We offer lessons from £5.50 to £25. Prices depend on several factors including the number of swimmers in the lessons and the facility you book. Our most commonly booked lessons are Splash and Wave classes which cost £8 for 25-30 minutes with a maximum of 8 swimmers per class. For more information on lesson costs, click here. Payment must be made by the term and upfront, unless otherwise agreed with us as we need to pay pool hire costs before the term starts. If you arrange to pay smaller amounts more frequently, any missed lessons will still be charged.

We use a Platform called Soakly which gives you a card payment option via Stripe. We also can accept cash payments as we understand not everyone is able to pay online, however this must be agreed with us in advance. If paying by cash please include child’s name and class time in an envelope and hand it to a member of staff. We are unable to offer change as we don’t take the till with us to our various facilities for security reasons, so please use exact amount. If paying monthly by BACS please use the reference asked when we tell you how much you need to pay, so we can easily update our records and avoid any confusion. This will usually be the swimmers name, however we may specify a detail i we have multiple learners with the same name .

If you wish to book lessons, please feel free to contact us by email or Facebook messenger. You can send us a text or WhatsApp at 07714 876405, but we are often unable to take bookings directly over the phone as we are usually in the water and so we miss calls and may not get the chance to get back to you as swiftly as we would like. We work through our emails and messages chronologically so that we give priority on a first come first served basis, so sending multiple messages may mean that you move down on our response list.

If your little one is under 3, you will need to book them into our Bubbles classes. These are our adult and baby or adult and toddler lessons and require an adult to be in the pool with the child. If your child is between 3-5 you can book them into our Splash classes, however, from 4 they can enter the Wave classes if that would best suit your schedule. If your child is 5 or over, they would need to be booked into our Wave sessions. These lessons run in terms of stage not age so it can be a little more difficult to guess the right class. If they are a complete beginner, they would probably need Wave 1. If you’re unsure about what level they would be, we can arrange an assessment to see which level we feel would be most appropriate for them. Our adult lessons are personalised to meet your needs a lot more than our children’s group lessons, so you may find that there are a range of abilities all working on different things, that is completely fine, we want you to achieve your own goals, rather than follow a standardised framework.

Our lessons run in line with the academic term as we hire our facilities from schools, and their operating hours change during the school holidays, meaning we may not be able to continue with lessons as normal. We do not operate during bank holidays. Your confirmation email will include all lesson dates and you can access booking information via the Soakly Web Portal.

Re-enrolment is automatic, so we will generate an invoice for you automatically based on the assumption that you wish to continue with lessons at the time and location you are already at. If you wish to adjust or cancel your booking, please contact us with as much notice as possible.

As re-enrolment is automatic, we are always happy to accept new swimmers, as long as we have the space. So you don’t need to wait until next term, you can book them in today!

Our regular lessons run in line with the academic term so they don’t run during school holidays. We often run intensive courses during the school holidays. For more information on our holiday crash courses, send us a message, or check out our social media, as that’s how we will advertise any spaces we have during the holiday courses.

We understand that sometimes lessons will need to be missed due to illness, holidays or other commitments. In such instances, refunds will not be given as payment secures your child’s space in the class, so even if a session is missed, we still need to cover pool hire and staffing costs. We are not able to guarantee make up lessons in this case as they depend on the availability we have to offer at the time. Sometimes we may need to cancel individual lessons due to pool maintenance, staffing issues or other reasons that mean it would be unsafe for lessons to go ahead. Unfortunately this is unavoidable. The balance for any sessions that we cancel will be carried over to the next term, however, if you choose not to return, you will not be entitled to a refund and this amount will be forfeit. If you are unable to attend the make up lesson due to a change in circumstances, we will try and work with you to arrange a makeup session, however this may not always be possible.

We have in the past offered the first session free in some of our locations, unfortunately we are unable to accommodate this in our most popular venues due to demand. We find that 1 session is not enough to assess your child’s needs which is why that is not something we continue to offer. In extreme cases, if your child has a difficult time getting in the water, we may pause your payments until your child returns, however this is on condition that you work with us to try and bring them every week. Missed sessions will be charged as your child is taking up a space in the class. If you would like more information, please feel free to send us an email.

