Swim School Guidelines

Drop Off and Pick Up

Parents should deliver their children to the pool but should not enter the poolside area themselves. At Five Rivers please ensure that children enter the pool hall via the changing rooms. If there are special circumstances that may mean that a parent needs to be on poolside they should arrange this with teacher or swim school manager before the lesson.
Parents should remain in the building when their children are having lessons. We would also ask that parents of very young children should be actively watching the lesson as they may be required to take their children to the toilet. Our teachers and assistants can show children towards the toilet but are not permitted to accompany them.
Please try to be on time for lessons. We understand that everyone runs late from time to time but the warm-up section of a lesson is an important part of the lesson plan.
While your child is in a lesson we would ask you not to communicate with them. They will find it difficult to concentrate on both you and their teacher simultaneously. This will lead to disruption to the whole class as the teachers will have to repeat instructions.

Children under 8 years:

A parent/guardian should remain visually and/or verbally contactable for the full duration of the session so should remain in the immediate vicinity of the pool.
Drop off and pick up from lessons should be at the pool hall exit (foyer area at Godolphin and poolside showers at Five Rivers).
Parents/guardians are not required or permitted to be on poolside without prior arrangement.

Children aged 8–12 years:

A parent/guardian must remain within the building for the duration of the session and be immediately contactable.
Drop off and pick up from sessions should be within the pool building.
On arrival parents/guardians must wait with their swimmers until the coach or teachers arrives and the session begins.

Parents should ensure that children have the correct equipment for the lesson. A proper swimming costume, jammers or trunks should be worn. Board shorts, wetsuits and rash vests are not advised as they restrict movement and create drag making it a lot harder to learn and perform the correct technique. Well fitted goggles are an essential piece of equipment.
The first swim hat for each stage is provided. Wearing of hats is compulsory at Godolphin School and advised at Five Rivers.
Fins are not necessary until a child reaches the pre-competitive stage. Then we have a limited stock of fins to lend, but we can’t guarantee we will have enough of the correct size if the whole class needs to borrow. We can offer advice on the best type of fins to buy at the appropriate time.

We would appreciate it if you would let us know of any SEND requirements that your child may have as it will help us to plan lessons accordingly and make sure your child has the best possible outcomes.

Swim lessons often run back-to-back, which means teachers usually have limited time to speak with parents between sessions. For this reason, any questions or concerns should be directed to the Swim School Manager. If this is not possible you are very welcome to send your feedback or query via email to [email protected]. All emails will be responded to as soon as possible.
Please do not attempt to engage in conversation with swim teachers during a lesson!
We kindly ask for your understanding as the Swim School Manager role is part-time, and while we always aim to reply promptly, responses may not be immediate.