Lesson Stages

Swimming lesson progress stages

 stages explained

Adult & Child

3 Months – 18 Months

All under 18 Months require an accompanying adult.

An introduction to the world of swimming building confidence and enjoyment in the water.

Activities include: Safe entries/Exits/Rolling/Kicking/Floating

Adult & Child

18 Months – 3 Years (Adult required in the pool)

This class reinforces the practices learnt in the 3 Month – 18 Month classes learning to swim with aids but without adult support.

Pre-school 3-4 Years

For 3 to 4 year olds. Class scenario structure learning front paddle and back paddle with/without aids floating, blowing bubbles faces in water.

Please note that at our Kingfisher and Hadleigh, parents will need to accompany their children in the water.

Stage 1

4+ years

A class suitable for non-swimmers with little water experience. Pupils will develop water safety awareness, water confidence working with aids to develop kicking skills, blowing bubbles, with encouragement to put faces into the water.

Stage 2

Suitable for those that have passed Stage 1. Student is required to be water confident, happy to put face in the water and attempt to swim. Pupils will continue to develop so they can; swim on their front & back for at least 5 metres (without floatation aids eg no armbands/woggle), jump in unaided (1m), float unaided, and rotate and regain upright positions.

Stage 3

Students will be required to pass Stage 2. Pupils must be able to swim 10 metres front and back. This class will introduce simultaneous kicking, push and glides, water safety knowledge submersion.

Stage 4

For students that have passed Stage 3. Pupils will develop an understanding of buoyancy through a range of skills, refining kicking for all four strokes. They will be taught to kick 10 metres to a given standard as per Swim England, and introduced to sculling skills.

Stage 5

For those that have passed Stage 4.

Pupils will be taught to swim 10 metres of all four strokes to the standard directed by Swim England, improve sculling skills, treading water, rotations, and handstands.

Stage 6

For students that have passed Stage 5.

Pupils will refine the four strokes with correct breathing, how to prepare for exercise, aquatic safety introducing surface dives and swim with clothes on.

Stage 7

For those that have passed Stage 6.

This is the final stage before pupils can choose the next swim developmental journey. All four strokes need to be swum for a distance of 25 metres. A 100 metre swim with 3 different strokes will be expected (Front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke) with a focus on increasing stamina.

Stages 8, 9 & 10

Those who have passed stage 7 and are looking to develop their skills further or seek a new challenge.

For pupils who have passed the previous Stage or have had an assessment. It is at this stage that the separate disciplines of Competitive Swimming, Diving, Water Polo & Rookies are introduced giving the swimmer a broader understanding of aquatics in order to inspire participation throughout their lifetime.

Newmarket – Disciplines are treated as separate classes giving a greater depth of skills and knowledge.
Bury, Haverhill & Mildenhall – Disciplines are taught together giving each pupil a broader understanding sooner.

Adult Beginners

For non swimmers/beginners.
Aimed at improving water confidence and introducing basic stroke techniques.

Adult Improvers

For the more able swimmer.
Aimed at improving stroke techniques, building stamina and introducing dives and turns.

For further details of each of these stages, please visit the Swim England’s website, which highlights the full outcomes of each stage

child in pink hat swimming
young boy swimming