Our Levels Explained

When your child joins Swim Academy, our customer service team will ask about your child’s swimming experience and may suggest an in-water assessment to ensure we place your child in the right level.

Our programme has 8 levels.

Levels 1 and 2 take place in the same class. What does this mean? Your child is only ever in one level at a time but the children in their class could be in Level 1 or Level 2. In Levels 1 and 2, our teachers are in the water with a ratio of 1:4 meaning they can support the children closely and that activities can be taught at a level suitable for each child.

Here is an example…

In Level 1, one of the criteria we work on is ‘3m on back with woggles or teacher support’. In Level 2, this progresses to ‘3m independent back paddle’.

These can easily be achieved in the same class with the teachers progressing children at their own pace and the children in Level 1 being able to see what they are aspiring to in Level 2.

Level 1

LET’S GET WET

At Level One we’re…

• Confident with immersing our faces in the water
• Entering and exiting the water safely
• Swimming safely on seahorses

Levels 3 and 4 also take place in the same class, still with our teachers in the water, guiding the children with every stroke they take, but you will see them becoming more and more hands off, ready for the children being in the water on their own in Level 5.

Here is another example of progressive criteria between Levels 3 and 4 and why it works to have children from both Levels in the same class.

In Level 3, one of the criteria we work on is ‘scull head-first for 5m with a buoyancy aid’. In Level 4, this progresses to ‘independent 5m head-first scull.’

Level 3

LET’S BE BRAVE

At Level Three we’re…

• Jumping in independently
• Learning to scull
• Learning rhythmic breathing with our mouth and nose

Once we reach Levels 5 and 6, the focus changes and all the children in those levels are working towards the common goals of becoming fully independent in the water, progressing technique in all four strokes and achieving distance awards to the governing body standards.

Level 5

LET’S SKILLFULL

At Level Five we’re…

• Treading water for 1 minute
• 10m backstroke to STA standards
• Perfecting front crawl

Levels 7 and 8 form our Elite Swim Academy, developing stroke technique further and building stamina. Children can achieve up to 400m distance. Many swimmers leave to go onto swimming clubs but most importantly, they are set up for life with a skill that can open door into many aquatic activities; from open water swimming to water polo, from competitive swimming to artistic swimming, from lifeguarding to kayaking, they will have developed the confidence and competencies it takes to do anything they choose.

Level 7

LET’S BE IMPRESSIVE

At Level Seven we’re…

• Perfecting technique in all four recognised strokes
• Achieving up to 75m front crawl to STA Assessment standards
• Swim 10m, somersault, continue swimming for 10m