Learn to swim - guidance for parents/carers

Congratulations on securing your child’s place in the learn to swim programme.

To ensure you and your child have the best experience from the course please familiarise yourself with the swimming protocols.

Children enrolling on the learn to swim programme (including Advance Ducklings) must be:

5 years old; and
be able to stand in the pool they are due to attend for lessons with their chin above the water when their feet are flat on the ground*

* There may be an exception for children accessing the programme after Advance Ducklings, an assessment will be taken.

If travelling by car, please ensure you park in a designated parking bay.
Should children wish to swim prior to or after a lesson, a separate ticket for a public swim must be purchased. If you cannot produce a receipt for the additional swim you will be asked to vacate the pool before or after the lesson. Pool admission policies apply.
If you wish to use the pool hoist, please ask at reception.

We have a mixed changing village including disabled facilities, baby changing units and toilets
Children must not be changed in the spectator areas and must only undress and change into swimwear in the changing areas
Please ensure that your child is changed into appropriate swimming wear; this ideally consists of a one-piece costume for girls and trunks/shorts for boys (shorts must be no longer than knee length as this could impair swimming ability)
Children can choose whether to wear goggles (which can be purchased at reception)
Snorkel masks are not permitted
It is recommended that no jewellery should be worn for health and safety reasons; ear studs will be permitted, but these should be covered with small plasters
It is recommended that long hair is tied back in a ponytail
Please secure your belongings in the lockers provided using a 20p coin, which is non-refundable (Lockers at Waves are token only, tokens can be purchased from the machines on site)
North Tyneside Council does not take responsibility for any personal belongings
Waves’ operates a no shoes policy in the changing village; children and accompanying adults must remove all footwear at the changing village entrance

Encourage your child to use the toilet before the lesson; if your child has had diarrhoea or an upset stomach in the past 48 hours do not let them attend their lesson to help minimise the possible spread of infection
Ensure your child showers before their lesson; this will remove up to 66% of dirt that could end up in the water
After showering, direct your child onto poolside where they can sit on the wall next to the pool their lesson is in
If you are required to come onto poolside, you must wear blue shoe covers to minimise cross contamination
Waves has a no footwear policy in place
No buggies or push chairs are permitted on poolside to minimise cross contamination
Do not allow your child to enter the swimming pool before or after the lesson unless you have paid for an additional swim and have the appropriate supervision in line with the pool admission policy
Ensure your child is supervised until the swimming teacher arrives

The teacher will introduce themselves to the children
All teaching staff are qualified through Swim England
Parents/guardians must remain in the building during the child’s swimming lesson
Parents/guardians should sit in the spectator area nearest to the children’s lesson
Check if drinking/eating is permitted in the spectators area you are in (in spectator areas where this is permitted you can expect to see tables and chairs)
In the interest of child protection, the use of any photography device is prohibited in changing areas
Photography and the recording of images of any kind is not permitted in the pool hall and/or spectator areas unless previously authorised by the manager
Swimming teachers will not be in the water, floatation aids will be provided as/when teachers deem necessary - arm bands are not required for the lesson

Lessons involve continuous assessment and monitoring of your child’s ability to consistently demonstrate the skills required within the stage they are at
A final assessment will take place near the end of the block of lessons - if a child demonstrates any of the skills after the assessment they will be moved to the next stage
Near the end of the course, you will be provided with a report card about whether your child is progressing into the next level
Teachers will take the full course into consideration and place your child into the level they believe is appropriate for their continued development -this is at the teacher’s discretion, all teachers comply with the Swim England ‘Learn to Swim’ framework, visit www.swimming.org and search ‘learn to swim’
Children progress at different speeds; please note that attendance on a course is not a guarantee that your child will automatically progress to the next level
If the teacher believes your child is ready to move up to the next level part-way through a course this will be accommodated up to week six of the programme if a space is available (space on a course on the same day cannot be guaranteed)
If you wish to discuss your child’s progression with the swimming teacher or a member of the management team we are happy to accommodate this

Once you have received your child’s report card there will be specified dates for the re-booking period:

Your child will be allocated to the stage they are required to attend for the next term, to secure your place in the next course you must pay for your allocated slot in the timeframe provide for the booking period
If you do not pay for your allocated slot before the re-booking period ends you will be removed from the cohort
If you are removed and wish to return, we will do our best to provide a space, however your choice of days and times may be limited
If you are unable to re-book you will be advised to register your interest online and we will contact you when spaces become available (terms and conditions apply)

North Tyneside Council has the right to cancel lessons where facilities may become unavailable (e.g. pool failure/ closure), if payment has already been made, additional lessons will be credited
We make every effort to ensure continuity of teachers for the duration of the course, we cannot guarantee children will have the same teacher throughout
We operate a no refund policy on swimming courses once booked - if your child has an unforeseen medical problem and is unable to attend a significant part of the course, please contact us to discuss (extra sessions will not be credited for lessons missed due to any other reason such as holidays, or short term illness’ etc)

Whenever your child is in or around the pool, encourage them to:

Listen to the teacher and/or lifeguards - they are there to keep everyone safe!
Walk at all times, it’s slippery!
Enjoy time in the pool, but be respectful of other users
Toys such as dive sticks and dive rings are permitted but they must be used appropriately

Please do not hesitate to contact any of our facilities if you have any questions.