Monday 3rd February 2025

Dear Parent/Carer,

Re: Year 4 Azure Class Swimming Lessons

This term, swimming lessons are being provided for Year 4 pupils at Forest Hill Pool.  The provision of swimming lessons is a statutory part of the National Curriculum, and your child will be expected to participate.

This is a great opportunity for children of all abilities to develop their confidence in water and be taught by a qualified swimming instructor.  Your child will attend a daily swimming lesson, every afternoon for a 2-week period as part of an intensive teaching approach.  Each swimming lesson is 1 hour long which will give every child the chance to improve their swimming skills.  During the first lesson, a qualified swimming instructor will carry out an assessment of each child to ensure that they are placed in a teaching group that matches their skill level. 

Your child will swim daily from Monday 10^th March up to and including Friday 21^st March 2025. Each day, your child will need to bring appropriate swimwear (not white and no bikinis), a towel, a swimming hat (wearing a swimming hat is compulsory) and a plastic bag for wet items.  All jewellery should be removed in advance and left at home, and long hair needs to be tied back securely.  Children can wear goggles if they would like to.

Please note due to a pre-booked school trip, Azure class will not have a swimming lesson on Tuesday 18^th March 2025. This will not impact on the program of learning and children will still learn all the swimming skills intended.

Each afternoon, school staff will walk the children to and from the pool and remain with them during the lesson.  Each lesson is from 2.00pm – 3.00pm and therefore we will need to adjust home time for children who are swimming. Dismissal will be at approximately 3.30pm/3.40pm and all children will be required to walk back to school to be dismissed safely.

Many thanks,

Ms Whyte