Learn foundational skills in a supportive environment led by experienced instructors.
Learn to Swim – Stage 1
Suitability:
Nervous in water or brand new to swimming
Stage 1 is suitable for children 3 and above who are beginning their swimming journey. At this level, swimmers learn essential water safety skills, including safe entries into the pool and understanding basic pool rules.
Children develop confidence by learning to move forwards, backwards and sideways through the water, practise floating on their front and back, and begin to push and glide from the pool wall. The main goal is to build confidence and basic aquatic movement skills.
On completion, swimmers achieve the Swim England Learn to Swim Stage 1 Award.
Learn to Swim – Stage 2
Suitability:
Comfortable in water
No previous experience of formal lessons required
Stage 2 is designed for swimmers who feel comfortable in the water but have limited formal lesson experience. Children begin to develop greater independence while improving their floating, gliding and movement skills.
Swimmers learn safe water entries, practise rotation skills and work towards swimming 5 metres independently on both their front and back. At this stage they also begin building awareness of water safety and control in the pool environment.
Successful completion results in the Swim England Learn to Swim Stage 2 Award and a 5m distance badge.
Learn to Swim – Stage 3
Suitability:
Able to swim 5m unaided
Children who can confidently swim short distances independently move into Stage 3. The focus here is on improving body position, propulsion and water confidence without the use of buoyancy aids.
Swimmers will practise submerging to collect objects from the pool floor, performing push-and-glide movements, and developing rotation skills between front and back positions. By the end of the stage, swimmers work towards travelling 10 metres on both front and back and demonstrate understanding of key water safety messages.
Completion earns the Swim England Learn to Swim Stage 3 Award and a 10m badge.