Swimming Classes at Puddle Ducks Derbyshire
Olivia & mummy have a cuddle underwater !
Find out about baby swimming, toddler swimming and child swimming classes in and around Derby and Derbyshire.
Hello & a warm welcome to Puddle Ducks Derbyshire
I'm Cate and I am both proud and delighted to be bringing the Puddle Ducks experience to the Derby & surrounding areas. I am at my happiest when surrounded by gorgeous babies & toddlers in one of our swimming classes, I have to pinch myself sometimes when I realise I do this for my Job, how lucky am I ?
Our Puddle ducks programme is constantly developed and refreshed to make sure it is the best programme we can offer your little ones. Every class is different and we treat each child as an indivdual, making sure they progress at their own individual pace.
Most importantly we want your babies & Toddlers to learn to love the water in our fun but carefully structured classes.
I love being in the water and I adore children, so I am looking forward to meeting you & your precious little ones in one of our baby & toddler swimming classes soon.
You can start our classes at any age between 0 and 5 and at any point in the term so get in touch now!
We currently offer our baby & toddler swimming classes in Allestree, Ashbourne, Castle Donnington, Etwall, Littleover, Mickleover, Ripley and Waterhouses, take a look at Our Pools I am sure we have a pool near you.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions at all.
Our office hours are usually as follows :-
Monday 9.30-3pm, Tuesday 1-3pm, Wednesday 1-3pm, Thursday closed and Friday 9.30-11.30am and 1-3pm. The office is closed during the weekend !
Franchise contact info
Cate Woodrow-Smith
37 Netherside Drive, Chellaston, Derby DE73 6QU
Tel: 01332 605729
Email this franchisee »
Latest news
Olivia's Story
Cate and Olivia enjoying a cuddle in the water
Olivia is Franchisee Cate's daughter and they have been swimming together since she was 6 weeks old. Cate says "It’s fair to say we have never missed a week where we have swum together. (well apart from when she had Chicken Pox!) Being in the pool together has always been our favourite activity"
She continues "On holiday last year Olivia jumped in the pool on our first day, there was a gasp from the side of the pool as a man jumped in after her but was amazed to see her turn around and swim back to the side with a big grin on her face, I of course knew what she was capable of and how confident she is in the water and it’s all down to babies & toddlers swimming as early as possible. Needless to say the parents were impressed & I was a very proud Mummy."
I look forward to meeting yours babies & toddlers in the pool where we will learn new skills but have loads of fun too
Posted on 14th July 2009
Baby Swim Business Wins Three Major Nominations for National Awards
Puddle Ducks are thrilled to have been nominated in three categories in the ‘What’s on 4’ 2010 Awards:
1) Best National Baby & Toddler Development Activity (newborn to 2 years)
2) Best National Pre-schooler Development Activity (2 to 5 years)
3) Most Outstanding Activity Leader for the Under 5s (Ali Beckman)
These awards are voted for by parents across the country – last year Puddle Ducks reached the finals and we are so excited about the possibility of winning a category this year.
PLEASE VOTE for Puddle Ducks now!
Posted on 15th March 2010 by Jo Stone
Puddle Ducks makes you smile
Puddle Ducks makes you smile
Take a look at our video "Puddle Ducks make you smile" on You Tube. Its impossible to watch without smiling .......
Posted on 24th June 2009 by Jo Stone
Working with Puddle Ducks
Do you have what it takes to become a Puddle Ducks teacher ?
Derby are on the recruitment trail now for our next teacher to take part in one of our forthcoming training courses, we are actively seeking to recruit a teacher in the High Peak & staffordshire parts of our territory to really grow our business.
Do you have a desire to work with chidren ?
Are you energetic/lively & love being in the water ?
Are you looking for a hugely rewarding career, that promotes confidence & safety in the water for babies & children & is tremendous fun too ?
Yes, please get in touch with Cate on 01332 605729 for a chat
Any Pools?
Do you know of a pool we could hire
We are a rapidly growing franchise. If you know of anyone who would like to hire a pool to us, we would love to be introduced to them!