We understand that swimming lessons can be a big investment, especially if you have multiple children. We offer affordable lessons from £5.50. We also offer various payment options & schemes, so there’s a discount if you have 4 or more learners with us, or if you have multiple lessons during the week, as well as our single parents scheme if you share custody and don’t have your child every week. Send us an email for more information on our discounts and payment options.

We have limited availability for one-to-one tuition so we would enquire why you feel that they would be the most appropriate session for the swimmer. We find that many children, especially if they are younger, would benefit from a group setting as they can be more engaging and are less intensive than private sessions. Our one-to-one lessons are not available to book individually, so if you book one-to-one lessons, you would be booking that slot for the term, and automatically be re-enrolled unless you tell us otherwise. We do occasionally advertise short notice one off private lessons at a reduced rate if we are given notice by the swimmer who is usually booked into that slot. These sessions would be advertised across our social media and will be offered as a first come first served opportunity. Payment would be required upfront in such instances.

We don’t keep a waiting list. We’ll advertise any new classes on our social media pages. If the type of lesson you’re looking for (e.g. private, Welsh, Weekend) or your preferred day/location is unavailable when you enquire, you’re welcome to check back with us at a later date, however, we can’t promise to let you know if availability changes as we have so many enquiries that it wouldn’t be manageable. We do offer a transfer list for our current swimmers, so priority will be given to anyone on that list before we advertise spaces. It might be worth signing up and putting your name down for a transfer, however this does not guarantee that the space will become available for us to accommodate.

We’re sorry to see you go! We understand that circumstances change and that our lessons may not fit into your schedules or budgets anymore. If you wish to withdraw after the end of the current term, please give us notice if possible so that we can update our system and an invoice shouldn’t be generated. If you choose to withdraw before all of the lessons are used up, you will not receive a refund as the payment secures your child’s term for the block. You can request a copy of our Refund Policy via email at rhian.swss@gmail.com. If you wish to re-enrol in the future and there is an outstanding balance on your account we will require that amount be paid in addition to the new terms full amount upfront before a learner’s space is secure.

Swimsuit It's safest to buy your child bright and bold colours like red. Please try and avoid blue or white swimming costumes (yes, even if Elsa's their favourite - Let It Go!) *Note: if this is all they have you will not be sent away, this is water safety guidance based on keeping your child as visible as can be in the water. Towel Easy to put on clothes – e.g. onesies, dressing gown, baggy clothes or shorts Bobble – to tie back long hair Non-essential: Swimming cap – some of our facilities require swimming caps are worn, you will be told if your child requires one (Gwauncelyn Swimmers are expected to brin a swimming cap but we do have spares.) Goggles – they can be a great aid in later waves, when working on submersion and distance however we recommend skipping them when a child first starts lessons as they can be a distraction and will likely need to be removed several times to practice getting face and eyes wet for both water safety and confidence reasons.

We know how scary it can be starting swimming lessons, for a more in depth guide to what to expect when you start lessons with us get in touch. Each of our facilities will vary slightly, so you can click on any of our locations to find specific directions to the swimming pool on the site. When you arrive in the changing rooms, try to allow 5-10 minutes before your time so that the learner can ensure are ready when the instructor calls them in. At some of our facilities, you may be able to bring them through to pool side, you should receive site specific instructions when you enrol, but if you haven't, let us know.

We recommend that learners arrive beach ready, with their swimwear underneath their clothes as this can make it easier to ensure they are ready in time for their lessons. We understand that for some of our lessons this may not be possible, for example if they are straight after school, but if you are able, we suggest giving it a try. Some of our facilities don’t allow us in until 5 minutes before our booking starts, so you may have less than 5 minutes to get in and get ready before the learner needs to be poolside. We find that, especially with little ones, feeling rushed can make the lesson stressful before it’s even started.

