Course details
Adult and child
Sessions for babies and young children from birth to 3 years who are new to swimming.
Sessions are delivered with adults and children in the water together.
Ducklings
Sessions for children aged 3 years and over. Reception school age who are able to follow simple instructions and move independently.
Sessions will increase water confidence and familiarise your child with essential skills before they progress into Stage 1. Swimmers may use aids, such as armbands or discs.
Stage 1
Suitable for children who are of reception school age and over.
Sessions focus on developing basic safety awareness, the ‘class’ scenario, basic movement skills and water confidence. Swimmers may use aids, such as armbands or discs.
Stage 2
Sessions focus on developing safe entries to the water. This includes jumping in, basic floating, travel and rotation unaided to regain upright positions. Travel on front and back for 5 metres aided equipment
Swimmers can enter the stage using aids, such as armbands or discs. but must leave this stage without aids.
Stage 3
Sessions focus on developing safe entries to the water, including submersion, travel up to 10 metres on front and back without aided equipment, progress rotation skills and water safety knowledge.
No aids (such as armbands or discs) to be used in this stage.
Stage 4
Sessions focus on developing the understanding of buoyancy through a range of skills, refining kicking technique for all strokes and swimming 5 metres front crawl and back crawl to a given standard, as directed by .
Stage 5
Sessions focus on developing ‘watermanship’ through sculling and treading water skills, and complete rotation.
Stage 6
Sessions focus on developing effective swimming skills including coordinated breathing; developing the water safety aspects and understanding of preparation for exercise.
Stage 7
Sessions focus on developing a quality stroke technique up to 100 metres, incorporating skills learnt and combining them to develop a linked routine and complete successfully an obstacle course that combines a variety of skills accomplished throughout stages 1 to 7.
Competitive stages 8, 9 and 10
Advanced swimmers greater distances of 400m and over, learning swimming development skills such as turns, starts, relay takeovers. Development stage progression to swimming club (one hour lesson).
Youth session, aged 8 years and over
Covers stages 1, 2, and 3 for older children
This session is not available at all centres. Ask at reception for more details.
Multi aquatic stages 8, 9 and 10
Suitable for swimmers that have completed stage 7 and would like to try other aquatic disciplines. Sessions will include a mixture of synchronised swimming, water polo and diving.
This session is not available at all centres. Ask at reception for more details.
Rookie
Suitable for swimmers that have completed stage 7. The , the leading provider for Water Safety education, rescue techniques and resuscitation, has developed the Rookie Lifeguard programme.
The Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards ensure that children:
- are aware the dangers of swimming in open water
- have a solid safety education
- have learned rescue and resuscitation techniques
For more information, visit .
Page last updated: 4 October 2024