View Full Version : Swimming Lessons - or Lack of them !!!!!!
Ok guys here is the situation.
I have a 9 yr old who wants to learn to swim. I called Wick Swimming pool, and was told that she was too old for lessons with them, and nothing else was available to her there.
I called Wick Swimming Club, but they usually take children once they can swim, as a follow on from the Pool lessons.
So what do I do????????????
To say I am unimpressed is an understatement. This is totally unacceptable in my eyes. All children should be able to learn to swim when they feel ready to do so.
As I cannot swim myself I do not want her to miss out when she so desperately wants to learn.
Any ideas?????????????????????
achingale
11-Jun-10, 10:47
That is a bad crack. Do you not swim yourself? If not then I am sure there would be someone locally who could help out. Just ask around. Putting this on here should help.
Unfortunately I do not swim myself, and for this reason I wanted her to be able to learn to swim when she felt ready to do so. Didnt think it would be so difficult. :(
Mister Squiggle
11-Jun-10, 12:41
Hi Bradcon, I know just how you feel! I haven't managed to get either of my 2 into after-school classes as they seem to fill up so quickly. Fortunately we can both swim (but hardly Olympic standard) so we've taken the DIY approach and have been teaching the kids ourselves.
Do you have a friend(s) who might take your girl for a swim? Someone who's confident and doesn't mind showing her the basics? Once they've gained some confidence, it's amazing how quickly kids come on with their swimming and then perhaps she can join the club.
patrick_boo
11-Jun-10, 15:13
Hi,
You could bring her to Bettyhill - it might be a long way to come but we never turn kids away from swimming lessons. If you want to sort out getting her into a class or arrange some private lessons please give us a call on 01641 521400.
changilass
11-Jun-10, 15:17
Surely she must be getting lessons with the school, I know our lot get them from p1 for a set number of weeks a year.
Her class has had about 4 lessons with the school. They only start to get lesssons with her school in P4, and they only get it in the final term. She will get a couple more before the school hols, but really needs proper regular lessons.
Thanks for the offer. Rather a long way to go, was hoping to get something sorted a little closer to home.
Hi,
You could bring her to Bettyhill - it might be a long way to come but we never turn kids away from swimming lessons. If you want to sort out getting her into a class or arrange some private lessons please give us a call on 01641 521400.
patrick_boo
11-Jun-10, 16:46
No problem - however, if you are ever passing through this way, all of our staff are qualified teachers and will be glad to offer any help either with a quick ad hoc session or some tips for you to help teach your daughter yourself.
No problem - however, if you are ever passing through this way, all of our staff are qualified teachers and will be glad to offer any help either with a quick ad hoc session or some tips for you to help teach your daughter yourself.
My goodness, that's really helpful. I think the Bettyhill Pool's supposed to be lovely and warm too!
No problem - however, if you are ever passing through this way, all of our staff are qualified teachers and will be glad to offer any help either with a quick ad hoc session or some tips for you to help teach your daughter yourself.
Thanks very much, when I get the chance I will definately bring her up there, although something more regular closer to home would be so much better. You are so very helpful. :) Not like here in Wick. :(
patrick_boo
11-Jun-10, 18:42
We aim to please!
...and yes, we try to keep the pool at around 30 degrees, so it's always nice and warm.
Great Pool at Bettyhill and alot warmer than Wick:lol:
I would take this matter further - I feel your child should not suffer because of their age. I did not know there was a restriction on age - in my opinion it may be a 'pool staff' rule and not Highland Council policy - so I should check it out first and don't be fobbed off by being told they are 'too old'!!!
missmillie
12-Jun-10, 11:06
I would love to learn to swim! but as an adult the thought of learning alone in a pool in front of everyone who can already swim really doesnt do it for me :confused I'm also really worried about being knocked into or something, I'm just about to start recovery for a bad leg injury and hear Thurso do a disabled group for an hour a week, but its not on again until September so I feel a bit frustrated too that there isn't anything so when the Dr's tell you go swimming to help recovery! how?? :~(
Bradcon,
Sorry to hear your difficulties in getting getting your child into the HC learn to swim programme. I am involved with the swimming club and you are correct in saying that our policy as a competitive club is to take on children who have learnt to swim and want to compete.
Even on that basis, the club's resources bearing in mind we operate 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year are stretched to the limit as we rely totally on volunteers. We have approx 80 children in the club at the moment and whilst we would love to get involved with learning children to swim we just cannot do it all.
Obviously Bradcon this does not help with your problem. First of all I have never heard there was an age limit to the council's learn to swim programme and that is something I would look to challenge if I was you.