If your child is under 3 years old, you will need to book them into our Bubbles lessons, also referred to as our adult and child lessons. These lessons do require an adult to be in the pool with each child. Bubbles is available from 6 weeks to 4 years. Find out more about our Bubbles Framework here. If you book your child into group or private lessons, you will not be expected to be in the pool with the child as 3 is the age at which they are allowed in the pool independently. Our teachers may be water or land based, depending on their teaching style, and what they feel is most appropriate for the class. They will provide buoyancy aids for your child if they feel it necessary to allow them to safely explore the aquatic environment. If you have concerns about your child being in the pool with land based instructors, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

It is incredibly common for learners to be afraid when they first start learning with us. Please don’t feel embarrassed or like an inconvenience as it is a common hurdle for your little one to overcome. Our staff are experienced in working with learners who are nervous to start their aquatics journey. The swimming pool environment can be intimidating, especially if they’ve never been around the water before. We ask that you allow our staff to take the lead as they are prepared to deal with this situation. We encourage our staff to allow our learners to take things at their own pace, so they may spend a lot of time outside of the swimming pool in their first lesson, or even in their first few lessons. We may encourage them to play with or tidy up our equipment and observe from the side, to help establish trust and let them know that they are the ones making the decision. We find that although it may be well-meaning, forcing them into the swimming pool can often increase nerves and delay the development of water confidence that we teach in our beginner classes.

Unfortunately, depending on the facility your child attends, it may not be possible for you to watch your child’s lesson. None of our facilities allow for spectators on poolside – adherence to this policy is a part of our contract with the pool operator, so we aren’t able to change this rule. Some of our facilities have windows or galleries that make it possible to watch your child’s lesson, so if this is important to you, please ask us about which facility we feel would best suit your needs.

Our baby and toddler lessons may have up to 10 pairs in the class with one teacher. Our Splash lessons will never have more than 6 learners in a class. Our Wave lessons may have up to 8 learners in a class. Our adult lessons are currently limited to 6 learners.

We offer lessons from 6 weeks all the way through to adults, so it’s up to you really. Though our availability may be limited, we try our best to find a class that would meet your child’s needs, but that may not necessarily be with children their age. Our Bubbles and Splash classes are specifically for early years swimmers, and therefore have rough age guidelines, but all of our other lessons are tailored towards a learners stage, not their age. If you choose to immunise your child, it is recommended that a baby completes their recommended immunisations before they are introduced to a swimming pool environment. The earlier that a child experiences being in and around water, the easier they will find it to develop their aquatic skills. Once a baby developed their skills, they can continue to access swimming for the rest of their life.

We do not require that a child be potty trained in order to attend lessons, however if your child is not yet potty trained we do have a double nappy policy, so we would ask that a disposable swim nappy is worn underneath a neoprene nappy like Splash About’s Happy Nappy so that if any accidents do happen, the pool does not get contaminated. If your child is in the process of potty training, or is able to use the toilet but requires assistance, we ask that you wait in the changing rooms so that you can help them go as our staff aren’t able to help them as they have other children in their classes that require supervision. If the facility does not allow this, the process will be explained to you when you start. If your child is able to use the toilet by themselves, we recommend you practice them using the toilet with their bathers on wet – especially if they have a one piece as this can be a challenge the first few tries.

We believe that no one is ever too old to learn to swim. If your child is 16+ we would potentially recommend our adults lessons depending on their ability. Our Wave Lessons are focused on a learner’s stage rather than their age. It doesn’t matter how old they are, however they may be placed in a class with younger learners, but they would be working towards the same set of criteria. Since the COVID lockdowns, we have seen a lot of older beginners where they weren’t able to access swimming lessons for months at a time, so please don’t feel that you’ve missed your chance to book them in for lessons.

We do offer adult lessons, however spaces are limited, and they are only available as a group, we don’t currently offer adult one-to-one lessons due to limited pool space.

At South Whales Swim School we strive to make swimming lessons as accessible as we possible can. Many of our staff have completed ASD Awareness Training and are trained to accommodate your child’s needs to the best of their abilities. Some of our instructors are able to deliver sign supported lessons, but all of our teachers receive deaf awareness training. As we hire our facilities, we are limited by how accessible we can make our lessons. If you require wheelchair access, please specify this when booking, as some of the facilities we use don’t have a ramp or a hoist to make it possible for you to access our lessons. We no longer run autism specific lessons due to timetabling issues, however, we will work with you to see how we can best meet the learner’s needs.

