School swimming lesson?

MummyDearest

Hi guys newbie here so go easy on me :-) ....

Ok my daughter who is 7 & 1/2 has been getting swim lesson with her school since junior infants ( 14 weeks in total ) she is now in 2nd class and lessons have started again at €50 for 6weeks ... now my question is .. is this part of the curriculum? the reason I ask is , she is small for her age and has been in the baby/splash pool for the 14weeks ... I went to the head and said I didn't want her going because I didn't want to have to pay another €50 for her to be back where she started ie the baby/splash pool ... I was told it was part of the curriculum and she had to go. I agreed she would go on the basis she would move to the big pool .... got a call today from the head teacher informing me that my daughter will be going back to the baby/splash pool as she let go of the float in the big pool and her head went under the water , the head teacher also pointed out to me that her legs are not long enough to be in the big pool and in her words UNTIL they GROW she won't be entering the big pool .. I was fuming mad and told her that we don't moly coddle her and if she fell off her bike she would be put back on it and told to try again!! same goes for the swimming... she will have to discuss it with the instructor and class teacher ... I kinda feel like my daughter is being discriminated against because her legs can't tip the bottom but as it has been pointed out to me babies can't tip the bottom neither can small children yet they can be given lessons in the big pool ... I need some advice as what to do ... I was going to suggest that I bring my daughter to school on the morning of swim lesson let her be marked in take her home while lessons are on and return her back when they return from lessons ? good idea or not ??


Thanks guys

aisher

Why can't she be allowed to wear arm bands or one of those float jackets - it seems safety is the issue if they are worried about her letting go of the float and not being able to touch the bottom of the pool. I would be mad too if my child had to stay in a baby splash pool - how on earth can you learn to swim there?? Either they compromise and allow the arm bands or I would ask for a refund. Its part of the curriculum but not compulsory since not all schools have access to a pool.

MummyDearest

No they won't allow arm bands .. How can a child learn to swim in the splash pool its very annoying ... she has been in the splash pool for 14 weeks and still there doing the same thing over and over I would have thought it was time to move to the next stage, but as the head told me my daughter legs are just not long enough to reach the bottom therefore she will stay in the splash pool until her legs grow ( she will probably be in secondary school by then ) never have I heard such rubbish ... I might as well have thrown the €50 down the drain ... I might add when she started the lessons in junior infants I over heard 1 of the teacher saying she was 2 small to learn to swim !!

tweenie

My children have never done swimming lessons through school. They stay in school and do work whilst the others go. I just sent in a note saying they wouldn't be attending and that was all I have to do. If you don't pay for the lessons or send in swim gear she can't do them

tweenie

aisher wrote: »

Why can't she be allowed to wear arm bands or one of those float jackets - it seems safety is the issue if they are worried about her letting go of the float and not being able to touch the bottom of the pool. I would be mad too if my child had to stay in a baby splash pool - how on earth can you learn to swim there?? Either they compromise and allow the arm bands or I would ask for a refund. Its part of the curriculum but not compulsory since not all schools have access to a pool.

Float jackets can be very dangerous if out of their depth and not fully supervised. If the kids head goes under the water it can be difficult to get it back up due to the float jacket keeping their body up (I have seen this with one of my own kids when they were younger -but thankfully I was watching them carefully and got their head up)

ladybird.12

i pay 55 euro for my child to go to swimming lessons and the school are charging 35 euro on top of that for a 7 week course at the same time. my nieces are in the swimming club and have all ready gone through and passed their assessments but my sister has to pay for the school swimming even though they have passed. Dont really understand this the rationally behind this and wonder if this should be addressed at the parents association meetings? I dont think we have the option at our school to hold back our kids from the school swimming lessons as this is part of the curriculum..

tweenie

If you don't pay etc and no swimming togs the kids can't do lessons. They don't tell you of this extra expense when you are starting kids in school Also my kids had done swimming outside school which was one of my reasons for not sending them

ShamoBuc

Alot of schools - mine included - are not bringing children swimming due to the cost involved. Aquatics is still covered through water safety, buoyancy etc.