News » WAB Debate

my daughter was put off swimming by a teacher at dearneside a few years ago.She was called stupid on several occasions as she wasnt as confident as some of her classmates and to my horror the same teacher turned up at royston baths when another was learning if they have no patience with beginners their nastiness put the kids off. Their dad taught them to swim in the end.

as a parent , if children are introduced to water at a young age then it just becomes normality to them , I believe its an essential life skill being able to swim and it is down to mum or dad to help encourage them to swim :)

i actually pay for my daughter to have swimming lessons at the metrodome as i think a child should learn how to swim, she has been going for six months and has got to level four and just going for her 25m
next year when my other little girl turns 3 she will also be attending,
i have to say im very pleased with the staff at the metrodome they are very kind and have the patience of a saint,

Yes its essential that kids learn to swim at an early age my 2love going to the baths ,i just wish i could enjoy it with them , i had a bad experiance in a well wen i woz 6years old it still stops me going in the pool

Children should be taught to swim. Who funds that is another question. I have paid for swimming lessons for all four of my kids and I am now paying for lessons for my grandchildren. As Liam states being able to swim is an essential life skill, just as being able to cross a road safely is.

Speaking as a parent, yes of course all children should learn how to swim. But lessons are expensive, and waiting lists can be long, and with many local pools closed it's not always easy for non driving parents to get their children there.

Swimming lessons are expensive often with long waiting lists and two many in the group from my experience as a mum of two. My eldest learnt through school, he was allowed to carry on with the next yr group as he had not built up enough confidence to gain a certificate. My youngest however again went with school but was not offered the extended time and still cannot swim. Prices at metridome need reducing not just for lessons but in general. It is too costly to go swimming every week and schools dont give the children long enough to learn and build up confidence.

If you pay for the swimming lessons through BPL, then your child can attend any other sessions F.O.C. It may be worthwhile asking if they do reduced prices for adults who swim regularly with their children. It's definitely something that EVERY child should learn to do.

I appreciate it is expensive, but our children went into the pool as soon as they hit the minimum age for going in the pool. We started with our eldest at Hoyland Common, but they closed down for some roof repairs (I think it was) and in the meantime we took our eldest to Chapeltown. Liked it so much we continued to go there, but that's not to say that the services in barnsley arenot good...I am sure they are. Just trying to say how determined we were that our kids learned to swim. We often have to "copper up" when it comes to the time to pay for a block of lessons...but we'll forego other things to keep our kids swimming. Swimming is fun for them, allowing them safer play in water, and also safety at times when they are near water but not actually swimming. As they said above, just like crossing the road, it's an essential safety skill.

my grandson went to royston baths , from the age of 3 . mother & toddler then on to lessons . He was in lessons until the age of 5 , still wearing arm bands , although he could swim without them at the age of 4 .when we took him for his lesson , we watched the instructress teaching the kids , and all she did was walk up and down the side of the pool , saying big arms , big legs . the kids were all in the water , just listening to her , and swam for about 10 mins of that lesson .when my daughter asked why he was not allowed to swim without armbands , the reply was that it was health & safety rules , because he couldn't stand on the bottom of the pool .so with not wanting to waste any more money on lessons that were holding him back , we decided to book a private pool , where he could be in the water , with 3 adults encouraging him . the 3rd time we took him , i said for every length he did , i would give him a pound .... he did 25 !!

the prices are just too much to pay, I would rather have food on the table for my children then spend it on swimming lessons, swimming lessons are not essential making sure my children are fed and healthy is

Hi I pay for 2 grand kids swimming lessons. i think every child should learn
We have had good and bad experiances my youngest grand son had lesson's then had private tuition from Nick at the metrodome barnsley this man is great (thanks Nick ) my grand son with help from nick was awarded many badges and experianced imany other other water sports ;ie shown how to dive
Down side to this story is nick had to stop these lessons so due to not driving we moved to Hoyland under a teach we were told was excellent, NO my grandson did 2 of the 8 lessons we payed for and due to being taken out of large pool into small one and sitting on side for long periods he lost intrest we lost money no more lessons
then after 18 months we paid for him to go with his school, Hooray he met Liz a great teacher got is intrest back and watching him complet 16 lengths (400 mt) of pool with her help was great THANKS LIZ
Both these kids has a disability

its a great sport to choose, low impact on all joints. i cant praise swimming enough. my kids swim regular...the problem learning to swim in dearneside is the changing rooms. when a kid finishes his/ her lesson then you gotta meet them in the shower area, this is where the problem lies. because every time i go to meet my kid there are bodybuilders in the showers. surley 4 year olds and naked bodybuilders aint right.