There is no simple way to answer this question, as it depends on what you would define as being able to swim. For children to swim in the deep end at most leisure centres, they need to be able to swim 50 meters. If your child experiences more time in the swimming pool environment outside of lessons, they are likely to progress more quickly as they will have additional opportunities to practice and increase their confidence. We would look to identify ways to support swimmers if they are in any one Wave for longer than 40 weeks and have been attending lessons consistently. With any of the skills that our swimmers learn, we would like them to be able to achieve the benchmarks to a high standard consistently, so they aren’t just scraping the mark, as if a swimmer takes a break, some regression would be expected, so they may no longer be able to achieve the standards they have previously.

Our learners are continually assessed against the framework of the class they are booked into. We follow the Swim Wales Learn to Swim Framework and offer badges from Bubbles 1 up to Wave 8. You can find out more about our framework here. Your child’s teacher will let you know when they have completed all of the criteria for their level and you will be offered the opportunity to request a badge and certificate for £3.50. If you choose not to request one, we will continue to monitor your child’s progress and you will be informed if they need to change classes and when they achieve the next set of criteria. We also offer distance badges, so that if a child is struggling to achieve certain skills, we can still monitor their progress in metres.

We have a range of teachers, which offers diverse teaching styles. For this reason, the information below is just a guideline. For the Bubbles Framework, Splash Framework and Wave 1, the criteria can be completed with aids if needed. We have a range of equipment at our facilities, so some children may use woggles or kickboards, whereas others may use arm discs or swim belts, or a combination of the equipment listed above. Each child is different, so they may not require the same level of aids as others in their class even though they are all at the same level. When your child first starts with us, the teacher will usually assess their ability with fixed aids, such as swim belts to assess them before removing aids if they feel they are ready. Once your child has completed the required criteria with aids, we may go back to using them during the later stages of their aquatics journey. This is usually for a reason, for example, so that they can focus on their technique, or building stamina without worrying about buoyancy. It doesn’t mean they have regressed, it might just be to focus on skills. If you have any further queries or concerns, feel free to drop us a message.

We know that especially if you don’t have the option of watching your child’s lesson that feedback is so important. We do allow 5 minutes between our lessons to allow for safe handover, and ensure there is time for feedback to be given. However, it is not always possible for verbal feedback to be given for each child after every lesson. Our teachers are asked to try and give feedback to each child’s responsible adult at least once per term, however this may not always be possible. If your child is especially nervous, or there are any concerns they will usually be raised with you at the end of the lesson. You will also be notified when they pass all of the criteria for a particular stage and be given the option of purchasing a badge and certificate. If you have any concerns or wish to discuss anything specific, we ask that if it can, wait until the end of the lesson and keep in mind that there are only 5 minutes between classes, so consider messaging us directly and we’ll either get a response for you or ask your child’s teacher to discuss with you at the end of that week’s lesson. We also use Soakly to track learners progress which offers an online portal that allows you to view your child's progress. Please note if your child is absent for a few weeks, we expect there to be regression, so they may have achieved an outcome in the past but no longer have the ability because swimming is a perishable skill.

All our regular and temporary staff members hold a recognised qualification. Our Teachers hold either the ASA Level 2 Aquatic Teaching certificate, the SEQ Level 2 or the STA equivalent, which enables an individual to deliver a lesson unsupervised. Our Assistants hold either the ASA Level 1 Aquatic Teaching certificate, the SEQ Level 1 or the STA equivalent. They may occasionally deliver sessions; however, they will be under the direct supervision of an individual with a Level 2 certificate. This is because we want to encourage our assistants to work towards achieving their Level 2 Qualification. Our Lifeguards will hold the RLSS NPLQ or the STA equivalent, and are required to attend regular training to maintain competence so that our learners are kept safe. All staff members are subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure according to current legislation and are required to attend Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young people training every three years.