Start with the purpose of the extra lesson
Your child has swimming at school on one day and a private lesson on another. Before adding more practice, ask what the private lesson should help them do. It may give the coach time to work on one skill, explain an unfamiliar cue or understand why your child feels uncertain in the school pool.
Tell the private coach that both programmes are running. Ask what would make the additional session useful, given the school’s current focus. You can then judge the plan by a clear learning goal instead of the number of swimming sessions on the calendar.
Check what your child’s school has arranged
Read the latest notice from your child’s school. Check the dates, pool, equipment and contact for questions. Ask how existing swimming experience is considered and how parents will hear about progress. Use the school’s own instructions for attendance and assessment arrangements.
Schools publish details for their own pupils. For example, Bukit Panjang Primary describes a Primary 3 programme that includes swimming, water confidence and survival skills. Ai Tong’s published parent FAQ explains that pupils are assessed at the first session for group placement, including pupils who already take outside lessons. These are examples of school-specific guidance, not a promise about your child’s school.
If your child already has an award, send the record through the channel the school requests. Ask whether anything else is needed. Taking private lessons does not by itself confirm an exemption from the school programme.
Choose one complementary focus
Ask the private coach to relate the next lesson goal to what your child is doing at school. “Practise breathing more comfortably during front crawl” gives you a clearer discussion than “get ahead of the class”. The coach should decide the teaching task after observing your child.
Here is an example to discuss, not a prescribed lesson plan. A child is practising a short swim at school but says they keep stopping to breathe. The parent shares that observation with the private coach. The coach checks what is happening and explains which part of the breathing or stroke needs attention. At the next review, the parent asks what has changed and what still needs support.
Some practice may overlap. Ask what the repetition is intended to establish before assuming a familiar task has no value. If the school programme is going well and you cannot identify an additional goal, ask the coach whether extra sessions are useful now.
Keep water safety in the conversation. ActiveSG describes SwimSafer as a programme covering both swimming proficiency and water survival skills. A plan focused only on swimming faster would leave out part of that purpose.
Clarify different instructions with the coaches
Your child may report that one instructor uses a different phrase or asks for a different movement. Write down the actual words and the activity where they were used. Ask the private coach what their cue means and what they want your child to practise.
If the difference remains unclear, take the question to the school’s designated contact. Your child should not have to decide which adult is right. Follow the instructor’s directions during each supervised lesson while the adults clarify the teaching approach.
Ask permission before passing on someone else’s notes or arranging direct contact. This guide does not assume the school and private provider share records or coordinate lessons automatically.
Keep a short weekly note
Use the prompts below for your own note. Bring it to the coach when you need to clarify the plan. Leave a field blank when you do not know the answer.
School lesson focus: What the school or instructor said pupils are practising.
Private lesson focus: The specific skill the private coach agreed to work on.
Teaching cue: The words or demonstration your child understood, and any instruction to clarify.
Observation: What your child attempted, where they needed help and what they told you afterwards.
Next review: The question to ask the coach and when you agreed to discuss it.
Keep observations separate from assessment results. “Practised floating with help” describes a lesson; it does not mean a stage has been passed. For assessment readiness, use the coach’s feedback and the programme’s current requirements.
Review the timetable as well as the skill
Put the school sessions and private lessons on the same calendar. Include travel and changing time. If your child is finding the week difficult, tell the coach what you have noticed and discuss the lesson plan before adding another session.
Check any change to booked private lessons with the provider first. This planning guide does not change a package’s attendance, rescheduling or expiry terms.
Penguin offers children’s lessons and SwimSafer-focused coaching. To discuss support alongside school swimming, send your child’s age, current swimming experience, school programme dates, the skill you want help with and your preferred pool or area. Ask Penguin to recommend a suitable lesson approach and confirm availability.