Children's swimming tuition

Swimming tuition guide

Our swimming school information is listed below.
If you would like to make an enquiry about any aspect of swimming tuition please email

poolinthepark@woking.gov.uk or telephone 01483 771122

Pool in the Park runs 183 swimming tuition courses each week (164 for children and 19 for adults) with a total of 1800 swimmers.

Swimming tuition is run over three terms of 11-14 weeks in line with state school terms. Children are taught from six months, adult classes start at beginner level upwards. We have our own badge system which runs in line with the A.S.A. national plan.

We are a popular centre for both lessons and general swimming and constantly strive to balance and improve the programme. Currently we have around 1000 customers (mostly children) on our waiting lists. The biggest waiting lists are for four to six year old beginners (up to three years), whilst competition pool classes have very little waiting time at all.

Customers who wish to enrol are advised to complete a waiting list card available at the Pool in the Park and they will then be informed by post when a place becomes available.

As an alternative, "Crash Courses" are available during state school holidays on a first come first served basis and places on lessons are also available as part of our teacher training programme.

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Class information:
Leisure Lagoon and Teaching Pool

Splashers:

  • Six months to two years
    Classes held in the Leisure Lagoon. Parent and child in the water. The class is for general water confidence with the swimming teacher giving advice on how to help the child move through the water.

Ducks:

  • Two years to three years
    Leisure Lagoon and Teaching Pool. Classes similar to Splashers but aimed at older age group.

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Class information: Teaching Pool

with teacher instructing from the side

Flippers:

  • Three years to four years
    Class divided into two. One group is for children who are not too confident and still need their parent in the water with them. The other group is for children who are able to swim independently with armbands and without a parent.

Penguins:

  • Four years to five years
    Progression class from Flippers.

Beginners one:

  • Five years plus
    Mainly for children who are not water confident and do not like getting their faces wet. Children form waiting lists who are non-swimmers will be placed in this class. Children who have progressed through the programme will usually go into Beginners Two from Penguins.

Beginners two:

  • Five years plus
    Progression from penguins for water confident children who can move through the water with or without armbands.

Improvers:

  • Five years plus
    Progression from Beginners Two. Children in this class should now be swimming without armbands and be confident getting their faces wet and going under water. Front crawl and back crawl are the main strokes, plus breaststroke legs.

Improvers plus:

  • Six years plus
    Progression from Improvers. Children should have some knowledge of front and back crawl and be confident going under the water. Improvers Plus concentrates on breaststroke with continued front and back crawl. To progress from this class children should have knowledge of all three strokes and be able to swim one length of the Teaching Pool (16m) in each of the strokes confidently and without pause.

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Competition Pool

Class information: Competition Pool

right-hand side with teacher instructing from the side

Intermediate:

  • Six years plus
    Progression from Improvers plus. Children will be taught deep water confidence plus continued instruction in all three strokes. To progress from this class children should be able to swim three lengths, 25 meters in each stroke and be confident in deep water.

Intermediate plus:

  • Six years plus
    Progression from Improvers Plus. Children will be encouraged to swim further, therefore enhancing stamina and introduced to diving. To progress children should be able to swim 75m in a good style.

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Class information:
Competition Pool (advanced)

(right hand side, second lane in) with teacher instructing from the side.

Stroke technique:

  • Six years plus
    Emphasis on defining all three strokes. To progress from this class children should be proficient in all three strokes and able to swim 200m continuously.

Challenge:

  • Seven years plus
    Focus on increasing stamina, diving, surface diving and straddle jumps. To progress from this class children should be able to swim 400m continuously.

Personal Survival one and two
Personal Survival three

  • Follows the S.T.A. syllabus ¾ hour lessons

A.S.A. bronze and silver
A.S.A. gold

  • Follows the A.S.A. syllabus 1/2 hour lessons
    (These are extra classes, not a progression from personal survival)

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Further information

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