At the moment my understanding is that there are classes between 15:30 -17:30 on a Tuesday and between 15:30 - 16:30 two other days during the week. As there seems to be a considerable demand which is not being met then perhaps there is a need to have lessons on the remaining two week days at 15:30.
The lessons that are on will finish in the next week or so and probably not start again until the end of August. I am assuming Bradcon that you will not be off sunning yourself abroad for the whole of the school holidays, why not ask whether the council would run a special two week block of lessons during the holidays. It would only probably need 12 kids to sign up for lessons and the will of the HC to make that happen.
William Durrand is the facilities manager and you should be able to get his number from the pool or the service point. I hope you can get something sorted out soon.
Thanks for the adive AllanT. I will certainly make a few more calls to the H.C. I am totally disgusted with the fact that I was told that at 9 yrs old, she was too old. Not impressed at all. I am totally willing to try anything to see if I can get lessons for her.
I wonder how many parents would be interested in signing their children in for swimming lessons during the summer holidays?
My eldest is 9 years old. He has lessons at the moment with his school, they only last for a few weeks, then there is a break for months and months until their next lot of lessons.
I would certainly be interested in him having swimming lessons in the school holidays if it was available. I wonder if any other kids of the same age would be interested?
Just wondering, as it might help if you could tell the staff at the swimming pool that there are a few people interested - maybe they would think about it then?
Yeah. Could certainly try. Will call them on Monday. Also make a few other calls to the H.C. to see what the problem is.
Need to get this sorted, not only for my daughter, but for all the other kids who would like to learn.
This is not acceptable.
Good Luck - let us know how you get on!
The problem with kids being unable to get access to lessons has been one that has existed for a few years in Wick and I have suggested a number of times that parents would be interested in lessons during the holidays but I don't think the pool staff were convinced. Perhaps we will get an indication of the demand through this forum.
Yeah. Anyone who has a child interested in lessons in the summer hols, please post on here, so we can gauge the demand for it.
Well, definitely me, as long at it's not during the first 3 weeks of the School Holidays, as my son goes to the Holiday Club! Although, if lessons were an option, I would consider putting him to the Club just for mornings or afternoons.
I asked at the pool users group about lessons during the holidays and was told there was no demand, even though I never saw any research completed to justify this statement!!!! I was suprised as this is a golden opportunity for lots of parents and children - the holidays are more relaxed - no dashing from school to lessons and trying to fit in tea. Not every child has the chance to go off on holiday so giving them the chance to have lessons would be looked on as a treat.
Parent power speaks and the HRC may realise there is a demand if enough people spoke up and made a request. So all of you who want lessons make representation.
I am a REALLY poor swimmer and I felt that it was very important that my kids learned to swim. From a young age I took my children to the swimming pool 2 or 3 times a week so that I built up their confidence in the water.
My personal opinion is that a child cannot learn to swim with going to the pool with the school alone (as this is usually only done in term blocks of 10 weeks in the year). Children should be brought to the pool by parents/carers as well, regardless of the adults ability in the water as you would only be standing in the shallow - middle of the pool and not needing to swim up to the deep end as only competent swimmers are allowed up there.
I think the way which the school swimming works is that the school is allocated a day and time for them to bring classes to the pool BUT it is the schools decission as to which classes get the lessions.
I remember seeing a poster in the pool for adult tuition for all abilities .
I also know that disabled club is a club run by volunteers and not the Highland Council.
To say I am unimpressed is an understatement. This is totally unacceptable in my eyes. All children should be able to learn to swim when they feel ready to do so.
As I cannot swim myself I do not want her to miss out when she so desperately wants to learn.
Any ideas?????????????????????
yeah, take her yourself, as pointed out already you don't need to be able to swim as you'll be walking in 3 foot of water.
you say the situation is 'totally unacceptable', yet you've got a 9 year old who can't swim :eek:
where does parental responsibility get mixed up with the councils responsibility to teach your kid to swim.
i would strongly recommend you learn to swim yourself, what would you do if, heaven forbid, one day you needed to jump in to some water to save your child ?
When I was young there was no swimming pool in Thurso, just the one at Wick High. I was desparate to learn to swim and was taught the breaststroke spreadeagled on our coffee table. When we went on holiday there was a pool with beginners lessons and within five days of an hour a day I could swim like a fish and went on to learn lifesaving skills as a teenager. It is never too late to learn to swim............you could learn together. Enjoy the experience, and one day you may be able to use your skill to save a life.
yeah, take her yourself, as pointed out already you don't need to be able to swim as you'll be walking in 3 foot of water.
you say the situation is 'totally unacceptable', yet you've got a 9 year old who can't swim :eek:
where does parental responsibility get mixed up with the councils responsibility to teach your kid to swim.
i would strongly recommend you learn to swim yourself, what would you do if, heaven forbid, one day you needed to jump in to some water to save your child ?
