Nursery Pupils Make a Splash
The very youngest pupils in the school have been enjoying an invigorating new activity in their curriculum with the beginning of weekly swimming lessons.
Swimming is introduced to our Nursery pupils in the Spring term. While some of the group are already used to braving the pool, for many of the children this has been their first experience of more formal swimming, and after four weeks all the children have embraced the activity.
Equipped with three floats on each arm and accompanied in the water by Colfe’s specialist swimming teachers and the Nursery class teacher, the children begin their lessons acclimatising themselves to the water, moving along the pool holding on to the side. They are then given a noodle float and make their way across the width of the pool. Technique will gradually be introduced as the lessons progress and confidence builds throughout the year.
Nursery class teacher Emily Francis said, “With every year group that starts there is a mix of confidence in the water, some of our pupils may have started lessons already while for others it might be their first time in a pool independently. But every year it is brilliant to see the children get more and more confident as the swimming lessons progress, by a few weeks into the term they are all absolutely loving it. It is introduced to them in such a fun way with so much encouragement and care, they don’t even realise how much progress they have made until suddenly they realise they can swim a whole width!”
Head of Junior School Marie-Clare Gilfedder-Bonnar said, “Swimming is such an important skill for children, and introducing our youngest pupils to it is always an exciting moment. It is joyful to see how much they delight in it, particularly for those children who show such resilience overcoming any nerves, and it soon becomes a highlight of their week.”
