We would like to invite your child to a free swim assessment to see their current swimming ability level.
The assessment session is a "SHOWCASE" for our strengths and capabilities and a key experience in a child's induction into the The Swim School (tss) programme, for a number of reasons:
- It is the child's first direct interface with tss and your impressions created at this stage will stick.
- Children are graded and placed in the programme as a direct consequence of this session.
- Your child may well have never been in, or even seen a pool before! Certainly they will not know the teacher, other children and parents, and will tend to be very unfamiliar with the site-specific environment. Fortunately, we can anticipate many of the issues that might arise, and here’s how we do it:
We show right from the start how positive, friendly, well-organised and competent we are in dealing effectively with what, for many children, is a most challenging situation. We aim to place both children and parents in the tss COMFORT ZONE - where you feel very relaxed and relieved to be receiving our BEST ATTENTION, in a low stress, highly controlled setting.
We’ll present what we do in a friendly, upbeat, positive and fun manner.
Prior to the assessment group entering the water our assessment teacher will have an introductory chat on the poolside to ascertain (or doubly-confirm) your child’s previous experience and current level of ability. They will also explain what’s going to happen and reassure all children present that they will be completely safely taken care of and never made to do anything. Any children who do not hold at least a 50 metres distance swimming badge will be asked to wear some of our ‘Magical Muscles,’ – solid arms disks that help children to stay afloat.
We will ask parents to get into the water with any children who are apprehensive, or who we feel would benefit from the close attention of a parent. Sometimes parents think that their child will perform better if they are in the water independent of parental assistance. This may be the case if the child is reasonably experienced and a little older. However, for young beginners who will probably be unfamiliar with almost everything that is happening, and who have only ever previously been in water with a parent, parental assistance makes a tremendously positive difference. Our teachers all operate out of the water for supervision and safety reasons, so they wouldn’t be able to enter the water with your child, though being so new to your child, they would probably be the last person he/she would wish to be accompanied by anyhow!
There will be a quick poolside debrief, where all swimmers will be warmly congratulated, then everyone will go to change.
The assessing teacher will present each child with an ASSESSMENT CERTIFICATE listing their swim school grade. On the back of the certificate are full details of how you can book into the programme by telephone or initial email contact to the office.
To arrange your free swim assessment please contact your nearest venue office, by clicking the "Contact Us" button.
