Junior Swimming
Swimming is a fundamental part of sport at The Park Club. With both indoor and outdoor pools, as well as a team of highly qualified instructors, we are fully equipped to provide you and your family with a wide range of fun, coordinated water based activities.
It is one our central aims to ensure that every child member here at the club is able to swim.
Swimming for Young Members
All Park Club swim instructors are qualified to a minimum of ASA level 2 and are able to teach potential swimmers from the age of 4 months. Classes are available either individually or in groups from Monday to Saturday. They are offered throughout the year and are broadly divided in to two categories: Term Time activities and Holiday Camps.
Term Time Swim Activities
What kind of lesson suits your child best?
Private Lessons For Children
Private lessons are available from 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday and from 08:30-15:00 on Saturdays.
Dual and Triple Lessons for Children
It may be more convenient or some children may prefer to learn as a pair or in a trio with friends, this can be organised through Reception.
Group Lessons
These term long courses are designed to run within spring, summer and autumn school terms divided by half term holidays. The following classes are available during these times.
Ducklings Classes- Otherwise known as adult and child lessons, this is where the parent/ guardian is teaching the child under the supervision and guidance of the teacher. These lessons are available for children from 4 months to 3years.
Mini Turtles- A progression on from the ducklings classes, this is where the child gets their first taste of life in the pool without mum or dad. The lessons are conducted in groups of no more than 4. These classes tend to be for pre-school children who are confident in the water or for those who may have been through the ducklings classes.
Non-swimmer 1- Taught after school hours, these classes are aimed at complete beginners with no previous swimming experience. Water confidence will be built through the use of play. All of the coaches have the patience of saints which will allow your child to progress at a pace determined by them but ultimately governed by the coach.
Non-swimmer 2- Once water confidence has been gained it is time to teach the basics of swimming. This will include kicking, floating and the use of the arms to pull the body forward in the water. Once this stage is complete your child will be able to swim 5m completely unaided.
Beginner 1- Now comes the real core of swimming. This is the stage where we develop the child’s technique on front crawl, your child will learn how to recover their arms over the water and will begin work on learning backstroke.
Beginner 2- From here the child will continue their development of front crawl and backstroke and the basics of breastroke will also be taught. During this stage the child will learn how to breathe correctly to the side while swimming front crawl. Backstroke will be taught more intensively than before so the child should have a good understanding of it by the end of the stage.
Improver 1- By this stage your child should be swimming front crawl with good technique. The coach will be putting the final touches to backstroke and breastroke will be developed to create a full stroke rather than just the legs which were learnt in the previous stage. Butterfly will also be introduced during this stage along with the early stages of tumble turns.
Improver 2- Your child will now be comfortable swimming 50m continuously on front crawl using the correct technique. Backstroke and breastroke will have now taken shape and should be swum with relative ease. Tumble turns will be corrected, improved and encouraged to be used as often as possible. The coach will also introduce butterfly arms during this stage.
Advanced 1- Now that all the strokes can be swum it is time to refine them and work on the small aspects of the strokes such as the catch and the streamlining. The timing will also be perfected. By the end of this stage your child should be swimming all 4 strokes with good technique and to the correct ASA guidelines.
Advanced 2- This is our pre-squad group, the session is an hour long and will be split between improving the stroke but also increasing stamina. Children in this group should know and understand the majority of the major ASA rules regarding the strokes such the order of an Individual Medley and how many hands to touch the wall with on breastroke.
Swim Squad- the final stage of the swimming programme. This stage is by invite only. The swimmers in this group will focus on stamina and strength in the water with a slight emphasis on technique. However this should have been perfected through the Advanced stages.
School Holiday Swimming Activities
Throughout the school holidays there is a range of different activities available. Private lessons will be available with a range of coaches during every week of the holidays. Holiday camps such as Rookie Lifesaver and Swim Splash will also be available at certain times throughout the year.
Both of these offer your child the opportunity for some intensive learning either through having a private lesson for every day of a week with your chosen coach or in the holiday camps where they will learn a range of skills from personal survival and basic lifeguarding skills and first aid to water polo and synchro.
Our Coaches
Rob Clarke: Pool Manager
I have been coaching swimming here at The Park Club for the past 4 years and have loved every minute of it!
