Community Swim Programme

Learn to Swim Programme (Age 3-4)

The learn to Swim programme for young children follows the Swim England Foundation Framework, which includes Duckling stages 1 to 4. The lessons focus on developing water confidence and independent movement in young children from the age of 3 years, without an accompanying parent. Classes are organised in a fun, friendly environment and provide the perfect foundation for a child’s swimming skills before moving into the more advanced stages of the Learn to Swim Programme.

Learn to Swim Programme (Age 4+)

This programme for school-age children is based on developing fundamental movement skills, equipping the swimmers with the skills to be competent, confident and safe in the water, whilst also developing a love for aquatic activities. Our comprehensive lessons follow the Swim England Learn to Swim pathway and introduce and develop the four main swimming strokes in a progressive and structured manner. ​

Our lessons are dynamic, enjoyable, and focused on both the fundamental aquatic skills and stroke development. Children learn through a selection of activities, including games, repetition, experimentation, demonstrations and verbal explanation.

Stage 1:

Stage 1 of the Learn to Swim programme is ideal for beginners aged 4+. During this stage, children will be introduced to personal safety skills and will develop water confidence and basic movement skills.

Stage 2:

During stage 2, children will be introduced to streamlining their strokes and travelling independently for a distance of up to five metres. They will also be introduced to rotations, floatation and a variety of jumps and entries.

Stage 3​

During this stage, children will develop their ability to travel on their front and back up to a distance of ten metres. They will also develop their rotation, submersion and water safety skills.

Stage 4​

Children will develop their kicking technique and sculling skills in order to lay foundations for all four strokes. They are also introduced to the arm actions of all four strokes, as well as a number of underwater activities.

Stage 5​

At this more advanced stage, children further develop their skills in each stroke and learn to co-ordinate their arm and leg movements. They also learn several sculling sequences, how to tread water, and how to do handstands and somersaults under water.

Stage 6​

In the final stage, children start to refine their swimming technique across all four strokes. They focus on correct breathing techniques, how to dive effectively and how to increase their stamina. They also further develop their personal survival skills.

Beyond Learn to Swim

Swim Academy:

These relaxed sessions are aimed at those children who are working towards or have passed the Swim England Stage 6 criteria. Children develop their fitness and stroke technique through a series of drills and engaging activities. They are also introduced to competitive starts and turns, diving and have the opportunity to complete a distance swim on a termly basis. Swimmers can also work towards the Swim England Stage 7 criteria within these groups.

Mini Polo:

Ever fancied the idea of Water Polo? It’s a fun, high energy ball game in the pool and it even has the Royal seal of approval.

Mini Polo is a beginners’ version of this physically demanding, but fun, Olympic Sport. Mini Polo combines introductory ball and swimming skills, as well as teamwork. Participants can play within their depth, making it easier to concentrate on learning how to play and having a good time. This is a great game and a good starting point for anyone thinking of taking up Water Polo.

Water Polo:

For children who may wish to do something different to swimming, Water Polo is an exciting and fast-paced game combining the skill and tactical elements of football with the physical contest of rugby. Swimmers will learn the basics of the sport from movement, shooting and passing to more complex skills and technique and get to put these into practice in game situations.

Rookie Lifeguard:

The Royal Lifesaving Society UK’s Rookie Lifeguard Programme offers an opportunity to explore water safety and gain independence and confidence while learning vital life skills that can help keep themselves, friends and family safe. Built into the Programme are lessons in valuable survival, rescue and sports skills; all delivered in an exciting way that will get children involved and motivated. The course can run parallel to your child’s current swimming lessons and will enhance the skills they learn in the pool.

Adult and Child Swimming Lessons

Our Adult and Child swim lessons follow the Swim England Discovery Duckling framework and are specifically designed for Pre-school children, catering for babies through to children aged 3. All staff are baby and pre-school specialists, running sessions that develop young babies into children who are water confident and able to move around independently. Children learn to enjoy the water through songs, games and fun, whilst also focusing on personal safety.

During lessons, children will learn to submerge through signalling, enabling them to feel at ease under the water. Classes have been developed to help build parent’s confidence in the water, as well as to enable children to start to use floatation equipment with adult support. Classes are run in a relaxed and friendly environment, providing the ideal building block for children to move through to a Duckling class where they will start to develop confidence in the water without a parent.

Adult Learn to Swim and Swim Fit

Ashford Swim School follows the Swim England Adult Swimming Framework, which focusses on improving confidence, competence and technique with no upper age limit. We run classes for non-swimmers, beginners and improvers, and also organise regular Swim Fit sessions for the more experienced swimmer.

Our instructors provide quality teaching for those who wish to learn how to swim to become safer and more confident in the water, as well as for those who are looking to improve their technique and endurance in the water. All of our sessions focus on learning in a relaxed atmosphere and building fitness in a structured and progressive way. Adaptations are made for each swimmer to ensure that swimmers of all abilities gain the maximum fitness benefits from each class.

Please note that the minimum age for Adult Learn to Swim and Swim Fit is 18 years.

Within the Adult Learn to Swim programme, there are four progressive stages to work through; Be Water Confident, Be a Swimmer, Be a Better Swimmer and Be a Master Swimmer.

Be Water Confident

Swimmers will gain the confidence to enter the pool safely and will develop the ability to move around the pool with confidence. They will achieve basic core aquatic skills, such as entries, exits, buoyancy, balance and aquatic breathing.​

Be a Swimmer

Swimmers will gain the necessary skills to start swimming independently over short distances (5 to 10 metres). At this stage, swimmers won’t need support or floatation equipment. ​

Be a Better Swimmer

At this stage swimmers will be able to swim up to 400 metres independently. They will have the confidence to try other pool activities, such as Water Polo or lane swimming.​

Be a Master Swimmer

Gaining this award means that swimmers can confidently enter the Masters section of a swimming club. These swimming skills enable you to compete at different levels and in different sports such as triathlon, open water swimming and lane swimming.

Private Swimming Lessons

Our Swim England qualified teachers offer private one-to-one or two-to-one thirty-minute lessons for children of all abilities. These individually tailored lessons can enable children aged 3 upwards to learn effectively whilst having fun. Our quiet pool space is ideal for children who find it difficult to learn within a group setting or have a fear of the water. ​

Our private lessons are available as a one-off lesson, block of four lessons or half-termly block of lessons at a cost of £20.00 (£18.75 Ashford School pupil) per thirty-minute lesson.

Crash Courses

Ashford Swim School runs week-long crash courses during the school holidays. These 30-minute lessons mainly focus on the Learn to Swim Programme, with some classes focused on certain strokes/skills. ​

Crash courses are a fun and exciting activity for the School holidays and can help to solidify skills and build confidence in a short amount of time.

These courses are open to all and can be booked directly by contacting crashcourses@ashfordschool.co.uk