Swimming

Our Swimming Teacher, Mr Harper:

The ability to swim competently and with a sound knowledge of water safety, survival techniques, rescue principles and procedures appropriate to age and ability, and swimming for enjoyment, are key features of our swimming policy at Sandal Castle. It is vital that children learn to swim and are given opportunities to improve their skills for their own safety, personal development and good health.

Aims.

To promote swimming as a leisure activity, encouraging the pupils to feel safe, happy and confident in the water.

To enable the pupils to swim unaided in at least two strokes competently and safely, for at least 25 meters.

To foster an understanding of the need for good personal hygiene.

To develop an understanding of water safety in swimming pools and in open water.

To develop and improve technique in all strokes and various skills:

Breaststroke
Front crawl
Backstroke
Butterfly
Survival Skills

To develop a basic understanding of the principles of propulsion.

To provide opportunities for the children to assess their own progress.

Pupils' Entitlement.

Swimming is included as one of the six areas of activity in the Key Stage 2 Physical Education program of study. As our pupils will not have completed the swimming program in Key Stage 1, they are therefore, entitled to be taught swimming at some point during KS2. Pupils at Sandal Castle Primary are fortunate in that they receive one swimming lesson every week for the duration of the Key Stage due to the excellent facilities available on site.

Teaching and Learning Methods.

At Sandal Castle Primary we adopt a multi-stroke method of teaching. The four main strokes (Breaststroke, Backstroke, Front Crawl and Butterfly) are introduced alongside one another, with an equal emphasis on the basic technique for each stroke. This allows individuals to find a stroke that gives them early success. It is important that teachers should develop styles of working which are "personal" to them as individuals. Within this context, teachers should then use a range of styles and strategies in order to motivate and encourage children's learning.