Welcome to swimming lessons
Useful info
Welcome to swimming lessons with Places Leisure!
Thanks for choosing to learn to swim with us - we’re proud to work with Swim England and follow the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme and Awards Scheme.
Being able to swim is a vital life skill as well an activity to enjoy throughout childhood and adult life, socially and for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Course Portal
First things first! Please make sure you're registered with our Course Portal to track performance and move between each stage/level of the swimming programme. To register, please use your child's membership number, date of birth and postcode. You can add multiple children to one account.
We've also prepared a couple of handy videos to help you register and get started with course portal.
How to register on course portal (new users)
How to use course portal (existing users)
What to expect
Swimming Lesson Check-list
- Costume/trunks
- Towel
- Shampoo
- Googles
- Nappies
- Money for locker
Please arrive in good time for your lesson so that you are ready on poolside on time. Recent feedback from parents said they would recommend a 10-15 minutes to get children ready. Don’t leave any clothes or bags in the changing rooms - use the lockers provided. Please ensure your child has visited the toilet prior to getting into the pool.
What to wear?
Practical swimming costumes (for girls) or non-baggy shorts (for boys). When purchasing swimwear for lessons, please consider the practicalities of swimming – costumes should not restrict movement in any way or cause additional drag in the water. We have a great range of swimwear available in reception from Zoggs, designed with swimming in mind.
For children still in nappies, we stock Huggies Little Swimmers and Zoggs Swimsure neoprene nappies for a ‘double up’ approach to avoid embarrassing leaks in the pool keeping it clean and safe for everyone.
Poolside
Please take your child, once they are ready for their lesson, to the signposted ‘Drop off point’ area just before the start time. From here their teacher will collect them and take the register.
During the lesson
Parents/guardians are requested to remain in the viewing areas throughout the duration of the lesson, unless accompanying your child in the pool! If you are watching, why not grab a coffee before the lesson? Whilst watching your child please ensure any young children are kept a safe distance away from the pool and under your constant supervision.
Continuous assessment
Our teachers use the latest technology to update your child’s progress throughout the lesson against the key competencies for the level e.g.Travel on the back for 5 metres, aids or equipment may be used. This feeds through to the Course Portal so that you can track progress.
End of the lesson
Please be ready at the signposted ‘pick up point’ at the end of the lesson where the teacher will bring your child once the lesson has finished.
If you have any questions, our staff will be happy to help.
My Learn to Swim App
As a participant on our lesson programme you and your child can also benefit from the Swim England My Learn to Swim App. Watch our video at the bottom of this page for a preview of all the exciting features.
My Learn to Swim App
Make learning to swim fun with Swim Englands learn to swim app