How we teach
Teachers in the water, and lessons built around the child in front of us.
We get in the water
Our teachers are in the pool with the children. That means a hand is always within reach, a correction can be shown rather than described, and a child who has gone quiet is noticed straight away.
Up to six children with a teacher. If a seventh joins the class, a teaching assistant joins too — so there are two members of staff and more eyes on the pool, which means more swimming, not less.
In Levels 1 to 4 teachers work both in and out of the water, so there's always someone in there when a child needs a hand.
Nothing is ever forced
If a child doesn't want to do something today, that's fine. We come back to it.
Anything needs to be done with them, not to them.
And nobody is ever told they've failed. A child who hasn't got something yet hasn't got it yet, and that's how it gets said to them.
How a stroke gets taught
We teach a stroke whole, then take out the bit that needs work, then put it back. Body position first, then legs, then arms, then breathing, then putting it all together.
- 1. Body position
- 2. Legs
- 3. Arms
- 4. Breathing
- 5. Timing
It looks like play
A child fetching a sinky toy off the bottom thinks they're playing. They're submerging, opening their eyes and controlling their breath — which is far harder to teach by asking.
- Flippers and fins
- Woggles
- Kickboards
- Pull buoys
- Hoops to swim through and go under
- Sinky toys to fetch off the bottom
- Balls and floats
Water safety, not just swimming
We teach what being safe in water actually means, and what to do if they ever fall in and find themselves in difficulty — how to get themselves to safety.
We hope it never happens. But forewarned is forearmed.
Warm water, on purpose
People don't learn in cold water.
The pool sits at 33°C all year round. There are babies in it, there are plenty of swimmers well over sixty in it, and our teachers are in it for hours at a time.
Every lesson counts
Children are assessed every lesson, and progress is recorded in five metre steps rather than pass or fail at twenty-five.
The best way to judge any of this is to come and watch a lesson.