Baby and toddler
a lesson, from$22
- Ages 3 months to 3 years
- A parent or carer in the water with each child
- Songs, floating and splashing at the child's pace
Confident in the water, one lesson at a time
Small classes and private lessons for babies, children and adults, taught by qualified instructors in a warm indoor teaching pool. Choose a lesson and a time, and we confirm your place within one working day.
Up to 4children per instructor in early stages
32 °Cwater in the teaching pool
3 monthsthe youngest age we teach
- Babies from 3 months
- Small groups of 4 to 6
- A lifeguard on deck every lesson
- Nervous adults welcome
Lessons for every age
All lessons run in a warm teaching pool between 0.9 and 1.2 metres deep, with a lifeguard watching from the deck. Prices are per swimmer.
Children's classes
a lesson, from$20
- Ages 4 to 12, grouped by stage rather than age
- Ten week terms after a trial lesson
- Progress notes at the end of each term
- Parents watch from the viewing gallery
Adult lessons
a lesson, from$26
- Complete beginners and nervous swimmers
- Stroke technique and steady lengths
- Weekday evenings and Saturday mornings
Private lessons
30 minutes, from$55
- Any age from 4 upwards
- Suits anxious swimmers or one tricky stroke
- The same instructor each week
Children's classes are booked by the term after a trial lesson, and terms are paid directly at reception. A missed lesson can be made up within the same term when a place is open.
Learn to swim stages
Children move up when every skill in their stage feels easy, never on a set date. The ages below are only a rough guide.
| Stage | What swimmers work on | Typical ages |
|---|---|---|
| Splash | Getting the face wet, blowing bubbles, kicking with support | 3 to 5 |
| Float | Floating on the front and back, pushing off the wall, gliding | 4 to 6 |
| Kick | Kicking across the width with a float, rolling from front to back | 5 to 7 |
| Stroke | Front crawl and backstroke over 10 metres, treading water | 6 to 9 |
| Distance | Breaststroke, longer swims, safe entries and deep water skills | 7 to 12 |
| Club ready | All four strokes, turns and steady lengths for fitness or a club | 9 and up |
Instructors share progress notes each term and explain the next skills. Every child learns at their own pace, so we never promise a date by which a child will swim unaided.
Supervised from the deck to the changing room
Every lesson has a qualified instructor in or beside the water and a lifeguard on the deck watching the whole pool. A parent or carer of each child under eight stays in the viewing gallery for the full lesson, and babies and toddlers always have their own adult in the water.
Changing rooms are family rooms with lockable cubicles. Children change with their own parent or carer, staff never help a child to change, and phones and cameras stay put away in every changing area.
Lessons build skills and confidence, yet no lesson makes a child safe around water on their own. Keep children within arm's reach near pools, rivers, the sea and the bath at home.
- Instructors qualified and background checked as local rules require
- A lifeguard on deck for every lesson
- Children change with their own parent or carer
- No phones or cameras in changing areas
Your first lesson
Children begin with a trial lesson, so the instructor can suggest the right stage before you commit to a term.
Book a trial
Choose the lesson type and a time. We confirm by email within one working day.
Arrive early
Come 15 minutes before to change. Babies need a swim nappy under a snug swim pant.
Meet the instructor
The instructor greets each swimmer at the poolside and talks the parent or carer through the lesson.
Agree the stage
After the trial we suggest a stage and a weekly time, and hold that place for three days.
Around the pool
A warm teaching pool, a viewing gallery and family changing rooms, all on one level.
Families and swimmers (example reviews)
Bath time used to end in tears. A year of Saturday classes later, our daughter blows bubbles, floats on her back and asks when swimming is, all at her own speed.
Learning to swim at 41 felt embarrassing until the first lesson. The group was small, the instructor started in the shallow end and never rushed a single step.
Two brothers in different stages swim at the same Saturday time in neighbouring lanes. The term notes show exactly what each one is working on next.
Questions parents and swimmers ask
From what age can babies start?
From 3 months. Each baby is in the water with their own adult, and the teaching pool is kept at around 32 °C. Questions about your baby's health are best taken to your doctor before the first lesson.
How long until a child can swim?
Every child learns at a different pace, so we never promise a date. Most children move up a stage every one to three terms, and the term notes show exactly what comes next.
Do parents stay during lessons?
For younger children, yes. A parent or carer of any child under eight stays in the viewing gallery for the whole lesson, and babies and toddlers need their adult in the water. Older children are collected at the poolside by a named adult.
How do the changing rooms work?
The pool has family changing rooms with lockable cubicles. Children change with their own parent or carer, staff do not help children change, and phones and cameras stay put away in all changing areas.
What happens if a lesson is missed?
Tell reception before the lesson and we offer a make up place in the same term when one is open. Lessons missed without notice are not refunded.
Are the instructors qualified?
Every instructor holds a recognised swimming teaching qualification and has passed the background checks required where we teach. The rules for swimming teachers vary by country, so we follow the local standard and add our own training each term.
Are adult classes separate from children?
Yes. Adult lessons run on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings with no children in the group. Very nervous adults often start with two or three private lessons.
Book a lesson or a trial
Tell us who is swimming, their age and the time that suits. Reception answers within one working day, either confirming the place or offering the closest open time.
- Children start with a trial before any term
- Pay at reception once your place is confirmed
- A parent or carer stays for every child under eight
Visit the pool
Reception opens half an hour before the first lesson of each day, and the car park is right by the entrance.
Reception
Indoor teaching pool beside the community sports centre, with parking next to the entrance
Lesson hours
| Monday to Friday | 15:30 to 20:00 |
| Saturday | 08:00 to 14:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00 to 12:00 |
Watch a lesson first
Families are welcome to watch from the viewing gallery before booking. Ask at reception and we find a class at the right stage to sit in on.
Book a trial