Clik here to view.
A swimming teacher argues that peripatetic teachers should be seen as an integrated member of a school's support team instead of being completely invisible
Do you show children how to breathe? I do. I am a swimming teacher. I help children with their counting, their vocabulary and their science every lesson I teach in addition to developing agility, balance and co-ordination skills.
Sometimes I have to organise them, but I also devise games and fun ways to move through the water. I know if children are tired, or frightened, as well as laughing along with those who suddenly find that they CAN do…
I have been teaching for long enough now to be expecting to meet the next generation children of my previous non-swimmers.
I teach afternoon/evening out-of-school lessons. I have coached club swimmers who train daily, early mornings and/or evenings, alongside their schooling, and I also teach during the day when school classes have lessons.
Swimming is a part of the national curriculum requirement, yet we are completely hidden from all primary school documentation. I once asked to contribute to school reports and was told to contact each individual class teacher and ask if my opinion was needed! That particular school was some five miles away from the leisure centre pool; I had never even driven past, let alone visited it!
We have been taught, during our teacher training, to produce lesson plans and termly schedules most of us keep them in our heads but we could provide documentation if asked. Some leisure centres ask us to file a copy with them. Ofsted don't seem to need them.
Sometimes I work alongside lifeguards on poolside; Other times, I am the only first aid and water-safety-trained person.
Swimming teachers don't have school term-time inset training, we pay for our own child protection instruction, lifesaving, CPD, first aid qualifications - and renewals every couple of years. Our liability insurance is covered by our paid membership of one of two governing bodies the Swimming Teachers Association or Institute of Swimming.
We have to beg the school office staff for a copy of class registers each term. We are never told, however, about school absentees. We also discover for ourselves which children have written-statemented behavioural issues - fairly quickly!
Most paid dedicated one-to-one specialist helpers do not regard getting wet as part of their remit! Schools often deliver children to the pool by asking for parent helpers (PTFAs). This disconnect means that we don't even know if children wear glasses, for example.
It is the children who tell us about "naughty" procedures. If we have a disciplinary issue with rude words, or violent behaviour, we can try to telephone the school, but there is usually no follow-up.
Even if the pool is located within school grounds, rather at a leisure centre, and we are employed (part time, term time only) by the county council, we are lucky if we are warned about fire drills or class trips to other events that clash with timetabled swimming. Our classroom is located remotely from the rest of the school buildings - in fact, and mentally too.
On days when I taught from nine till three at a local primary school pool, I asked if I could use the staff room across my dinner half-hour (an hour, less changing out of wet clothing, mopping the pool side and then returning in time to unlock for afternoon classes). Luckily, some of the teaching assistants recognised me and so slowly I was introduced to the class teachers. The teachers seemed amazed that I should want to ask them about individuals, about their classroom topics and about persistent absentees.
I do not think we are alone in this parallel teaching situation. I am sure peripatetic music specialists recognise our feeling of involvement with the pupils, our pride at their achievements, yet our complete invisibility to school ethos.
The school may well have policy documentation, contracts with parents and regular newsletter type contact with the whole school but I can guarantee that any school news about swimming has come from essays written by pupils, or leisure centre websites.
It wouldn't take much for headteachers to regard us as an integrated member of their support team. They could start by inviting us to attend assemblies where children are awarded their swimming certificates!
In the meantime we will work with our governing bodies who require us to become ever more professional soon we will have to hold an expensive compulsory licence to practice, renewable every three years.
Swimming teachers have a lot to offer school pupils. We provide a progressive opportunity for children to succeed, as well as a true life-saving skill for life. An education, in fact!
• Carole Benton is a swimming teacher, with an interest in water polo. She will be a Gamesmaker at the London 2012 working with the Aquatics competitors.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Sign up to the Guardian Teacher Network to get access nearly 100,000 pages of teaching resources and join our growing community. Looking for your next role? See our Schools jobs site for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs.
Could you be one of our bloggers?
Do you have something you want to share with colleagues – a resource of your own and why it works well with your students, or perhaps a brilliant piece of good practice in teaching or whole school activity that you know about it? If so please get in touch. If you would like to blog on the Guardian Teacher Network please email emma.drury@guardian.co.uk and please don't be shy about commenting on blogs on this page.