Swimming Lessons With getactiveabc

SWIMMING LESSON LEVELS

BEGINNERS LEVEL IS ‘OCTOPUS’. TEACHERS WILL MONITOR PROGRESS AND AMEND LEVELS ACCORDINGLY AS ASSESSMENT CONTINUES

Banbridge Leisure Centre Parent & Toddler Swim programme

getactiveabc Swim School

Book Octopus Lessons in OLC, Armagh

Book Octopus Lessons in Banbridge Leisure Centre

Book Octopus Lessons in South Lake

Operating at Orchard Leisure Centre, Banbridge Leisure Centre and South Lake Leisure Centre, the getactiveabc Swim School motivates young learners’ progression with swimming through a range of badges and certificates.

Starfish [3months – 4 years old]

Parent and child sessions. Ideal for children aged 3 months onwards. This class allows for both parent and child to participate in the class, building confidence and technique in the water through fun and games. The class is also ideal social interaction with other parents / children.

Stanley [4.5 – 5 years old]

The first class that allows children to enter the water without their parent & build on their water confidence and swimming skills. This class is based on fun games, whilst learning to swim.

Octopus [Age 5 +]

Move confidently by themselves in the water [with/without discs] and confident to try without swimming aids + skills

Octopus +

Swim 5 metres front & back, confidently jumping in and swimming with face in the water.

Goldfish

Swim 10 metres front crawl [breathing and arms] & Back crawl arms + skills

Goldfish +

Swim 25 metres front crawl with good breathing technique and arms & back crawl arms + skills

Angelfish

Swim 50 metres front crawl & back crawl arms / attempt breaststroke + skills

Angelfish +

Swim 100 metres front crawl & back crawl + 1 length breaststroke + skills

Shark

Swim 200 metres recognised stroke with good technique + skills

Shark+

Be able to swim 400 metres consistently, with good technique and minimal delays at end of each length and complete skills as per STA criteria

Stroke & Stamina 1

Be able to swim 600m recognised stroke with good technique and complete skills as per STA criteria

Stroke & Stamina 2

Be able to swim 800m recognised stroke with good technique and complete skills as per STA criteria

Survival

A rookie lifeguard programme that allows candidates to learn essential lifesaving skills both on land and within the water

Adult Group Lessons

You’re never too old to learn how to swim. For the over 16’s we offer lessons in either a structured program or as part of a group

Be Water Confident

This is about gaining the confidence to enter the pool safely. It also covers the ability to move around the pool with confidence and to achieve basic core aquatic skills. These are entries, exits, buoyancy, balance and aquatic breathing

Be a Swimmer

Once you feel confident you will have the necessary skills to start swimming independently over short distances (5 to 10 metres). You won’t need support or swimming aids

Be a Better Swimmer

By this point you’ll be able to swim up to 400 metres independently. You’ll also have the confidence to try other pool activities, such as Aquacise or lane swimming

Be a Master Swimmer

This is more about advanced swimming skills to enable you to compete

LESSONS AVAILABLE AT

Banbridge Leisure Centre

1-2-1 Lessons

For those who like intensive learning environments we offer one to one or small group swimming lessons for learners of all ages.

1:1 Junior Lessons

Teacher in the water with your child providing an individually tailored swim tuition experience

1:1 Adult Lessons

Teacher in the water with you providing an individually tailored swim tuition experience

1:1 Less Abled Persons Lessons

Specifically Qualified Teacher in the water with your child providing an individually tailored swim tuition experience

Lifesaving

BOOK SUMMER LIFEGUARD SESSIONS

Rookie Life Guard

An RLSS junior scheme for Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. Must be a competent strong swimmer.

NPLQ (With AED)

A recognised professional life guarding qualification. Includes defibrillator training.

*Pre-course water assessment test to confirm suitability

NPLQ (Without AED)

A recognised professional life guarding qualification. Defibrillator training not included.

*Pre-course water assessment test to confirm suitability.