So if I cannot swim myself, how do you expect me to learn my daughter. The blind leading the blind I think.
I would even consider a few private lessons for her, if that was available.
Adult swimming lessons or learn to swim together at Bettyhill pool. I am sure they could arrange a "splash" course for you. Surely it is worth the effort to be able to achieve something you missed out on in your youth.... and add to your child`s confidence.
patrick_boo
14-Jun-10, 13:34
Poppett is right - for non-swimming parents it is a daunting prospect to 'teach' kids, but you could come for a closed session together at Bettyhill if that would help. One of the problems with older children is water confidence, they have learnt to be scared of the water. This is essentially the biggest problem faced by adult learners too. A joint session or two may be the way forward - once confidence with the water is mastered the technique is the easy bit and a few sheets (which we could issue you with) would keep you right on the basic strokes. Again, if you wish to call us on 01641 521400 we could advise you on this. Not today though, we are closed on a Monday!
onecalledk
14-Jun-10, 14:20
I would take this matter further - I feel your child should not suffer because of their age. I did not know there was a restriction on age - in my opinion it may be a 'pool staff' rule and not Highland Council policy - so I should check it out first and don't be fobbed off by being told they are 'too old'!!!
Would not think it was highland council policy either as Inverness pool take kids of ALL ages, there are waiting lists but they dont turn kids away for age just if they dont have place in the class.......
Totally agree ALL kids should be taught to swim, we were when younger at school. My child also gets some lessons with school but only for a matter of weeks and nothing regular .......
interested to see how you get on if you do take it further ....
K
So if I cannot swim myself, how do you expect me to learn my daughter. The blind leading the blind I think.
I would even consider a few private lessons for her, if that was available.
Fom where I am sitting the simple solution is to call the Bettyhill pool and let them arrange something for you, it appears that you can afford the trip and they appear to be amazingly helpful and they are proffesional. Personal opinion is that if you are so desperate for your child to swim (all credit to you for this) then you should have done something about it long before now, my kids were swimming before they went to school and we all enjoyed the process.
Fom where I am sitting the simple solution is to call the Bettyhill pool and let them arrange something for you, it appears that you can afford the trip and they appear to be amazingly helpful and they are proffesional. Personal opinion is that if you are so desperate for your child to swim (all credit to you for this) then you should have done something about it long before now, my kids were swimming before they went to school and we all enjoyed the process.
Wick to betty hill thats a bit of drive for a swimming lesson i think kirdon your missing the point here takeing into account wick and thurso are the two big towns in caithness its pritty sad to hear that the local swimming pools dont offer swimming lessons for kids that want to learn even if its a couple hours week its not a lot to ask for its only a couple of hours of an instructers time.
I learned to swim when i was in the primary school has that stopped now?
silverlady
14-Jun-10, 18:56
I have a daughter of 9 too, and she goes to lessons with the school. I tried to get her into swimming lessons at the Wick pool since she started school, and every time I phoned or went to the pool to enquire I was told either, the classes are full, or we are not taking any new names at the moment. My name and phone number was taken on numerous occasions but I never got a call back. So after just over 3 years :eek: of trying to get at least on a waiting list, my daughter was really nervous of starting her school lessons. If it had not been for a really kind lady teaching her to swim, it would have been a but of a trial for her to go with her class, most of whom had been for lessons at the pool. I cannot swim so was not able to teach her myself. I went in with her a few times, but it was kind of a waste of time, and spent my time dodging kids jumping in, and trying to avoid getting me face wet! - not a good example for my wee girl!
So Bradcon, thanks for this, I hope it brings the matter to light and gets something done about this problem. :D
Hi there, its really sad that even though theres swimming pools in wick and thurso you cant get lessons for your daughter!! I really dont think think the pool facilities in wick and thurso are used to the best advantage for the public - ie, thurso pool closes at 2pm on a saturday and sunday....the 2 days kids have off school and parents have off work to take them swimming!! They could easily hold lessons for a couple of hours on a saturday or sunday afternoon.
