Teaching

The Club sets great store by the need to teach early and well.
We run three teaching sessions a week, parents are always welcome to bring their children along to watch and ask questions before they join.

Age
To join children MUST be in the term where they will be five. There is a waiting list for beginners, – we keep beginner class sizes small to ensure good progress. The more able can usually be fitted in straight away.

Progression
Each child is assessed when they first join and assigned to a class best suited to their skills – not their speed, strength or confidence.
Promotion depends on improvement, with continuous assessment. Age plays no part in deciding on promotion.
Those who are good enough are invited to join the squad system. There they are taught how to race as well as gain greater fitness, but always with an emphasis on stroke quality.
Entry to squads is by invitation only. Fees for squad are payable monthly with no refund for non-attendance.

Teachers
The number of teachers per session varies; some have as many as six, plus helpers. If possible a class will normally have the same person all the time, but they are all unpaid and busy people, most with other full time paid jobs as well, so it cannot be managed all the time. It is complicated because some teachers are also qualified race officials, which takes them to galas around the country.

Strokes
We teach all four main strokes Freestyle, Backstroke, Butterfly and Breaststroke and we teach in a way, which minimises risk of damage to young limbs or inducing a faulty stroke.

Safety
We also teach members the rules and how to be safe. What the safety signals are – three whistle blasts means leave the water AT ONCE, safety with goggles, no running, no chewing gum, no wet feet away from the poolside, be responsible for your own kit, look after it and label it.
Diving – is only permitted under strict supervision. It is taught in deep water and shallow water diving is only permitted when a child is judged safe, preferably taking the start award tests.

You want to speak to your child’s teacher?
During the classes, this is not possible, because it could distract the teacher from the class. Try to catch your child’s teacher before, between classes or after a class has finished.

What can you do to help your child?
• Encourage them
• Try to get them to listen to the teacher
• Get them to the pool in time to go to the toilet (a must) change and be there ready five minutes before the start
• Let them have fun sessions away from Club activities
• Leave the teaching to the teacher, for example in breaststroke ‘frog legs’ went out forty years ago, we actively avoid that style; bad for knees, inefficient and liable to create style faults
• Get involved in the Club, we always need more help it takes over 30 people to run a Club gala? The Club will help you to gain qualifications.