HOW GROUP LESSONS WORK

Online Information

Getactiveabc uses a swim school management software system to allow us to interact with parents and customers in an easier way.

The system provides a ‘Teacher Portal’ for our staff, providing them with a poolside instructors’ device, to allow them to:

Mark Registers
Carry Out Assessments
Assess Movements
View Teaching Plans
Be Aware Of Medical Alerts

So if you see a Swimming Teacher on poolside with a device they are assessing your children when they are taking part in a lesson.

This system also has a ‘Home Portal’ which provides parents with their own personal account to allow them to review:

Weekly Progress
Online Payments
Online Booking and Progression Movements
Course history

Operation Of Swimming Lessons

- Customers/Parents will have access to a parent portal online which provides feedback and children’s progression on a weekly basis; details to access this portal will be provided to parents
- Swim teachers will have a tablet on poolside with access to a swim management software package so they can tick off competencies in the system as a child achieves them.
- Any tablets with cameras will have tape over the camera lens for safeguarding purposes.
- Customers/Parents are notified through the parent portal when their child is ready to progress so that they can select a new lesson for the next level.

Swimming Lesson Format

Swimming lessons use continuous assessment and involve a rolling programme where a child can progress through the swim lesson levels at any time, subject to the safe completion of competencies for each level as assessed by the Swim Teacher. The programme takes place 48 weeks a year with some holiday periods and Swim Teachers will be provided with software to assess the child’s progress on the poolside. The STA swim programme will continue to be followed.

Will the same swimming teacher be taking the swimming lesson each week?

We will endeavour to use the same teacher for each class; however, this cannot be guaranteed but there will be a qualified swimming teacher for every class.

How long are swimming lesson terms?

Swim lessons will be operated using continuous assessment on a 48 week programme.
For 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week at Easter and 1 week around 12th July holiday there will be no lesson provision. The specific dates for each period will vary from year to year but you will be notified in advance.

Can I move my child to another swimming lesson if I need to?

Customers/Parents can use the parent portal to move their lesson to another day/time whenever they have passed a level. If your circumstances change, let us know and we will try to accommodate your request to move.

What happens if my child is ready to progress to another level but there are no spaces available?

The child will remain on the current level until a space becomes available. This will be monitored by the Swim Coordinator to ensure there isn’t a build-up of people waiting for spaces on particular levels.

FAQ's

I am a new customer and would like to enrol my child for a swimming lesson?

Please book HERE for Banbridge Leisure Centre, HERE for Orchard Leisure Centre, and HERE for South Lake Leisure Centre. Please only book into Octopus as this is the beginner lesson level. If your child has already taken some lessons please contact your chosen centre and they will help you assess the correct level for your child’s ability

How do I pay for swimming lessons?

Lessons will be paid for by monthly direct debit.
The monthly DD is based on the cost of 48 lessons, equally spread over 12 months.
DDs will be taken on 1st of every month.
The charge for children’s swimming lessons are as follows:
- £24.80 per month or for those parents entitled to a concession £16.40 per month

To be entitled to a concession you must be in receipt of benefits (excludes child benefit). Proof of benefit must be given to a member of staff (every 3 months) so that a concession can be applied.

If I cannot pay by DD can my child still join swimming lessons?

Please contact the appropriate leisure centre to discuss your payment options:

Banbridge Leisure Centre: 028 40 628800

Orchard Leisure Centre: 028 37 515920

South Lake Leisure Centre: 033 00 564411

Payments and Cancellations

If you cancel your DD/payment you will lose the space in the programme.
If a customer doesn’t turn up to a swim lesson they will not be entitled to a refund.
If a customer provides a medical certificate they will be able to freeze their DD and hold their space on the lesson (e.g. if this is a broken leg).
If a lesson is cancelled by the getactiveabc team, customers will have a reduced DD to compensate and this will be applied automatically as soon as possible.
For full terms and conditions please click HERE