Children's Courses
Oxfordshire Swim Academy provide fun and friendly swimming lessons for children aged 3 years and above in a safe and inclusive environment by fully qualified, experienced teachers. With semi-private and private classes, we are able to focus on each child individually. We nurture confident and competent swimmers through a strategic blend of stroke development, water safety skills and play, following the world-leading Learn to Swim Framework by Swim England. Encouraging children by awarding certificates and badges for their achievements, however small or large they or their achievements are!
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We offer semi-private and private after-school and holiday intensive courses at the DoubleTree by Hilton - Oxford Belfry and seasonal after-school and holiday courses at a private pool in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire.
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All swimming lessons are for 30 minutes each.
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After-school lessons are once a week in line with the local Oxfordshire state school term timetable
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Classes start at £18 per lesson for a semi-private class.
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Holiday courses/intensives usually take place over the period of one week (5 x days) in the morning at The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel/Haddenham private pool or in the afternoons at the Oxford Belfry.
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Children work towards achieving Swim England levels; Discovery Duckling 1-4, Duckling 1-4 then Stages 1-7 in addition to Rainbow distances. Children receive complimentary certificates and badges for each of their achievements.
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Gain access to our state-of-the-art parent portal, providing control over children's lessons, allowing cancellations within a 24-hour notice period for illness or holidays and, as a gesture of goodwill, the facility to re-book these lessons again at a later date.
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View children's progression through the parent portal, with skills and distances achieved updated in real-time.
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Access to the parent notifications and contact centre to ensure you are always up to date with Academy information and able to contact us.
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Parents have access to manage their 'payments' through the parent portal as and when required.
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Below you will find a brief description of the Swim England stages and framework for you to identify which class is appropriate to your child/children's ability in the water. If you require more detailed information, you can find it on the Swim England website here; https://www.swimming.org/learntoswim/ or please feel free to contact us via the link below and we would be happy to help and advise.
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DUCKLING 1&2
Helping complete beginners from 3 years to build confidence and independence in the water through play. They will learn to float and move in water in a fun and friendly environment with the use of flotation equipment.
DUCKLING 3&4
Helping preschoolers build confidence and independence in the water through play and guided movements. By Duckling 4 they will be jumping in, going underwater, floating and travelling 10 metres with or without the use of flotation equipment.
STAGE 1
This course helps to build water confidence while introducing water safety skills. Preferably children will have achieved duckling awards prior to joining stage 1. Learners will develop basic safety awareness, and learn basic movement skills and water confidence skills. Swimmers may use floatation equipment.
STAGE 2
This course helps swimmers develop streamlining to their strokes and travel without flotation aids with their feet off the floor on their front and back. Swimmers are required to be able to travel a minimum of 5 meters with flotation aids to join this course. They will also be introduced to aquatic breathing and taught to make safe entries into the water, including jumping.
STAGE 3
This stage helps swimmers to streamline through push and glides and swim underwater.
Swimmers will develop safe entries into the water, including submersion, and travel up to 10 metres on their front and back. Water safety knowledge and rotation skills will also be progressed. Children are required to be able to swim 5 meters on their front & backs un-aided to join this stage.
STAGE 4
This course helps swimmers to perfect their leg kicks for all four strokes and further develop push and glides. They will develop an understanding of buoyancy through a range of skills whilst also being introduced to sculling and should be able to swim 10 metres on the front and back to join this stage.
STAGE 5
During Learn to Swim Stage 5, swimmers will develop their skills in treading water, learn the correct arm pulls for all four strokes and swim 10 meters to Swim England's expected standards. They will learn how to do handstands and somersaults. Children are required to kick 10 meters proficiently in all four strokes to join this course.
STAGE 6
Stage 6 teaches swimmers how to develop efficient techniques for all four strokes including coordination, aquatic breathing, an understanding of water safety, swimming 25 meters and further developing surface dives. Swimmers are required to swim 10 meters to Swim England's expected standards to join this course.
STAGE 7
Stage 7 focuses on fully developing all four swimming strokes to swim 25 meters in each, as well as building stamina and improving diving skills. Developing a quality stroke technique for up to 100 metres and successfully completing an obstacle course, which combines a variety of skills they have learnt from Stages 1 to 7. Children are required to be able to swim 25 meters with rhythmical breathing to join this course.
