3. Changes to Swimming Lesson Guidance – COVID-19
Changes to Swimming Lesson Guidance
We hope you are well and looking forward to returning to swimming lessons as much as we are, please find below our processes.
Our team has been working hard to make sure that the Centre and our swimming lessons comply with Government and Swim England Guidance. To comply with this, and social distancing, we have made some changes that will make your trip to the Leisure Centre look and feel a little different. However, please be assured that in making these changes we have our employees’ safety, your safety and your childs’ safety and their swimming progress as our focus.
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Below is our new procedure for Swimming Lessons :
Arriving for your lesson
When entering or leaving the building, we politely request that you adhere to social distancing guidelines and step aside/wait if your entry or exit point is blocked/in use.
There will be sanitiser dispensers on entry to the building for your use.
Only one adult should accompany a child(ren) into the Centre.
Please note we are unable to allow pushchairs into any of our changing areas.
Please do not arrive to change more than 5 minutes before your/child’s lesson
In line with government advice it is preferred that you wear a mask when in and around the building.
Changing Rooms
Only one adult will be permitted in the changing room per child (children from same family group)
There will be 4 changing rooms available, Each Changing room will have designated changing stations, indicated by an X on the wall. If you arrive at the changing room and it is already at capacity/ all changing stations are taken, please wait outside for someone to leave.
Reception will happily direct you to the correct changing room.
To minimise the time each swimmer spends in the changing rooms. Please, wherever possible, bring your swimmer/yourself already changed for swimming (beach ready).
Please bring a bag for their/your kit.
- Younger Swimmers / Swimmers requiring adult assistance to change.
Once your swimmer is changed please put your swimmer’s kit straight into a bag and take the bag out of the changing room with you.
- Adult Swimmers / Older Children (whom can change independently).
Once changed please ensure you/they put your/their kit into a bag and leave it on one of the hooks/shelves provided.
Please note that Lockers will no longer available, therefore please ensure you/they do not bring any valuables. Please also ensure there are no loose items left in the changing room.
There will be no showers available in the changing rooms. The showers on Poolside will be operational and used solely for showering before swimming.
Please bear with us, we are aiming to make the turnaround as speedy as possible.
Entry to Poolside
All swimmers should shower on entry to poolside. (Please use Poolside Showers)
If needed, your child should put on arm discs (please see Stage 1-4 section below for advice on arm discs). There will be separate arm disc baskets for each set of swimmers.
Swimmers should then go straight to one of the markers on the left hand side of the pool, under the lane ropes, where possible maintaining social distancing, and wait for their lesson to start. (we appreciate that this may initially be difficult for younger swimmers)
Please understand that parents of swimmers are not allowed on poolside.
Exit from Poolside
Swimmers should return to the changing room and if a designated changing space (X) is free, towel dry, put on their clothes/overhead towel/onesie and leave as quickly as possible. Please note that it will not be possible to shower after a lesson.
Swimming lessons
To comply with Government guidance, our numbers in the pool will be reduced. We are also staggering the start times of our lessons to minimise numbers in the changing rooms and maintain social distancing. Therefore we may ask you to change the time of your swimming lesson, however we will do our utmost to keep you on your usual day. Please check all correspondence carefully, especially the time of your lesson.
What will be different ?
Pre-School :
Adult and Child (Age 6months – 3yrs) will continue to be taught from the side. Parents/ Carers must be able to get their child in/out of the pool without assistance from staff.
Toddler (Age 3+.) Lessons will be quite different. Teachers will now be teaching from poolside, however, your child’s teacher may enter the water, on occasion, if necessary. To adhere to social distancing guidelines, it is no longer permitted for our teachers to manually handle or support your child during their lesson. If preferred, you may consider enrolling on our Adult and Child classes.
Pre Schoolers due to Start School. It is our intention to phase-in those swimmers transitioning from our Toddler classes/new swimmers of school age. We will contact you directly, via email, with information as to how we plan implement this approach.
After School/Weekend Classes:
For Stages 1-4. Lessons will be quite different. Teachers will now be teaching from the poolside, although some teachers may enter the water on occasion. In the past the teacher has provided support to the pupils as they learn new skills. Now, with social distancing, your child will need to wear arm discs to provide them with that support to both stay safe and to practise strokes and skills without physical help from their teacher. They will continue to learn and improve their swimming, just with a different means of support. Please ensure your child puts on arm discs for their first lesson. Your child’s teacher will adjust the number of arm discs as required.
It may be necessary to make some syllabus changes to enable us to teach some of the skills required, without manual support. This will not adversely affect your child’s recorded progress.
All arm discs and equipment will be cleaned between lessons and swimmers will be encouraged not to share equipment within their lesson.
Please note goggles can now be worn from Stage 3 upwards but your child must be able to place these on their eyes without assistance from our teachers
For Stages 5 and 6 : These lessons will continue to be taught from poolside, the lesson may have moved to a different part of the pool but the lesson will be very similar to lessons in the past.
For Stages 7 and above: These classes will continue to be taught from Poolside. To comply with social distancing guidelines, there will be a new protocol in place for lane swimming. The new protocol will be explained when your child arrives for their lesson.
Adults :
Adult Beginner classes: To accommodate social distancing guidelines, will now be taught from poolside, our teachers have your safety and progress as their focus and will use additional methods of support/ flotation devices to help you with confidence in the water. If, however, you would feel more comfortable with someone in the water, we are happy for you to bring a member of your household/bubble with you to provide manual support under the guidance of our teachers.
Adult Intermediate / Advanced classes : These classes will continue to be taught from Poolside. To comply with social distancing guidelines, there will be a new protocol in place for lane swimming. The new protocol will be explained when you arrive for your lesson.
At the end of a Lesson
At the end of the lesson classes will be sent back to the changing room in “waves” and must follow the process outlined above in ‘Exit from Poolside’. Swimmers should again try their hardest to maintain social distance. Please be aware that teaching may finish just a couple of minutes early to allow for safe, socially distant movement around the pool.
Viewing
Viewing will be possible for one adult, per swimmer /swimmers from the same household, from either the viewing area or the cafeteria area. The floor will be marked out at appropriate spacing, but unfortunately, we will not be able to provide chairs. Please feel free to bring your own camping chair. If there is no available space, please can we ask that you wait in an alternative area.
Parents can return to their car during the lesson. We encourage this but please make sure your contact details are correct at reception.
Symptoms
We politely ask you to refrain from entering the Centre if you or your child are displaying any of the following symptoms – high temperature, a new persistent cough, loss of taste/smell, or have knowingly been in contact with someone displaying symptoms/confirmed case of Covid19.
Crash Courses
We hope to be able to run crash courses over the summer break, so please watch out for details.
Lost Property
Unfortunately we can no longer hold on to lost items, therefore we ask that before leaving the premises you have checked that you have all your belongings with you as we would hate for much loved items to be lost forever.
Please bear with us, we know these guidelines will feel very different, but rest assured that we will do all we can to ensure you feel well supported and you and your child have an enjoyable and productive experience with us.
Thank you for your continued support and stay safe.