Many Thanks
Cate
Derby Franchise wins award at the 2012 conference
Cate was delighted to be presented with an award at the annual Franchise confrerence for achiveing the highest re-enrolment percentage rate of 82 %, "I put this down to our customer loyalty as we know they love their classes & keep coming back for more fun", we love to watch them grow& develop in the class & to be honest we get very attached to our litle swimmers .
Teaching Staff required !
We aere always on the look-out for our next teacher to join our growing business, there are exciting times ahead for Puddle Ducks Derbyshire as we get ready to launch our Dabblers programme in the Autumn, Aquanatal and Swim Academy for the future !
What we look for in our teaching staff is passion, committment, enthusiasm & of course a strong desire to work with babies, toddlers and Mums to be, if you have these qualities in abundance then please do not hesitate to get in touch. Puddle Ducks HQ can provide all of the training you need and the opportunity to grow with us once qualified.
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Royal Derby Pool |
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Otium Leisure Centre |
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Waterhouses Pool |
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Woodlands School Pool |
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Gayton Swimming Pool |
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Miraj Hotel & Leisure Club |
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Etwall Primary School |
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Butterley Grange |
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Local links
Cine Babies
Cine Babies Screenings
Bring your baby to a grown-up screening!
Special monthly screenings for parents/ carers with babies under 12 months. A modified environment screening with house lights slightly raised and sound lowered.
To enable entrance to these exclusive screenings, parents/ carers can join QUAD's Cine Babies club for free - please bring in proof of baby's age when joining.
NHS details on immunizations & guidelines for baby swimming
We are often asked the question can my baby go swimming before they have had their 1st round of imminizations, well here is th elow down fro the NHS !
Visit NHS details on immunizations & guidelines for baby swimming website »
Puddle Ducks Derbyshire facebook page !
Here you will find all of our latest news too, hot off the press, post your feedback here too
Craft Island
Jacqui mum to Benson (lovely Splasher) has sent me her link with some gorgeous crafts & creation projects/scrapbooks & ideas plus events...take a look !
Photo gallery
Almost there
Ready Jump !
A splashing good time !
Hello Puddle the duck!
My super swimmer Olivia !
Dive down for it !
Look I'm swimming on my own Mum !
3 Puddle Ducks......
A Dipper on her Sea-horse !
Testimonials
Nominated by Lisa & James Singleton
Award nomination made by Lisa Singleton, Mum to James Singleton (3)
By way of background, we joined Puddleducks half way through the spring term. Up until that point we had been attending a similar, but different, baby swimming course, and James had begun to develop several things he really disliked about the swimming. The main thing being the 'forced' submersion. He absolutely refused to go under the water in that way (although would sometimes jump in). This resulted in him I think having trust issues especially with the teacher and then we were unable to do very much constructively with him because he was scared of going underwater.
So, we decided to give Puddleducks a go and began attending Anne-Marie's Little Dippers lessons at Butterley Grange (on a Thursday at 10am. Well, frankly, you would not believe if you saw James swimming now that it was the same little boy. My husband is astounded at the progress he has made in a relatively short time. Literally within a few weeks, he was coming on in leaps and bounds and has continued to do so. Anne-Marie has worked with him on his confidence and has really supported him. He can now jump in unaided, blow bubbles with his face fully in the water, will HAPPILY float on his back (definitely a new one for him!), and perhaps most importantly has gained the confidence to swim nice and flat on his front (whereas he used to arch his back for fear of going under).
He absolutely adores the lessons, and this was demonstrated when we returned from the summer break and Anne-Marie got the same sort of welcome from James that his favourite Grandparents get!
The thing I found most astounding about all of this was when I recently learned that it is only a year ago that Anne-Marie BEGAN her training, so she has been teaching for somewhat less than a year on her own. She has such a natural way with the children and is a great 'firm but fair' teacher in a way that really gets the children to listen and learn but still enjoy it all.
We can't begin to thank Anne-Marie for the way she has developed James' swimming and the confidence she has already instilled in him. We are currently expecting our second child and I am looking forward to signing him or her up to be a little Puddleduck too!