Im a good swimmer having been swimming since i was a tot, training/competing with the squads and going to a lifeguarding club when i was in primary and seconary school in shetland (plus my mams a lifeguard!). If you cant get anything sorted out i'd be happy to help and give your daughter some lessons....and you if you want x
Our son is 15 and can't swim. When we moved up here we tried to find lessons for him. He is afraid as he has problems with coordination and it took him 3 years to get more confident in the water and can now get his face wet. Unfortunately I am unable to go into the pool with him although I can swim. My OH doesn't have the patience to teach him. We were told at the pool he is too old for lessons.
As I mentioned earlier I am a very poor swimmer and for me it was very important that my children could swim.
On the comment on the blind leading the blind, this was me BUT I took my children to the pool 2 - 3 times a week they had armbands or noodle things and I encouraged then to kick their legs, I also asked the lifeguards for advice on how to progress my childs swimming and they were extremely helpful. My children are now strong swimmers and we enjoy our family time in the pool together.
On the comment that the swimming pools should open on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for families, can I say that I am a regular user of the Thurso pool and during the hours which the pool IS open to the public the pool is NEVER busy. Why should the hours for public swimming be extended when the current times are not being used to the full.
I can't swim but have been taking my daughter since she has been 6 months old, she is now nearly 5 and can swim the width of the pool she even tries to teach me. I tell her what I think she should be doing and she watches others and tries to copy them.
patrick_boo
15-Jun-10, 10:09
Our son is 15 and can't swim. When we moved up here we tried to find lessons for him. He is afraid as he has problems with coordination and it took him 3 years to get more confident in the water and can now get his face wet. Unfortunately I am unable to go into the pool with him although I can swim. My OH doesn't have the patience to teach him. We were told at the pool he is too old for lessons.
He is definitely not too old for lessons - nobody is. Perhaps he doesn't fit into the prescribed group dynamic but that doesn't mean he can't be taught. Unfortunately you find with a lot of teachers they stick to a curriculum with strict lesson plans and guidelines and the weaker swimmers tend to get left behind. We get a lot of swimmers coming to us who have been 'left behind' by this system. No swimmer is unteachable, no matter the age or ability.
onecalledk
15-Jun-10, 11:29
On the comment that the swimming pools should open on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for families, can I say that I am a regular user of the Thurso pool and during the hours which the pool IS open to the public the pool is NEVER busy. Why should the hours for public swimming be extended when the current times are not being used to the full.[/quote]
perhaps if the times suited the people wanting to USE the pool this would sort itself. It appears to be open to suit the people running it. The opening hours should surely reflect the demand. The closing of the pool at the weekend being an example. Why close a pool when parents are off and children are not in school ????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I moved from Inverness where my son was in regular swimming lessons that meant a mad dash to get from where i worked over to the other side of inverness for a 5pm class. He was on a waiting list for months before he got the place in the class and progressed well. On enquiring at Thurso pool about classes for children I was told to come along to an open day and then he would go on a list somewhere, I have left details and nothing ever came of it.
A child learning to swim in this part of the world is surely a PRIORITY??? its not like you dont have water all around you up here , am a bit shocked by the lack of help from the local pools all round.
Before anyone makes the comment about Inverness being bigger its irrelevant, in this day and age children need to learn how to swim from professionals. As a school age child I was taught AT SCHOOL how to swim in different circumstances, I remember we were all told to bring our pyjamas to the pool one lesson and put them on, this was to show how difficult it is to swim in clothes should you fall into a body of water. We were shown techniques to help etc ......
K
It seems the pool in Thurso is more concerned with people who swim and compete than people who want to use the pool for recreation or learning to swim.
Thurso pool do offer swimming lessons. Both my children are attending lessons at the moment and they both enjoy it very much so I wouldn't say that Thurso pool is only concerned with those that can swim already. I know of quite a few people from the Wick area who travel through to Thurso on a Monday to take their children to these lessons so it seems that only the Wick pool don't offer lessons. There is a sign up in Thurso pool that advises the date of the next enrolment day for lessons.
Do you know what that date is? For anyone in Wick interested in trying Thurso Pool.
The lessons are only in their 4th week and they normally last 10 weeks but they stop for the summer so I would say some time in late August/early September. Give the pool a ring on 01847 893260 to confirm the date. The enrolement is always on a Saturday morning starting from 9am and it's best to be there early as there are normally lots of people wanting places.
patrick_boo
15-Jun-10, 17:37
If you can't wait, take a day out and come West to Bettyhill. Our lessons run all year round, we have no set enrolment times, we just put pupils in groups depending on their level. If a group is full we just open up another one so nobody is turned away. We always have a qualified teacher on lifeguard duty so even if you turn up unannounced we can give you at least some tips - or if we are quiet, a full lesson.
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