The importance of staying in swim lessons
All the way up to Stage 7 and beyond!
Consistency is key – you’ve heard this phrase before! It’s something we can apply to any skill, including swimming.
We know that getting your younger ones involved in any kind of physical activity is important. As swimming is the only sport that can save your life, it’s something for children to keep up with both now and throughout adulthood.
That’s why we recommend sticking with swimming lessons, from Stage 1 of Swim England’s Learn to Swim Framework all the way through Stage 7 and beyond. You can learn more about the Framework here.
Even though your child may know how to confidently jump in the water or swim over 25 metres, water competency doesn’t stop there. There are many water safety and survival skills that a child needs to learn in order to stay safe in water.
Along with Swim England, we strongly recommend that parents and carers keep children in swimming lessons until as a minimum, they have completed the Learn to Swim Stages 1 to 7.
Doing so means children will have achieved all of the minimum standards for water competency, and should they find themselves in danger in or around water, they will have a better knowledge of how to react.
After completing the Learn to Swim Framework, swimmers can get stuck into Stages 8-10 for advanced swimming, Aquatic Fun and Fitness, or even join a swimming club. Many of our learners have joined our lifeguarding teams across the country too, thanks to RLSS UK’s Rookie Lifeguard course we offer. You can learn more about Rookie Lifeguard here.
Learning to swim and having a good knowledge of water safety also opens the door to water-based sports that your younger one may not have thought were in easy reach, such as kite sailing, kayaking, canoeing, and surfing!
You can find out more about Swim England’s water competency guidance here.
Want to see what options there are for your child to get stuck into after Stage 7? Take a look at what we offer at your centre below!