Share your questions with Olympian Swimmer and dad Adam Peaty - £200 voucher to be won.

[EllieSmumsnet]

Do you want to get your child interested in swimming? Perhaps you are unsure on how to do so? This is your opportunity to ask Olympian Adam Peaty (Speedo Swim United Ambassador) about why swimming is great for your children and how you can help make sure they don’t miss out on this vital and enjoyable life skill.

1 in 4 children leave primary school unable to swim; and it’s only set to get worse. Find out more information here and sign the petition to help children stay safe in the water.

● Anyone that shared a question below by the 02/05/2023 will be eligible for the prize draw.

● Once lucky Mumsnet User will win a £200 Amazon voucher.

● Adam will be back online in a couple of weeks to answer a selection of your questions.

About Adam:
“This isn’t just about or meeting curriculum requirements, it’s about physical and mental health and, most importantly, saving lives and safe-guarding our children.

We need the government to support campaigns and initiatives such as Speedo Swim United if we are to give ourselves the best chance of success in the future”.

About Speedo Swim United:
“Swim United is our commitment to greater equity in the water, through learn to swim programme work, partnerships and communications we are working to help ensure all children can find their joy in the water.

Currently 1 in 4 children leave primary school unable to swim, of which the majority come from socially disadvantaged or ethnic minority backgrounds. At Swim united we’re connected by the shared belief that everyone belongs in the pool.

Our programme supports 7-to-12 year olds and their families to swim, based in some of the communities we know need the most support in England.

Swim United communications feature diverse community of swimmers who stand for inclusion in swimming. Discover Swim United at Speedo UK."

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

This Q&A is now closed.

Adam is poorly so why not take this thread down until he feels able to answer these questions please?

I agree

Any tips for swimwear for a cold Council run swimming pool - the heating seems to have been turned to it's lowest setting - I'd like an all on one for DS to wear

Do you think a child would learn better with a teacher in lessons where there are instructions and boundaries or with a parent who can offer security and warmth - and why ?

@Ritasueandbobtoo9 and @Fluffodils We immediately reached out to Speedo after Adams update a few weeks ago. They have reassured us that learn to swim for children is a long-term issue Adam is committed to and ready to answer questions on, with the support of Mumsnet, Speedo and his team.

Hi mumsnet, when will we be able to see Adam’s answers? Thanks

Swimming lessons are a great start for both you and your daughters. Its important you learn to swim through professional swimming lessons and trained teachers to give you the right skills and confidence to learn this life skill but also to be able to enjoy the water safely. I'm glad you spend time in the pool with them too, its a great family bonding activity and fun on holiday! Maybe its a good time for you to also learn so you can all enjoy swimming together as a family.

Great to hear your son is loving swimming so much. Enjoyment is the absolute key to keeping kids in the sport. There's no exact science to how many sessions work best so it's got to be an ongoing conversation with your son to see whether they're still loving the sport and what options you have - in the first instance of not enjoying something always give it 3-6months to level out any highs and lows before making any moves. I didn't move to a performance squad until quite late on - 14yrs old - and everyone will have different routes through the sport so start off locally, build from there and always be willing to take a step back sometimes to move forwards - as long as they enjoy it you'll be moving in the right direction .

Great to hear your son is loving swimming so much. Enjoyment is the absolute key to keeping kids in the sport. There's no exact science to how many sessions work best so it's got to be an ongoing conversation with your son to see whether they're still loving the sport and what options you have - in the first instance of not enjoying something always give it 3-6months to level out any highs and lows before making any moves. I didn't move to a performance squad until quite late on - 14yrs old - and everyone will have different routes through the sport so start off locally, build from there and always be willing to take a step back sometimes to move forwards - as long as they enjoy it you'll be moving in the right direction .

Really sadly the 1 in 4 kids are leaving school unable to swim; is now 1 in 3, its been compounded by COVID, the energy crisis leading to pools closures too recently and affects kids from more socially disadvantaged or ethnic minority communities the most.

I'm really hoping to help change this as an ambassador for the Speedo Swim United Campaign along with Ellie Simmonds & Michael Gunning. We're working with Speedo to lobby to the UK government to help change the and ensure that every child in the UK attains the swimming skills set out by the national curriculum.

You can find out more about our asks for change here and it would be great if you could pledge your support too. https://www.change.org/Speedoswimunited

It's saddening that so many pools are being affected by the energy crisis, over 100 UK pools are predicted to close or reduce service by summer 2023 without help. Speedos Swim United initiative is petitioning to the government for more support for pools.

In the meantime; I've supported Speedo Swim United to launch its pop-up pool programme as an intervention to help address what has become a crisis and risk to life for children in the UK. The programme enables thousands of children to become water safe within a matter of months and will create a pathway back to leisure centres for thousands of families in the west midlands by igniting a passion for swimming in children who may otherwise not have the opportunity to learn this life skill and experience the joy of swimming

Both routes are great early on as they are gaining confidence in the water and the fundamentals of swimming. As they go past 7 yrs and get their proficiency up in swimming I think it helps a lot to be in lessons and learn other life skills from the environment of having teachers and class mates - it really depends on their best learning style, your swim experience and their proficiency however there's no harm in doing both side by side though in the meantime before your swimmer decides if they want to progress from learning to swim into club swimming.

