it would be fun to go pier jumping and see what its like of course I dont want him too lol seeing as he cant swim but it struck me that in a minute he will be older and try it out one way or another maybe with friends.

I have been told it is £15.40 per half hour lesson (yes I sat down lol) and the woman is ringing me back who arranges the lessons. But realistically how many per week would you say would be beneficial? Its expensive but worth it so I was thinking of a crash course to start with

If you can afford it, I would say initially book 5 lessons over 5 days and then see. You might find that is enough to get confident in the water and then can go to regular swimming lessons after that (my local pool does SN sessions).

But it might also be worth seeing if your local swimming club does lessons. Mine do and they were much smaller groups and more flexible than the leisure centre ones. During the holidays the club also runs swim teacher training sometimes, and you could get lessons for free as they trained the teachers :)

We have one a week (ours are £14 a session) but my child has very severe disabilities and needs to get to know someone slowly and trust them and then have a regular weekly thing, so it does depend on the child and whether having so many at once would throw them out of kilter and be disruptive long term or whtever but most children (NT or SN) only have one a week

We booked 6 for ds when he was 4, largely because I wanted the teacher to see he wasn't naughty and could concentrate well when given enough attention. He built a good relationship with her and was able to start group sessions after the initial 6 lessons. Has been brilliant for him, he can swim 25m now and is like a little fish in shallow water.

My DS has swimming lessons 1:1. Like yours he has no fear of the water but couldn't handle a group lesson.

He has them once a week, term time only, on the same day each week and he is so exhausted afterwards he usually has a little cry! He is happy to go back again the next week and is doing well. He got a 100m medal for backstroke at the end of this term! (Proud mummy) When he started he wouldn't lay his head back in the water and freaked out every time it was suggested.

He clicked with his current instructor, the 4th one he has had, he is great with him and has lots of experience with children with special needs and disabilities.

His lessons work out at about £14/15 a lesson (I pay per term), this is cheap in my area - the first swim school we went to charged £25 per half hour!

I wouldn't book a block of time until you know the teacher is a good match.

Thanks for all that info :)

Preparing a chart sounds good zzzzz. I will have a proper chat with the woman tomorrow as I think it is she that decides who is best to teach. I am hoping there is a man there as although he loves adults full stop he likes to feel "with the boys" :) He will do anything for anyone on his own but noisy crowds and sense of failure are a bad mix so he is best on his own till he can swim with confidence.

Unfortunately the leisure centre is all we have here as the rest are hotels you can go to but they dont have swimming lessons.

Yes I will test out how he goes with the instructor I think before I book a block. Gives me chance to save up too LOL

We have one half-hour lesson a week, one on one, for DD. She absolutely loves it, though it costs the earth (London).

She also does a free swimming for the disabled group every Saturday - it's a drive from here, a few boroughs away, but again she loves it and it gives her something to do on a Saturday. Staffed by one-on-one volunteers.

She's had lessons for a year now (academic year) and still can't swim but nearly can !