Are you a good swimmer?

[cherub85]

Schools have to teach swimming in key stage two and now have to publish the amount of children who can’t swim the required 25 metres (I think it’s this distance). However it’s like a lot of things that have become schools duties to teach, I think it is unrealistic to expect schools to do this with the time and money they have for this. My daughter could swim this distance by about 7 but it took a couple of years from aged 4 to get there. Children who can’t swim by the time they are in year 5 at school have often not been exposed to water and swimming and are scared and maybe embarrassed and body conscious so it’s not the ideal time to learn. I believe parents should do this and entry to pools and lessons should be a reasonable cost, even if this meant being subsided by government.

[MsMinervaMouse]

Growing up, my uncle had a pool so I learned to swim from a very young age, but I don’t recall ever having lessons or anything. Then for GCSE PE I failed my swimming practical because I’m not a very technical swimmer. Very happy to jump off a boat into the sea and go for a paddle in deep water So, a strong swimmer, if not a “good” one!

[Blue nose]

I think it's more about what being able to swim actually means.

Friends say their DD can swim because she can jump in and swim back to the side, about 2m.

My DH says he can swim because he can do a length or two.

I say I'm an ok swimmer. I can do a mile (64 lengths) in about 50 minutes but only breaststroke.

My kids club swim, but I'd only say DS is a strongs swimmer out of all 4 of us.

We were diving off a boat in Barbados last year, so calm seas, and I struggled to pull DD back to it with me and it was only about 25m.

Swimming is a life skill which my kids were forced to learn. I've also drummed into them that just floating rather than swimming could save their life. It's about keeping your head out until help arrives.

Perception changes for each family. When on holiday in the rapids in the pool I only took my niece/nephew (they were 8 and 10) in places they could stand up. In my opinion they couldn't swim well enough but their parents trusted them to go off alone.

[klr15]

I can just about swim.

I had swimming lessons at school from around ages 8-11 and I went on a few caravan holidays, but I could never get the hang of it, I think it was fear and I actually only learned to swim when I was 16 in Magaluf.

I am a very basic swimmer, I don’t go on certain water slides as I could get into trouble quickly and I stick to the parts of the pool where I can stand with my head above the water, I also won’t go into the sea without someone with me just to be safe.

[Stella_11]

Originally Posted by disney332

Swimming is a wide term from basic to expert. Most would be somewhere in between and many would struggle to cope with issues.

For that reason many avoid the sea which can be unforgiving. None however would avoid the holiday pool... until now perhaps.

Disney332

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If that pool was not heated it would have been shockingly cold. I don't know whether that will have played a part though.

All my kids can swim. OH is a strong swimmer. I can swim, but barely.

[DiszeeBelle]

I am a fairly competent swimming and so is my hubby. My mam isn't and neither is my brother (don't know about sil) however both my daughters (16 &13) and my nephew (13) are competitive swimmers (I still worry when they are in the pool though) and my nieces (8) are being trained up to be competive swimmers. They do swimming as part of ks2 but my eldest never did any as part of her secondary education despite the school having it's own pool and that's where she trains (alongside the main town pool), my youngest and nephew still haven't been in the school pool. I started my children with swimming lessons and told them they could stop as soon as they could swim properly but they haven't.

[JessBlu]

Originally Posted by mickey house

Sue, I guess I am close to Olympic standard when it comes to swimming. When I was a kid aged about ten we went swimming regularly with the school (that's all stopped now), and I was awarded a 10 yard swimming certificate. Admittedly I did stop half way across and put my foot on the ground, but fortunately the teacher accessing me didn't notice. Some might say I have a fraudulent 10 yard swimming certificate.

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Kids still swim at schools year 5.

[JLH]

I nearly drowned as a child which has left me with a slight fear of water - will never jump into a pool , never go where I cant feel the bottom and sea will only be waist height for a few minutes at a time. I can swim a very small amount and I do keep thinking I should learn properly , I did insist my children learn to swim as a result of my experience. When I worked at a private school all years and classes had swimming every week all year but I know state schools dont have the funds for that .

[Loobylou_82]

I can swim but don't like putting my head under the water. I only ever do breast stroke and when away on holiday I am a sight to behold, swimming across the pool making sure my hair doesn't get wet and always have my sunglasses on !
My kids and grandkids love tormenting me by swimming close to me and saying they are going to splash me or they jump in near me.
Made sure my kids had swimming lessons when they were young and all of them are confident in the water which I envy. Wish I good dive and be more confident in the water, yet I love aqua parks and go on nearly all the slides.

[400ixl]

I can swim fine and wouldn't have an issue doing a km in open water. DW is better than she thinks but doesn't like being out of her depth.

DD is a good swimmer, we started her in a pool at 3 months and she had lessons until she could do 500m and spent lots of time on holidays in the pool and sea.

With the school corriculum there shouldn't be anyone user 35 who can't swim. Whether they have the confidence and have self belief as an adult is another thing. But most of put into a situation in a standard pool should be able to reach a side unless there is some other contributing factor.