Our regular learn to swim classes run on the Victorian school term calendar.

OUR 2022 TERM DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Term 1 – Monday the 10th of January to Saturday the 9th of April
Term 2 – Tuesday the 26th of April to Saturday the 25th of June
Term 3 – Monday the 4th of July to Saturday the 17th of September
Term 4 – Monday the 26th of September to Saturday the 17th of December

THERE ARE NO CLASSES ON THE FOLLOWING DATES DUE TO PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
Monday the 14th of March, 2022 (Labour Day)
Monday the 25th of April, 2022 (ANZAC Day)
Monday the 13th of June, 2022 (Queens Birthday)
Wednesday the 19th of October, 2022 (Geelong Cup)

All members of our staff are at a minimum AUSTSWIM trained and qualified as teachers of swimming and water safety. They also hold qualifications in the other areas that they teach in e.g., Infant, Disability, Adult and Coaching.

They are kept up to date with current trends through in-house training and conferences. Debbie is an AUSTSWIM Presenter in Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety, Infant, Disability, Adult and Competitive Strokes.

We regularly present courses at GAC, in Australia, and overseas in Asia and the Middle East and have presented at both state and national conferences on a wide variety of topics.

Our teachers are in the water teaching up until level 5 where swimmers are able to swim Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke with correct technique over a distance of at least 100 metres for each stroke. At this level, they may choose to continue with levels or go into a squad.

We believe that up until this level children need a hands-on approach to develop their confidence and stroke technique. How can children learn to float on their backs confidently with a teacher out of the water?

How long is a piece of string?

Every child is different and develops at a different rate. They will eventually develop the same skills. Their ability and time to learn to swim will depend on a variety of variables eg: do they have on- going lessons, their coordination, their willingness to learn, fear, parent expectations and much more.

Children will also plateau at times in their swimming education where you may feel they are not learning. This is a time of consolidation and they are in fact still learning and should not be taken out of the program, as having breaks over the winter terms will slow down their progress. They will develop at a rate relevant to when they are ready.

As a rule, swimmers remain in a toddler class with an adult until they turn three where they are usually socially able to listen and take turns in a small class with only a teacher. If they are not ready at this age, they may go into a Pre-School 3-4-year-old class with a parent in the water.

These classes are very popular as children are constantly on the move, practising skills and therefore progressing at a quicker rate.

Classes are run in a more formal format, depending on the level of ability.

We believe that children learn best with love and patience. It is better to teach slowly and well, ensuring that they consolidate a skill before they move onto the next one.

We believe that if children learn to depend on flotation aids in their lessons, they will only have to re-learn when they are removed. Unfortunately, they can give children and parents a false sense of security and their swimming ability.

We may, however use these for a particular purpose if necessary, such as if a child is struggling with technique or body position.

Once a child has gone into a class on their own they are required to wear a cap. This not only keeps our water cleaner, but keeps hair out of the child’s face. Whilst goggles are not compulsory, most children wear them especially if they have sensitive eyes, or are afraid to put their face in the water.

They are encouraged to remove their goggles at times during the lesson.