September means back to school, back to activities and, for many families, back into a more familiar weekly routine.
After a summer of holidays, days out and changing schedules, regular swimming lessons may have slipped down the list. But getting back into a consistent routine in the pool is important, particularly when your child is still learning.
Learning to swim is not simply about reaching the other side of the pool. Children gradually develop water confidence, safe entries and exits, floating, breathing, body position, stroke technique, stamina and important water safety skills.
Swimming is an essential life-saving skill, and regular lessons give children the opportunity to practise, consolidate and build on what they have already learned.
What are the learn to swim stages?
Individuality Swimming follows a combination of Swim England Awards (Learn to Swim stages) and Swimming Teachers Association schemes:
- Starfish- Introduction to water confidence, closely linked with age and development.
- Discovery Ducklings- Building on water confidence, preparing swimmers for the transition into independent swimming.
- Ducklings- covers the basic skills needed to swim up to 5 metres.
- Water Skills-a range of badges that build on water safety skills and stroke technique work
- Distance Badges- a progressive range of badges from 5 metres upwards
- Swimming Challenge Badges – a progressive scheme of swimming challenges incorporating distance and survival skills
Swimmers will work through the syllabus split into ability groups:
Parent and Baby- 0 to 3 years
Non-Swimmer– Age 3+ (Equivalent to Swim England Stage 1/2)
Beginner 1 (Equivalent to Swim England Stage 2/3)
Beginner 2 (Equivalent to Swim England Stage 4/5)
Improver 1 (Equivalent to Swim England Stage 6)
Improver 2 (Equivalent to Swim England Stage 7)
Pre-Club Development and Fitness– Linking into local competitive clubs
Why completing the stages is important
Each class level builds on the skills, confidence and experience developed in the previous stage. This gradual progression helps swimmers strengthen their technique, become more independent in the water and work towards becoming safe, competent swimmers.
Our priority is not simply to move children through levels as quickly as possible. It is to help them build strong foundations, feel comfortable in the water and develop a broad range of swimming and water safety skills. This also gives swimmers the opportunity to progress into other aquatic activities in the future, whether that is club swimming, lifesaving, diving or another aquatic discipline.
Following a structured programme is important because swimming skills develop over time. Sporadic lessons can make it harder for children to retain skills and build consistently on what they have already learned.
Taking your child swimming yourself is still extremely valuable. It gives them extra time in the water, helps make swimming enjoyable and can support confidence. However, recreational swimming should work alongside structured lessons rather than replace them.
A qualified swimming teacher can assess technique, introduce skills in the right order, identify areas that need more support and adapt lessons to the individual swimmer. Structured lessons also help ensure children are developing key water safety skills alongside the correct swimming techniques.
Are arm bands good for learning to swim?
Armbands can be a confidence booster and useful for fun swims with family, however when teaching correct technique, armbands hinder correct body position where swimmers are trying to keep their head above the water.
In our swimming lessons, you will notice we use back floats, which sit on the body as these help swimmers to feel confident whilst maintaining a better body position. These can also be reduced as swimmers progress, reducing buoyancy as they develop skills and technique.
Can 2 year olds learn to swim?
At 2 years old, children will join our parent and baby lessons, where they can start to learn movement patterns and build confidence with the support of a parent in the water. These classes are group lessons, as at this age children develop through play, observation and shared activities.
These lessons provide a safe and secure environment where swimmers can start to be introduced to the independent skills needed to transition into our independent non swimmer lessons from 3 years old.
Ready to find the right swimming stage for your child?
Whether your child is just starting out, building confidence or ready to progress to the next level, the right class will depend on their age, ability and experience in the water.
You can view our swimming classes to learn more about the different lesson levels we offer, or book swimming lessons online if you already know which class is right for your child.
If you’re unsure where your child should start, complete our contact form and our team can help you find the most suitable lesson.
Swimming is an essential life-saving skill, and structured lessons can help children build the confidence, technique and water safety skills they need.