Child being 'punished' for a choice I made

Lifeisbutadream

My 9 year old son is part of a swimming club and it a very good swimmer (one of the best in his club).

Last year some changes were made in his school and they got in a new swimming teacher and started charging for lessons (£2 a lesson)

Now I dont mind paying for lessons if I thought they were enhancing my child, but the teacher apparantly told him off a few times for swimming too fast and also 'corrected' his breast stroke, which only served to confuse him as he was being told opposing things at his club.

I spoke to the school but they were not willing to work with me, saying that my son had to do what others were taught. I made the decision to remove him from school swimming at the end of last year.

This week I got a call from school saying that now my son was in Y5 he would be eligible to swim for the school in galas they entered, but that he wouldnt be allowed because he doesnt attend swimming at school!

I feel like they are blackmailing me into sending him back to school lessons, which I am not at all happy with. I know that my son would be devastated if he were not picked for the team, he loves swimming.

Any thoughts on how I should handle this? I dont want to rock the boat more, but I am happy with my decision to remove him from school swimming and I dont really want to go back on that as I dont think it helps !

warehouse

Could you have a quiet word with your son and explain that he simply ignores anything taught to him at school swimming, but to act like he's taking the advice on board?

Lifeisbutadream

warehouse wrote: »

Could you have a quiet word with your son and explain that he simply ignores anything taught to him at school swimming, but to act like he's taking the advice on board?

We tried that, but he really struggled with it, he would forget where he had been taught what and it was affecting his swimming (he was disqualified in the in-house competitions and as he swimming in open competitions now its important that that doesnt happen)

Caroline_a

How ridiculous! As a sports coach I spend a lot of my time undoing bad technique taught by teachers, which holds up the youngsters in question for a long time. I would move on and let them play their silly games - if he's talented the school will be begging him to compete for them

missprice

can he not enter the same gal's via the swimming club?
stuff the school as they will lose out on his talent

LandyAndy

I think the school is wrong and I would be pointing out to them that they are cutting off their nose to spite their face. I would not, however back down on my decision to keep him out of swimming lessons. I'd be pretty confident the swim instructors at the club were doing a better job of teaching the correct techniques.

Mojisola

I would have a word with the the Chair of Governors and ask for the reasoning behind this decision. Where you go after that depends on the answer.

JimmyTheWig

The school can't pick someone without seeing them swim.

But it does sound like he's one of the school's strongest swimmers and the school will want him on the team. Which should give you a little bargaining power.

Ultimately you need to decide what path to take if the school don't play ball. If it's their way or the highway then do you let him swim in school and in the galas and put his "in-house competitions" at risk? Or do you keep things as they are and leave him "devastated" if he can't swim for the school. Neither sounds like a nice choice!

But once you've decided that for yourself then I think you need to go and speak to the school. Ask for a meeting to discuss how to get him back into school swimming. Hopefully they'll be keen to get him back and will allow him to swim in his own way as long as it doesn't affect the others. But if they won't make any concessions then you need to choose one or the other.

warehouse

Lifeisbutadream wrote: »

We tried that, but he really struggled with it, he would forget where he had been taught what and it was affecting his swimming (he was disqualified in the in-house competitions and as he swimming in open competitions now its important that that doesnt happen)

Then you have no choice but to keep him out of the lessons. Hopefully the school can still choose him for the galas.

podperson

Would he really be that devasted not to be picked for the school team when he already doesn't swim at school and is being entered in competitions through his swim club anyway?

Lifeisbutadream

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

The school can't pick someone without seeing them swim.

They have seen him swim and they know he can swim well, I believe they are just being awkward.