The Swim School

Business Details

27 Years

experience

Expert Swimming Lessons for All Ages in Bracknell

Established in 1999, The Swim School is a family-run business dedicated to fostering happiness and enjoyment in swimming while cultivating a success-filled environment for all ages and abilities. Our team of fully qualified instructors, including Level 2 Swim Teachers, delivers structured lessons across five locations, focusing on motivation, progress, and safety. With a seven-stage attainment program, we cater to swimmers from beginners to advanced levels, offering tailored sessions for children, adults, and school groups.

Our methodology combines accelerated learning techniques and personalized instruction, ensuring measurable improvements in confidence, water safety, and technical skills. Recognized for our inclusive approach, we provide free assessments, holiday courses, and aqua fitness sessions, supported by glowing testimonials highlighting our commitment to individualized care and exceptional teaching standards.

Services

Swimming Lessons Adult Classes Holiday Courses Aqua Fitness School Swimming

Details

Year established: 1999

Highlights and features

Family-run since 1999 with a proven track record in swimming education
Fully qualified Level 2 Swim Teachers delivering personalized instruction
Free swim assessments to tailor lessons to individual needs
Seven-stage attainment program with clear progress criteria
Proven success in building confidence and technical skills across all ages

Associations and certifications

Amateur Swimming Association (ASA)

What people say

Gained confidence Excellent teaching Fun and engaging Personalised instructions Real progress

Website

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Services

Swimming Lessons

Structured swimming lessons for children aged 3-18, from beginners to advanced levels. Our seven-stage program focuses on technical skill development, water safety, and confidence-building through small group sessions. Qualified instructors use accelerated learning techniques to ensure measurable progress, with clear attainment criteria for each level.

Adult Classes

Tailored swimming lessons for adults at multiple locations, accommodating all skill levels from beginners to technique improvers. Sessions focus on stroke refinement, endurance building, and water confidence in a supportive environment. Qualified instructors adapt teaching methods to individual needs and learning paces.

Holiday Courses

Intensive swimming programs during school holidays covering all disciplines including front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. These structured clinics focus on technique improvement, diving starts, and turn execution for swimmers aged 3-18 across multiple ability levels.

Aqua Fitness

Inclusive aqua fitness sessions designed for adults of all abilities. These classes focus on low-impact cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility improvement in a social, supportive environment. Sessions cater to individual pace preferences while maintaining structured workout routines.

School Swimming

Curriculum-based swimming instruction for primary and secondary schools, delivered by qualified ASA trainers. Our program develops essential water safety skills and technical proficiency aligned with national education standards, with tailored lesson plans for different age groups and ability levels.

People

Sarah Harris

Co-Founder

Qualified school teacher and ASA swimming trainer with over 25 years experience developing progressive swimming programs. Created the school's seven-stage attainment system focusing on motivation and measurable progress.

Rick Johnstone

Co-Founder

Experienced educator and swimming instructor trainer who helped establish the school's structured teaching methodology. Focuses on technical skill development and instructor training standards across all locations.

Kerry

Lead Instructor

Expert swimming coach with specialization in adapting lessons for children with additional needs. Recognized for personalized instruction that consistently delivers measurable improvements in confidence and technical ability.

Dylan

Senior Instructor

Specializes in youth swimming development, particularly in building confidence and improving technique for beginners. Praised for patient teaching style and ability to engage young swimmers effectively.

Ben

Instructor

Skilled teacher known for making lessons fun while maintaining technical focus. Specializes in engaging younger children through playful instruction while developing essential swimming skills and water safety awareness.

Questions

What swimming levels do you teach?

We teach seven attainment levels from complete beginners to advanced swimmers, with clear progression criteria for each stage.

Do you offer free swim assessments?

Yes, we provide free 45-minute swim assessments to determine your child's current ability level and recommend appropriate lessons.

Are adult swimming lessons available?

Yes, we offer adult lessons at multiple locations for all skill levels from complete beginners to technique improvers.

What locations do you operate in?

We operate in five locations: Balsall Common, Bracknell, London, Chester, and Westbury across the UK.

Do you provide school swimming programs?

Yes, we deliver curriculum-based swimming instruction to numerous primary and secondary schools across our operating regions.

What safety measures are in place?

Safety is paramount with qualified instructors, small group sizes, and structured lesson plans ensuring a secure learning environment.

Videos

Reviews (7)

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Amjid Salam

Oct 31, 2021 Report

Our middle child recently had 9 lessons at another school and in that time didn't progress and protested at even going or getting into the water>
At his trial with Sarah Harris within 10 minutes of the first words being spoken to him by the incredibly friendly and encouraging instructor, our five year old had swum 4 LENGTHS !! Our elder son is desperate to get back there as well such has his time there remained with him and it is great to see that they are finally emerging fully from the Covid Lockdowns and the shielding that they necessarily need to do on the Southfields site
From a cost perspective

Diane Fox

Aug 20, 2021 Report

Thank you Dylan, I have no idea how you managed to do all those classes, remember every childs name, make each of them feel heard/seen and on top of that teach them how to swim. Hugo has absolutely LOVED his weeks lessons. Hes improved so much. Anou too, she has enjoyed it so much and loved all the races. Thank you so much, hope you are taking a long well earned break. Thanks the Gohils x

Archie Mundegar

Jul 26, 2021 Report

Simply fantastic in every way that matters for teaching kids to swim, grow in confidence and have a great time. No matter which teacher our kids had as they progressed through the grades, they were taught with skill, enthusiasm and expert insight. We were referred here and have referred countless others as a result of our own experiences. I really cant think of what else you could want. Except perhaps a magical service that awakes and takes the kids early on a weekend morning :-)

Silvia Rosenbaum

Jan 25, 2021 Report

Great swimming school. My daughter went there many years ago and her progress was outstanding. my severely dyslexic son goes there now and it's amazing the progress he's made. He is not keen on any activities and we struggle to find something that he was willing to try. He had a few wobbles in the beginning but the teachers were very encouraging. the teachers are amazing, my son's confidence has increased so much and it has been a pleasure to see him flourish there.

Io Epstein

Dec 07, 2020 Report

All three of our children have become confident and strong swimmers with the swim school. Their encouraging approach helped enormously when they started age 3 (as did the warmth of the pool!) and differed from all other swimming lessons theyd tried before that or that Ive seen subsequently. I wholeheartedly recommend them especially for diffident swimmers of any age.

Isabelle Le Riche

Nov 26, 2020 Report

I am SO pleased with The Swim School. Really excellent teachers, warm pool, 45minute lessons. My daughter is doing weekly classes, and has just completed a fast track course (really good value for money) and she's making excellent progress. More importantly, she is feeling confident about swimming and really looks forward to her classes! Great set up!

Arkadiusz Biezunski

Oct 26, 2020 Report

We are very happy with this swim school. I have two daughters, one which used to attend classes and one which currently has lessons. I recommend this swim school highly!! They have done great things to my children! I would encourage parents to sign their children up to Sarah Harris swim school!