Y5/6 Swimming Lessons

Dear Parent/Carer,

This half term, we have an EXCITING opportunity! We have hired a swimming pool for 3 weeks so that children in Year 5 and 6 can develop their swimming skills in line with the Statutory School Swimming Programme as part of National Curriculum Physical Education. 
By the time a child is ready to leave primary school they should be able to swim, know how to get out of trouble if they fall into the water, know the dangers of water and understand how to stay safe when playing in and around it.   This includes understanding and adhering to national and local water safety advice, being able to use appropriate survival and self-rescue skills if they unintentionally fall in or get into difficulty in the water, and knowing what to do if others get into trouble.
Swimming is effectively ‘Wet PE’.  As such, in addition to the above, our aim is for pupils to be physically active during their School Swimming lesson and have opportunities to:

• Engage in competitive situations (both against themselves and others) and co-operative physical activities,
• Communicate, collaborate and compete with each other,
• Develop an understanding of how to improve; learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.

Your child will have a 2 week programme every day of 30-minute lessons, starting on the 13th March 2023. The company will also supply a qualified swim teacher and a lifeguard. (There will always be a member of IVJS with the children who are also trained in school swimming lessons).
Your son/daughter will be taught the following skills and strokes in different water-related contexts:

• how to enter and exit the water,
• floatation,
• submerging,
• rotating from back to front and front to back and regaining an upright position,
• pushing and gliding and an understanding of streamlining,
• aquatic breathing,
• moving effectively and efficiently through the water using alternating and simultaneous strokes on front and back, such as front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, side stroke,
• swimming longer distances and for increasing amounts of time,
• using swimming skills and strokes for different purposes such as water polo and synchronised swimming,
• survival and self-rescue skills: treading water, Heat Escape Lessening Position (HELP) and Huddle positions, floating and resting in the water, attracting attention, sculling and swimming in clothes/buoyancy aids,
• water safety: knowledge and understanding of different water environments, how to stay safe when playing in and around water including recognising flags and warning signs and understanding national and local water safety advice,
• what to do if others get into difficulties: stay safe: shout, signal; throw, do not go into the water; raising the alarm 999,
• play competitive games such as water polo and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending.

To help us group the children according to their swimming ability we would appreciate you completing and returning the slip on the paper version of this form sent home with your child or emailing [email protected] with the following information:
Child's name, child's class, whether your child has previously attended swimming lessons and up to how many metres your child can swim (0/up to 10m/up to 25m/more).

Yours sincerely,
 
Mrs Chapman Allen