16 Feb 2018
Why we are expanding stage 1 into two different classes
Having joined Swim England, we follow their ‘Learn to Swim’ programme. By using their strategies and stage criteria we can mark progress for each child in our classes. However, it is not always as easy as they have outlined, and we have come up with a solution.
Different pools have different depths, poolside environments, and distractions. SafelySwim are very lucky to exclusively have use of the pool on its designated days without sharing it with members of the public. The dilemma SafelySwim has, is the depth of the pool at the shallow end. We do not expect every child who arrives for a lesson to be above 1.2m, so we have to find a way around this.
Most swim schools have shallower depths, or the teachers use woggles to support each child. SafelySwim believe the answer is to have a Stage 1 class, and a Stage 1.2 class so that we are able to focus on the individuals who need extra support with the basics, and also be able to support those who need pushing further. This also increases the amount of swimming the children can do in each lesson, as they are in a class tailored for their ability. These are the ideas which SafelySwim want to develop.
Since introducing our new class organisation we have seen a great success. Being able to have everyone in the class at very similar standards have allowed our teachers to have more time with each child in the class. This time is spent on ensuring their progression and working towards the next stage, rather than being used up working with a wide variety of very different abilities in the same class.
We are not criticising Swim England’s stage criteria, what we are doing is keeping their high standards and adapting it to suit our pool and teaching style. Enabling us to spend the maximum time helping each child improve their swimming.