Prior to starting at The Park Club I was a National swimmer competing all over the country for my club and county.
Although I have taken on a new role as Pools Manager I am continuing to do some teaching during the week. I have always loved working with kids and will continue to do so for as long as I can.
I am a great believer in the saying “there’s no such word as can’t”. I believe every child can learn to swim with the right attitude and the right guidance which is exactly what myself and all of the coaches are here to provide and promote.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me regarding any of our coaches or our swim coaching programme. rob@theparkclub.co.uk
Ashley Belle
Each person is different, so to teach each person to swim the same way seems inappropriate. Feel, flow and technique are, in my opinion, more important than fitness, strength and stamina in the pool. I started working at the Park Club in 2001. Since gaining my ASA level 2 instructor's certificate my teaching style has developed and improved.
By giving clear attainable goals learning to swim should be fun. Whether you are training hard for the next Park Club triathlon or simply want to be able to enjoy a relaxed swim in the pool each length should be more enjoyable than the last.
Friday mornings I coach the intermediate adult swim session. Come along for technique tips and training in a fun social environment. I also provide 1-1 tuition for beginners or those with a fear of water.
Richard Manson
Born in Lagos and growing up around Africa, I learnt to swim before I could walk. The youngest of three brothers, I was initially taught by them so as to be the 'Marco', endlessly paddling around with my eyes closed while they fiendishly sat on sun loungers shouting 'Polo'. The pool was our playground and instilled in us a love of the water that remains to this day.
My first official swimming tuition consisted of a leather belt around my stomach attached to a long pole held by the coach, who would walk up and down the poolside preventing me from spending all the time on the bottom. As I improved and grew, swimming became my main sport throughout my schooling, culminating in captaining the swim squad and competing against many established schools and clubs.
I have been teaching swimming at The Park Club for over six years and am pleased to say my approach has evolved from those early teaching methods I endured. To become a good swimmer you need neither brawn nor youth, great athleticism nor impressive endurance. Improvement in swimming depends far more on how effectively you work with the water, focusing on fluent movement and proper technique, as opposed to churning out endless laps of pulling and kicking.
Whether you swim for fitness, relaxation or speed, my personal yet professional approach will give you clear step-by-step progressions that will completely transform how you move through the water - above all enjoying every stroke you take.
Nicola Kelleher
I have been teaching on and off for the past 15 years, fitting it in around my degree in Sport Health, Exercise and Nutrition and then becoming full-time since graduating.
I have worked with a broad spectrum of abilities including three years at a special needs school in North West London.
I have always enjoyed the challenges and rewards that teaching swimming offers. I am always looking to go on new courses to further my knowledge and to offer an ever improving delivery of my lessons.
Michelle Reynolds
The decision to specialise in Primary Education at university is one which I spent a great deal of time considering. Whilst becoming a fully qualified swimming teacher I became particularly interested in child development and education. I have always been passionate about teaching. I love influencing and encouraging the individuals that I teach and helping them to reach their true potential is truly rewarding. I am an optimistic and energetic individual who thrives on motivating and helping others.
My competitive background in swimming enables me to share my experience and enthusiasm for swimming within my pupils during lessons. I have gained valuable experience since joining The Park Club and have continued to develop as a swimming teacher. Every child that I’ve had the pleasure of teaching has their own individual outlook on life and has an entirely unique personality. I have met some incredible and gifted children while teaching. They are vibrant, confident, bubbly and have a great thirst for knowledge. This job allows me to combine the two things that I love most; teaching children and swimming.
Alex Fairhurst
Originally from Cornwall, I started competitive swimming at the age of 12. After lots of hard work and some great coaching I competed for my County and then went on to compete in Regional and National competitions.
I bring a wealth of swimming experience to The Park Club after a successful personal career in the pool and more recently as a highly successful coach. I started teaching swimming at my local leisure centre when I was just 16 and have been teaching and coaching ever since.
I moved to London after coaching one of the top swimming clubs in Cornwall and Devon. During my time as coach the club went from 8th in the Cornwall and West Devon League all the way up to the number one position. I am currently an ASA Level 3 swimming coach and believe that there is nothing more satisfying than taking an enthusiastic swimmer and helping them reach their full potential.
