Babies from 3mths-4.5yrs

We use the STA Starfish and Stanley awards at this age/stage. Our younger babies up to 2/2.5 work towards the starfish 1-6 awards and the toddlers 2-4.5 work towards the stanley 1-7 awards. Our babies are our DUCKLINGS and our older children our CYGNETS.

Sswimming and swimming skills are taught through play and with a familiar adult acting in a teaching role. This makes best use of the trusting relationship and encourages relaxation in the water.

For more info please see the 'baby page'

Tadpoles

In our first stage class children learn to relax in the water and to feel comfortable. Encouraging a relaxed body with floppy limbs will help your child to be ready to learn the basic strokes. We then move onto the introduction of kicking on front and back and the arm 'paddles' on front and back too. Other activities such as floating, jumping in, push and gliding to the wall and submeging help with building the FUNdamentals of learning to swim. At the end of beginner 1 a child will be able to swim 5m with a woggle and will have completed stage 1 of the ASA Awards.

Frogs

 Continuing to develop the skills introduced in beginner 1 there is more emphasis on stroke work on front and back, and introduction to breastroke. At the end of beginner 2 a child can swim 5m on their front and back and will have completed the ASA Stage 2 award

Minnows

Focusing now on developing a stronger leg kick and ensuring a smooth over water arm pull there is also the introduction of side breathing in frontcrawl. Breastroke is featuring more prominently and some butterfly stroke work will be seen. Water activities to develop skill include sculling, submergin, push and glides, floats to describe buoyancy etc Stage 3 and 4 of the ASA awards plus a 10m and 25m achievement see the child promoted to

Dolphin

Working towards ASA Awards Stage 5 and 6 sees plenty of jumping, sculling, surface diving and personal survival as well as perfecting front, back and breastsroke. 50m awards and 100m awards are also achieved. Advanced 2 Length swimmers. Still developing strokes and working towards ASA stages 7,8 and 9.

Sharks

Our length swimmers are now perfecting their strokes and working towards ASA Award 7. We also add variety by working towards the competitive swimming award 8 and 9, the personal survival awards and other activites to add variety and fun to swimming lessons. From here there is also the opportunity to sign up to our diving course for some variety!