Our programme is coached by qualified instructors. Our friendly approachable swim team hold a Scottish Swimming Teachers Qualification, which is the highest in the industry for swimming teaching so you can be sure that your children are being taught by staff who know the sport.

We have a strong partnership with Scottish Swimming and all children in our programme following the Learn to Swim National Framework. This ensures quality within our programme and that important elements of the programme are delivered in a consistent manner.

At Active Stirling we aim to cater for all needs, offering a variety of lessons 7 days a week across a total of 5 venues, Balfron High, Bannockburn High, Stirling High, Wallace High and The PEAK.

Each teacher is equipped with a tablet on poolside recording attendance and assessing children weekly. Parents are able to track their child’s progress through our Homeportal system – here

The Homeportal helps to identify the strengths as well as techniques children should work on before they progress to the next level. It is beneficial to practice strokes and techniques which children might be struggling with outwith swimming lessons . It is important to remember to focus on the skill required rather than the percentage number.

This level is ideal for school aged children who have never had a swimming lesson before.

What this level will cover -

• Entries & exits – introduce a variety of entries and exits
• Orientation – move through water in a variety of ways
• Submerging & aquatic breathing – develop breathing control through both mouth and nose
• Floatation – introduce floating in a range of positions to develop body awareness
• Streamlining – develop streamlining positions, introduce push, and glide which is fundamental for travelling efficiently through the water
• Propulsion – introduce the basics of kicking/pulling/swimming, covering exercises on front and back

What your child will be able to do once they complete this level -

• Enter and exit the pool safely without help
• Display aquatic breathing with full submersion (blow bubbles through mouth and nose)
• Fully submerge body
• Demonstrate floatation on front and back with or without a buoyancy aid
• Demonstrate streamlining on front and back with or without a buoyancy aid
• Travel 5 metres on front & back with or without a buoyancy aid
• Jump in without assistance
• Demonstrate three different movements across the pool

Once your child has completed pre school swimming or fundamentals, they can move on to Swim skills 1 to further develop their confidence in the water and learn swimming skills without aids.

What this level will cover -

• Submerging & aquatic breathing – develop breath control and submerging

• Floatation – develop a variety of floating positions holding for 5 seconds

• Streamlining – progress streamlining techniques ensuring holding the shape of the body position

• Propulsion – improve propulsion on front/back and introduce basic kick / pull / swim technique

• Rotation – rotation round longitudinal axis

• Sculling – introduce sculling actions

What your child will be able to do once they complete this level -

• Demonstrate floatation on front unaided

• Demonstrate floatation on back unaided

• Demonstrate a mushroom float unaided

• Show rotation from floating position, on vertical and horizontal planes unaided

• Demonstrate a push and glide on front unaided

• Demonstrate a push and glide on back with hands by side unaided

• Kick on front with a float for 10m?

• Swim a minimum of 10m Front Crawl (legs only) while breathing to the side with a board (consistently)

• Swim a minimum of 10m Front Crawl arms clearing the water with board (consistently)

• Kick on back unaided for 10m arms by side

• Swim a minimum of 10m Back Crawl arms clearing water with board

• Demonstrate an understanding of Breaststroke arms and legs with a noodle

• Demonstrate repetitive bobbing for 30 seconds with exhalation and inhalation

Once your child has completed Swim Skills 1, they can move on to Swim skills 1+ to further develop their confidence in the deeper water and develop their swimming skills without aids.

What this level will cover -

• Submerging & aquatic breathing – develop breath control and submerging in deeper water

• Treading Water – introduce a basic treading water technique to develop safety in deeper water

• Streamlining – progress streamlining techniques ensuring holding the shape of the body position

• Propulsion – improve propulsion on front/back and develop kick / pull / swim technique

• Sculling – introduce sculling actions and techniques

What your child will be able to do once they complete this level -

• Swim a minimum of 12m Front Crawl while breathing to the side with a board

• Swim a minimum of 12m Front Crawl arms clearing the water with a board

• Swim a minimum of 12m demonstrating front crawl consistently unaided in the Main Pool/Deep Water

• Kick on back unaided for 12m arms by side

• Swim a minimum of 12m Back Crawl arms clearing water with a board

• Swim a minimum of 12m demonstrating back crawl consistently unaided in the Main Pool/Deep Water

• Swim 7m Breaststroke leg kick with a board with feet turned out and symmetrical

• Demonstrate a sculling action with a noodle

• Tread water unaided for 5 seconds

These classes increase the competency of your child’s core water skills and develop the basic stroke technique.