Along with Speedo Swim United we are petitioning to the Government to ring-fence funding provided to schools for swimming lessons and include this as part of Ofsted inspections.

There are also other asks to support swimming with the pool closure/ due to the energy crisis and investment in community engagement to reach the community groups who may face cultural and systemic barriers to swimming. If you haven't already it would be great if you could pledge your support too - https://www.change.org/Speedoswimunited

Thank you for your support and signing the petition, really appreciated. Speedo Athletes and Ambassadors are supporting Swim United to lobby to the Government for change. Myself, Ellie Simmonds and Michael Gunning are all supporting the Swim United Petition and in fact competitive swimmer and good friend of mine, Michael Gunning represented Swim United Campaign for change in Parliament a few weeks ago to help drive a positive difference and greater equity in swimming.

School swimming is on the national curriculum, but unfortunately funding isn't ringfenced by the Government or measured by Ofsted. This is something were asking the government to change so all children learn this life skill.

Thank you for your questions and I'm very sorry to hear your son is having a tough time with his coach. The relationship between swimmer and coach is critical for swimmer's to progress. For me, Mel has been fundamental in shaping the swimmer I am today and recognises what l need from her and when. In the first instance it's always good to talk it through with the coach but if that's not an option or it persists do seek club or swim England support or look at alternative clubs.

With your other question around your son being a late developer and young in his age group, this is where trusting the process and loving what you do is key. I didn't move to a performance club until I was 14 and there's plenty of great examples where late developers or late entrants to the sport actually end up doing better as they're able to work on their skills and technique first - for example Duncan Scott. So it's really important to stay committed, keep working hard and practice those skills - make that your super power in races - so that when puberty does come and the playing field is leveled - he'll have even more to draw upon for his races. That delay will also make the achievements feel even more special when they come, which they will as it sounds like he's putting the work in - often if you get to a high level too soon it can make you lose sight of the achievements and possibly even become disinterested so this will hopefully keep him in the sport for longer and learning to love the process which is a huge life skill.

The timings for counties, regional and nationals have all shifted around since I was a similar age to your son, I'm not quite sure what the best policy is but I'd always see being the smallest or the youngest as an opportunity to go and prove people wrong, use it as fuel for my race day energy and bring it with me to training to get my skills as good as possible and surprise the competition at meets.

Thank you for your message of support, means a lot to me. I think its important to find a good balance of both learning to swim and enjoying the water. As long as she's enjoying it I would encourage her to continue with valuable swimming lessons so she can become confident and safe in water. Also find the time to enjoy the pool on the weekend as a family or on holiday in the sea. Splashing, flume sides, or jumping the waves also show how enjoyable the water is too!

I think going back to some simple basics and introducing water safely at home in a fun way is the best way to help her start to feel more comfortable again. Splashing, blowing bubbles, toys in the bath tub and then slowly introducing her back to the swimming pool. Perhaps in the shallow end with some friends and toys, so she can safely be introduced back to the pool and find her fun in the water. I hope you manage to help her enjoy water and swimming again soon.

Being in water and being able to swim will hopefully be part of your child's life now and forever. The earlier they start, the more familiar they will become and the more they can enjoy water safely wherever that in lessons, pools with friend and family or on holiday in the sea.

Thank you for you kind message and words of support. I love swimming and it has brought me so much enjoyment and opportunity in life. Being able to bring that joy and skill to the next generation is very rewarding. Really glad your child enjoyed my race clinic!

Hi Adam- masters swimmer here, racing similar times aged 55 as I did age 10/11!
Huge admirer of your ability and mentality.
My kids never enjoyed their lessons at all. I insisted they got a certain competency- but the lessons/ stages etc are incredibly boring for children. They really need a new approach to make learning to swim actually fun and enjoyable. More games and strength building, rather than technical perfectionaged 6....What do you think?

Thank you for your support and best wishes. Persistence, encouragement and balance are key. Keep up their swimming lessons, but help them find a balance of more leisure time in water with yourself to so its not just lessons and strokes. Also keep encouraging them and celebrating their milestones when they achieve each new level.

To develop stamina, technique or anything really, you've generally got to work at it more and focus on those areas but it's important not to specialise too early and I'm not sure how old your son is. Generally speaking, the more metres someone is doing, the fitter they get. I would suggest he's doing as much activity as he feels able to and also really importantly, that he's enjoying that time, whether it's in a lesson or fun family time. It's really important for him to find that balance.

I would've like to have done the Paso Double because I feel it suits my character and would've been really fun. I'm not sure what we would've done for our couples choice, there was quite a lot to choose from!

There is no magic number that can tell a parent/coach, that a child is ready to swim competitively. Most competitive swimmers tend to start at a an age, 8-12 years because of the mastery of skills and emotional maturity involved in training, but I didn't start until I was 14. Any child will need at least a few years of swim lessons to learn technique before even thinking about competing. It may take some kids more time to develop a competitive instinct and the maturity to commit to a training schedule than other kids, regardless of skill level in the pool. I hope your child would like to start swimming competitively !