Learn To Swim

A conscious decision to teach your child or yourself to swim is one of the most important decisions you will make in life

 

The Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre Swim School takes place in our two purpose built program pools, heated to 31 degrees Celsius. Lessons are offered year round in the mornings, afternoons and on weekends. All instructors are Austswim qualified and provide a professional, happy and safe learning environment.

Click here to view the current swim school timetables.

The LPAC swim school is a Royal Life Saving Society “Swim and Survive” endorsed swim school.

The program is designed not only to teach your child to swim, but to make them water aware.

This enables us to offer the lessons free of GST.

The swim school caters for all your swimming and recreational needs, and offers a range of classes:

  • Water awareness for babies from 6 months old
  • Learn to Swim for toddlers and school age children
  • Adult Learn to Swim and Stroke Correction
  • Special Needs Swimming
  • School Swimming Programs
  • Squad Programs
  • Holiday Intensive programs
  • Private tuition

LEVEL Structure

The School is divided into 9 levels of learn to swim and seven squad levels.

A participant will progress through each level by achieving specific skills, and are encouraged to progress steadily at their own pace. Children are graded weekly.

Parents/carers are welcome to discuss the progress of their child in our dedicated Feedback Week (week 6 of term)

WaterBabe (6-16 months) – Parent/Child
Class Ratios 7:1

This level is designed to assist infants and their parents to become familiar with the water and develop water confidence. Through participating in a range of safe and enjoyable activities, a parent or carer shares a special time interacting with their baby in the water.

WaterTot (16-30+ months) – Parent/Child
Class Ratios 7:1

Water confidence, awareness and elementary swimming skills are revised and built upon. Lessons are based around establishing patterns through repetition, with activities chosen to match suitability of the group’s skill level and age appropriateness.

Early Tadpoles (30-36 months) - Parent/Child - working towards independance
Class Ratios 4:1

This class is designed to bridge the gap between WaterTots and Tadpoles, readying the infant for lessons independent from the parent/carer. Classes focus on minimising the level of involvement from the parent/carer over the course of time in this level. This level is only offered to infants who have progressed from WaterTot.

Tadpoles
Class Ratios 4:1

This class introduces the child to their first level of swimming education without the parent or carer. Elementary swimming skills such as breath contol, kicking and paddling are taught as well as safety skills including independent floating, safe entries and exits.

Frogs
Class Ratios 5:1

With water safety and elementary skills firmly in place, this class focuses on introducing a streamlined position, developing into basic freestyle arms over a distance of 5m. Backstroke kicking skills are also established. Frogs will also be introduced to various types of floating and rotations which will aid body position in future levels.

Dolphins
Class Ratios 5:1

Basic freestyle is refined and the first stages of teaching side breathing are added over a distance of 15m. Elementary backstroke is introduced combining arm action and breathing with the already mastered back kick. Dolphin kick is taught as are sitting dives. Many intermediate safety skills are introduced, aimed at individual survival.

Swordfish
Class Ratios 6:1

The combination of side breathing, freestyle arms and flutter kick are coordinated to produce freestyle with bilateral breathing. Swimming distance is increased to 20m for freestyle and backstroke and elementary breaststroke kicking is demonstrated. Elementary drills are utilised to refine technique.To complete this level children are working toward 40m of consistent bilateral breathing, backstroke and effective breastroke kick on their back. Advanced safety skills are introduced.

Marlins
Class Ratios 7:1

This level aims to refine freestyle and backstroke technique, while increasing the swimmer’s stamina over longer distances (60m). Breaststroke arms are taught independent of kick. Much of the safety is taken outdoors to continue the challenge for swimmers in this level.

Sharks
Class Ratios 8:1

This is the advanced stroke correction class. Freestyle endurance is continued and extended to 200m, backstroke to 80m. Breaststroke kick is combined with arms to form the whole stroke. Whole stroke butterfly is introduced for the first time. Advanced skills such as diving, streamlining and tumbleturns are taught. Sharks safety week takes on an endurance focus with survival and rescue sequences attempted by students.