When you arrive, the first thing you will need to do is head to reception and advise them that you're attending your first lesson. The team will provide you with your wristband/fob/card as well as your free swimming hat, and will ensure you know where you need to go. Please ensure that you swipe in at reception/gate turnstile with your child's wristband/card or fob before your swimming lessons, to get through the gate. Before their lesson, they need to change into their swimwear, go to the toilet, remove any jewellery and have a shower (an important step as the swimming pool is to be enjoyed by many people and everyone needs to display a high level of personal hygiene when using the facilities). There are designated waiting areas on the poolside to meet your swimming teacher. Please ensure your swimmer is wearing their swimming hat, as this helps the swim teacher to identify which group the swimmer is in. Depending on the leisure centre, you can spectate on the poolside or in the designated spectator area. It's not recommended to have a large meal before going swimming or participating in any physical activity.
Appropriate swimwear - please refer to the Swimwear policy page. Fashion swimwear, such as board shorts, makes it a lot harder to learn to swim (including adults). They increase the resistance to the water and make it harder to float. Goggles: We sell these at reception. Towels: remember a towel to get warm and dry after a lesson, and any toiletries that are needed for a shower afterwards. In colder months, we advise wearing a coat and a hat after swimming to help keep warm. Please ensure you put your child's belongings in a locker and not left in a changing cubicle.
Payments are required at the time of making a booking (whether that is for an 'on-the-day' booking or an activity booked in advance). Therefore we recommend if you want to pay in cash, this will need to be done locally at an Active Nottingham leisure centre. Please check with your local centre for more details.
CoursePro is our booking software system for Lessons and Courses, allowing all relevant Information to be clearly recorded and enhancing communication with parents. You can pay by monthly Direct Debit.
We have replaced paper registers with a mobile tablet, which is used to mark your child's attendance and what competencies have been achieved by your child for the lesson type/stage they are in. Use of the tablets is kept to a minimum, but so you're kept up to date, they will be used where required during the lesson.
The pupil's name, any relevant medical information the teacher needs to know, and the competencies they're working towards.
By registering with Home Portal* via this link . *Please note that this is not the same portal for booking other activities across our centres, so we require you to register for this portal separately.*
No, you will only have access to your Child’s information.
Course Pro automatically manages your swimming lessons; unless you cancel, you will continue to be enrolled. As your child is marked for movement into a new class once they have passed their current class, you will be able to select and view new class types available to you via the home portal app. Alternatively, you can ask at reception, but it is easier to manage your own bookings via home portal.
The teacher will mark off your child as having completed the stage; they may inform you during the lesson, and you will be notified via email. You will then be able to manage your own movement via the home portal login. You will be able to view all of the classes available to you with spaces and select a new class to move into. Once you have selected the move, you will be sent an email confirmation. You can only move the home portal if the swim teacher has marked the swimmer to move.
Yes, they may tell you during your child’s lesson, and you will be notified via email. You can also check your home portal account.
You will be able to view all class options available to you with spaces. If you see a class that you would like to move into, you can select this class and make the move. Our system is live, spaces are changing and becoming available all the time as swimmers progress through the scheme. Please keep checking the home portal account for the latest class availability. Please note you will only be able to view and book classes that the swim teacher has allocated to you.
If we suddenly need to close the pool due to circumstances beyond our control and therefore need to cancel lessons, we will notify you at the earliest opportunity using the contact details we have on file for you (please ensure you have the correct contact details listed in your Home Portal account), and adjustments to your Direct Debit will be made.
Your child will be continually assessed throughout their Swimming Journey. On the tablet, the teacher has the various stage competencies your child must pass to complete the stage. Once they have passed each competency, the teacher will mark them as either fair, good or passed, and this will be date stamped so that you can see how your child is progressing.
Certificates and badges are available at reception for a small fee.
The earlier that a child becomes familiar with the aquatic environment and being in and around water, the better. Even if you are not a strong swimmer, just taking your child to the pool and playing and having fun in the water will help them develop their confidence and enjoy the positive experiences that the water can bring them. At home, encourage your child to have a bath and play in the water. Encourage them to get their hair wet and introduce them to putting their face in the water. Our swimming teachers will be able to tell you what your child needs to practice and give you activities you can do with them at the pool. Remember, all Nottingham Swim School members receive free public swimming, use it as a way to develop the skills they've learned and improve their water confidence.
How long is a piece of string? Like any new skills that we learn, different people take different amounts of time and find some skills easier to learn than others. If your child experiences more time in the swimming pool environment outside of lessons, there is a high probability that they will progress more quickly, as they will have additional opportunities to practice and, in the early phase, increase their confidence surrounded by close friends and family.
Your child can still attend their current class day and time until you are ready to move into the next stage. Log in to your Home Portal account to check as often as you'd like, and when the classes in the next stage become available, you can confirm your movement to whichever day and time suits you. Your child will still be learning in their current class and working on developing their skills, and with continuous assessments and progressions, we anticipate that children won't be waiting too long until a space in the next stage becomes available. The swim teacher will adapt the lesson for the child until a class becomes available.
We really don't like to cancel classes; however, in the circumstances where we have no swim teacher or a pool closure, we may have no other option than to cancel the lesson. In these cases, you will receive a reduction in the next Direct Debit collection (the next available collection, depending on dates).
If your lesson has been cancelled due to a venue issue, teaching issue or the centre is closed, you will receive a refund on your next direct debit, in line with our terms and conditions. Our terms are located here.
Nottingham Swim School aims to ensure that all swimmers, regardless of ability or disability, learn to swim, so that they can progress into whichever area of aquatics they wish to pursue. Our teachers can include swimmers with a disability in their lessons by adapting activities and lessons if/when required. It is recognised that some children may never be able to achieve all outcomes they need to pass a wave, so exceptions will be made if needed to enable swimmers to progress through the pathway according to their individual needs. We do offer a range of disability swimming lessons too.
Our swimming lessons are inclusive for all.
Spectating Those wishing to spectate should do so in the designated areas at your local leisure centre. Parents/guardians must remain on the premises whilst the pupil is attending their swimming lessons. This is imperative in case of the unlikely event of a medical emergency, building evacuation or other emergency situation. Please do not distract the swimming teacher during a swimming lesson as the teacher needs to supervise the class at all times. Mobile Phones Photography (including camera phones and mobile phones) and video filming is strictly prohibited. The use of mobile phones is not permitted in changing rooms, toilets or any of the activity areas. Mobile phones can only be used in the reception/cafe or vending areas. Anyone found to be using their mobile phone in other areas will be requested to leave the area.
We use swim hats to maintain high standards of cleanliness in our pools. Your child will receive a swim hat specific to their swim group to be worn at every lesson. If there is a reason why your little one can’t wear a hat, this isn’t a problem. Just let our team or your teacher know.
Free public swimming is available for Nottingham Swim School members. The accompanying adult in the public swimming session will need to pay for their swim unless they hold a Nottingham Swim School membership too.
Under 5 lessons require a parent/guardian in the water (Adult and Child, and Pre-school lessons).
If you are unable to visit us in person at an Active Nottingham leisure centre, there are a number of other ways to get in touch with us for support.
In person at any Active Nottingham leisure centre, or via the Contact Us page.