Nominated by Kelly, Chris & Holly Leeder
Our daughter Holly did not start classes until she was 3 and was petrified of putting her face in the water. Ann-Marie was patient and thoughtful, praising Holly for small achievements and encouraging her. Holly now swims independently (9 months later!) and is happy under the water. What a water angel Ann Marie is!
by Lisa Singleton & Chris & kelly Leeder, Ann-Marie recieved two nominations for teacher of the term !
We would like to thank you for all you have done Abigail would not be so confident in the water or i would not have the confidence letting her go. She is progressing so well with her swims, front and back and that is down to your hard work and patience', there were moments when i felt like giving up, i'm so glad we didn't. We will definitely recommending you to others. Hopefully we will be able to show you how she is coming on before this term ends.
Many thanks again Lisa and Abigail
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by Lisa Wynne mum to a Fab Dipper called Abigail
We love the classes and Jess absolutely loves swimming thanks to starting early with Puddle Ducks.
Please pass on our thanks to all the teachers they have been excellent and given both Jess and I lots of confidence in the water.
All the best
Jo & Jessica Bradshaw
by Jo Bradhshaw mum to a lovely Splasher...Jessica xx
Holly has loved being at Puddleducks, and we have enjoyed her time also - we both thank you for the time and effort put in to teaching Holly both swimming techniques and most importantly confidence in the water.
by Chris Dad to Holly (Little Dipper)
We would like to thank the Puddle Ducks team, particularly Ann-Marie for giving such good fun lessons during this term. We have enjoyed them all very much, learning swimming with Puddle Ducks has given Francesca a very good grounding in learning to swim and confidence in water.
We will certainly recommend Puddle Ducks to people we know.
by Trang mum to Francesca one of our Kickers !
We all love Noah's swimming classes and it is great to see him grow in confidence in the water. It is the most enjoyable activity we have as a family. The classes are fun and the exercises are considerably more beneficial to Noah than just having a splash in a public swimming pool. Our photographs from the over and underwater photo-shoots are really treasured and will be for many years to come.
by Jo-Ann Hawksworth - Mum to Noah, splasher who will graduate to Kickers sep 2011 !
Isabel really enjoys her swimming sessions and I have really been able to see her progress in what seem leaps and bounds. The classes have also given me lots of ideas of things I can do with Isabel when I take her to our local pool, making our time together really pleasurable. I truely believe that attending the puddleduck classes have really helped Isabel "catch-up" in her skills and abilities generally, as she was 7 weeks premature when born.
by Laura Turland, Mum to Isabel (Floaite) soon graduating to become a Splasher !
I am currently still in my first term with Puddleducks after going to a clas since Holly was 18 weeks old (she is now just under 27 months) and I think the class is fantastic and is far more suited to Holly as I hoped it would be. I think alot of this is down to the very small class size at Butterley Grange and the fact that it is such a lovely pool, I also think Ann-Marie is a fantastic teacher who Holly quickly warmed to and that Holly is coming on leaps and bounds since coming to these classes so thank you!
by Louise - Mum to Holly Bell Morris (Little Dipper)
Melissa wrote
"Just wanted to share my experience with Puddleducks in Derby with teacher Cate. Our little Annie was 18 months before we tried her in a pool on holiday. It was a complete nightmare! Annie screamed the place down, we left in a hurry! Not long after we took the plunge (!) and signed up to classes with Puddleducks. The first term with Kickers was up and down with Annie having quite a few tantrums, but Cate's advice to just enjoy ourselves was the turning point. Since then Annie has loved every single class. Annie's confidence has really grown generally thanks to the class and she's often the loudest singer in the pool. As I work full time it gives me chance to have some fun time with her and I just love the classes - hopefully her baby brother will be starting in the summer and I will get 2 chances to splash around and have fun! Melissa
by Melissa Bonsall - Mum to Annie Little Dipper
I just want to say how much we have enjoyed our lessons and really appreciate all of your support, kindness and flexibility with us. I am grateful for my water confudence handling M that ive gained through PuddleDucks.
by Sarah Turner, Mum to Madeline one of our Kickers
