6 factors to look for in a swim school

Choosing the right swim school is imperative. A child’s first swimming lesson and experience of a swim school will set their future attitude towards the water. This is why it is so important to choose the best swim school to ensure your child’s first impression of swimming is a positive and enjoyable one.

With so many swim schools to choose from, we thought we would help by sharing our top 6 criteria to look for when choosing the best swim school to start your child’s swim journey.

1. Progressive program
It is important to look for a program that caters for beginner’s right through to squad swimmers. Squad lessons cater to children from level 8 right through till when they hit the age of 17. A progressive program that offers squad lessons will give your child the opportunity to continually refine their swim technique in years to come. 

2. Class ratios
Make sure to check the swim schools teacher to student ratio. Choosing a swim school with a smaller class size will give your child additional attention from the instructor when they need it most. For beginner swim classes a class ratio of two-four students per one teacher is ideal.

3. Qualified Instructors
How do you know if a swim school has qualified instructors? When searching for a swim school that has qualified instructors look for the AUSTSWIM accreditation. AUSTSWIM is Australia’s leading organisation for swim safety, setting the standard for swimming and water safety instructors. Swim instructors with the AUSTSWIM accreditation have the highest qualification benchmark in aquatics, ensuring your child is receiving the best teaching.

4. Water safety education
Another key element to look for in a swim school is ensuring they place high importance on the education of water safety. Water safety education is important as its primary focus is to educate students to prevent drownings. In particular, swim schools that follow the Royal Life Saving Swim and Survive continuum place a specific focus on the education of water safety and survival skills, such as what to do in an emergency situation.

5. High quality facilities
A swim school facility should be well maintained, with pools heated to a comfortable temperature all year round. Ideal pool temperatures for swimming lessons should range between 25 to 28 degrees Celsius.

6. Accommodating staff
The staff that make up the swim school are also important to consider when selecting a program for your child. As well as being qualified, instructors and staff should also be friendly and understand the anxieties you and your child may have about swimming for the very first time. This could be offering to update you frequently on your child’s progress or providing free spectator entry for parents to track their child’s improvements.

We hope our list will help you select the best swim school for your child!

Looking for a swim school in Claremont that checks all the boxes? At HBF Stadium our continuous swim program will keep your child’s skills progressing year-round. Our pre-school lessons are also taught with just 2 children per class and all of our instructors hold an AUSTSWIM qualification or equivalent. Learn more about what makes our swim school great here.