Information about swimming for Y3, Y4 and Y5 parents

Swimming in Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 this half term

Yet again this summer we have read stories of young children and even adults getting into difficulties in the sea, lakes, rivers and canals around the UK. Many of these stories have ended in tragedy with the loss of life.

It is vital then that all our children are given the opportunity to develop their confidence in water and to learn some of the basics of swimming at a young age.

This is why we encourage all children in Year 3 to learn to swim and why we take them every week to Sparkhill Baths for lessons with qualified instructors. We will be beginning weekly swimming lessons for all our Year 3 children again this term from the week beginning 13^th September – please make sure they come to school with their swimming kit and a towel on their allocated day.

We are aware that, because of COVID, children who are now in Years 4 and 5 have missed out on their swimming teaching when they were in Year 3. As such, we have organised some intensive daily swimming sessions for each of these year groups over a two-week period to help them catch up starting with Year 4 from next Monday 6^th September.

We have had a training swimming pool delivered to school which you will see in the playground next week (please see pictures below). The pool is heated and covered under a marquee and will be on-site for 4 weeks. Trained instructors will be working with small groups of 10-12 children in 30 minute sessions. The children in Year 4 and Year 5 will have one of these sessions every day for two weeks (10 sessions in total). We have organised separate areas for boys and girls to change in school and, as children will need their swimming kits and towels every day, areas to hang and dry their kit.

All children in Year 4 will have swimming every day for two weeks starting from next Monday 6^th September.

All children in Year 5 will have swimming every day for two weeks starting from Monday 20^th September.

Please support your child’s learning and promote their water safety by ensuring that they have a swimming kit in school every day.