Sam Saliba
I first started swimming at Acton Swimming Club. At the age of 11 I went to Millfield School in Somerset which specializes in training Olympic swimmers. I became one of the squad and competed nationally for 6 years (training for up to 5 hours a day). The knowledge I have gained from being taught at a professional level has given me the experience, necessary technique and love of swimming to teach and coach youngsters and adults.
I currently teach 40+ hours a week to a wide variety of age groups ranging from Babies up to Adults. I have the following qualifications ASA Level 1 & 2, a full NPLQ and a further ASA CPD in teaching children with disabilities.
Ali Salimi
II have been swimming competitively from the age of eight and hold county honours for swimming and athletics. Currently, I coach at a range of different health clubs in London and I also coach at National Level for Imperial College, London.
I have coached swimmers ranging from two year old toddlers to adults and from non-swimmers to competition level. I have the ability to quickly build motivational relationships and have a warm, engaging personality to bring out the best in my pupils. Using my sport and fitness qualification I put theory into practice, from technique to teaching styles, and always aim for efficiency and enjoyment. I have an ASA Level 2 Swimming Instructor qualification, a Btec Sport and fitness, am a qualified lifeguard and also have a First Aid at Work Cert.
Wendy Kelleher
I have been teaching swimming for 22 years and have always felt extremely lucky to have had my hobby turn into my career. I have taught children and adults at every level and have a particular interest in special needs.
Swimming is a life skill that everyone should learn; not only from a survival point of view but there are so many different avenues that can be taken in swimming from competitions to water polo and scuba diving, there is something for everyone!
Paula Brown
I learnt to swim from an early age and swam for my school, also while travelling around the world I would always find a pool to go for a swim in. I can never remember not swimming.
I have been teaching Swimming for 15 years now, I love the fact you can give somebody a skill that will stay with them for the rest of their life, or as long as they wish to use it.
Here at the Park Club I teach the Parent and Baby classes from the age of 3 months to 5 years. There is something very magical about swimming with your baby. I find you develop a real bond and closeness of trust between the two of you. Your child will move through the water with such easy and be so relaxed it is wonderful to experience. This experience will stay with both of you for the rest of your life.
I work with mother and baby, using the babies natural dive reflex together with the word command “Name Ready Swim,” I then lead to gentle under water swims, by the end of a 12 week course your baby will be happily swimming a short distance under water.
As your child grows in age and strength I then develop other swimming skills such as, kicking, arm pulls, holding on to the side, turning around, falling into the water, bubbles and longer free swims. This starts to develop from around age 1. From age 2 the children really become more independent and real strokes can start to develop as well as floating work, jumping in turn around and swim to the swim, sitting dives longer free swims and much more.
I find an individual approach to each child works very well, as some children take to swimming like “a duck to water” and will give anything a go, others need to be reassured and take things at a slower pace, they will grow to trust their adult and teacher and move forward to love their swimming again forming a very special bond.
The benefits of swimming from such an early age are general good health, building up physical co-ordination and being able to reach milestones earlier, a positive bond between parent and baby. For a lot of children it helps improve eating habits and sleeping patterns, which helps the whole family.
Please come and find me in the pool, to watch a class and see what we do, or have a chat, I am here Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, I look forward to seeing you soon.
Gem Williams
Being the youngest and most recent addition to the coaching team at the Park Club, I am extremely enthusiastic to pass on my love for swimming to members of the club. I have always had a passion for swimming, rarely missing a swim lesson as a child. This passion grew over the years, leading to me becoming a qualified swim coach three years ago.
Up to now, I have taught in Surrey, my home county. However, I decided it would be more feasible to work in London as I am currently studying here, at University College London. I now try and swim with the UCL Swim Team as much as teaching and studying will allow.
I see learning to swim as unlocking a door to freedom. As a child; the freedom of playing in the pool with friends unaided, in later years the freedom to explore new aquatic environments, participate in water sports and most importantly be confident and comfortable in these surroundings.
I endeavor to deliver lessons that enable absolutely anybody, regardless of ability or age to gain the skills to unlock the door.
How will you know how your child is getting on?
Whilst your children are learning how to swim with the coaches will give you regular updates on their progress at the end of each session. At the end of each term, provided your child has met the required standard, a badge and certificate will be awarded.