What this level will cover -

• Submerging and aquatic breathing – to include submerging, headfirst (surface diving) plus bilateral breathing for front crawl
• Streamlining – extended push and glides plus kicking action for front crawl and back crawl concentrating on correct body position
• Propulsion – leg kick on all four strokes, progressing to arm
• Rotation – rotation round the horizontal axis
• Sculling – scull retaining body position
• Treading water – introduce treading water

What your child will be able to do once they complete this level -

• Demonstrate a push and glide with leg kick for 5 metres holding streamline position
• Kick on front and back for a minimum 15 metres with no floatation aides
• Swim front crawl completely for minimum of 15m unaided
• Swim back crawl completely for a minimum of 15m unaided
• Demonstrate a good breaststroke leg kick over 10m with a board
• Demonstrate a good breaststroke arm pull over 10m unaided including legs
• Scull for 10 metres headfirst on back supported
• Headfirst surface dive to collect object on bottom of pool (minimum depth 1.2 metres)
• Show an understanding of Fly kick over a short distance unaided

These classes introduce more advanced stroke technique and distance and achieve Triple S standard (Scotland Safes Swimmer)

What this level will cover -

• Aquatic breathing – develop bi-lateral breathing for front crawl
• Streamlining and Diving – basic streamlined dive entries, depending on pool type
• Propulsion – develop correct timing and coordination for kicking, pulling and breathing actions of front crawl,
• Rotation – develop rotation round the horizontal and longitudinal axes
• Sculling – scull prone and supine with different arm and hand positions for support and travel
• Treading water – develop treading water and sustain for 30 seconds

What your child will be able to do once they complete this level -

• Travel on front and perform a somersault, finishing in a streamlined position
• Swim 25 metres front crawl and back crawl consistently maintaining correct technique
• Demonstrate Breaststroke with simultaneous leg and simultaneous arm action
• Demonstrate basic Butterfly technique
• Travel 5 metres with an undulating body action
• Tread water for 30 seconds waving one hand above the head to attract attention
• Enter the pool with a Standing Dive
• Scull for 10m head and feet first unaided

These classes improve the quality of stroke technique, introduce various skills/disciplines and basic lifesaving skills.

What this level will cover -

• Streamlining – ensure that it is evident within all areas of aquatic skills
• Propulsion – demonstrate competent technique in all four strokes
• Aquatic Breathing
• Rotation – rotate competently around horizontal axis
• Sculling – scull prone and supine with different arm and hand positions for support and travel
• Treading Water – use scissor, Breaststroke, or eggbeater
• Taster Activities

What your child will be able to do once they complete this level -

• Swim minimum 50 metres of Front Crawl demonstrating push and glide, competent technique with bi-lateral breathing, high elbow and reach and pull
• Swim minimum 50 metres of Backcrawl demonstrating push and glide, good technique, steady head position with rolling of the shoulders round the long axis
• Swim minimum 50 metres of Breaststroke demonstrating push and glide, good technique and basic undulation
• Swim minimum 25 metres of Butterfly demonstrating push and glide, competent technique and basic undulation
• Perform a dive with transition to any stroke
• Perform a straddle jump and tread water for 45 seconds

These classes prepare you to swim in a club environment.

What this level will cover -

• Propulsion and streamlining – develop competitive start and turn technique in all four strokes
  
• Stroke technique/efficiency and endurance – develop stroke technique maintaining over a distance
  
• Sculling – understand and progress the technique of incorporating sculling into the strokes
  
• Club training competencies – develop an understanding of training skills

What your child will be able to do once they complete this level -

• Swim 100 metres of Frontcrawl. Maintain efficient technique and incorporate race skills
• Swim 100 metres of Backcrawl. Maintain efficient technique and incorporate race skills
• Swim 100 metres of Breaststroke. Maintain efficient technique and incorporate race skills
• Swim 50 metres of Butterfly. Maintain efficient technique and incorporate race skills
• Attempt 100 metres Individual Medley incorporate race skills
• Understand lane discipline and use of timing clock

Our Rookie Lifeguard classes are the perfect alternative for children who want to stay within the sport but without club swimming. In these classes, children will learn vital survival and rescue techniques that are similar to those that they will learn on a Pool Lifeguard qualification should they wish to enrol in this once they are 16.

What this level will cover -

• The water safety code
• The HELP and HUDDLE positions
• The Rookie action plan
• Rescue skills
• Mouth to mouth ventilation
• First Aid
• Working as a group

Please note: Rookie Lifeguard lessons do not qualify participants to be a lifeguard or a First Aider.

We are proud to be working in partnership with Scottish Swimming.

Swimming provides the opportunity to learn a life skill whilst interacting and having fun in a group environment. This should be no different for a child with a disability and where possible your child will be included in a class with their peers.

If your child is 14 years or over and has a love of swimming, we’d love to welcome them into our programme via our volunteer pathway. Although this role would be unpaid, the experience and knowledge gained would be invaluable as valued transferrable skills and would help support them should they wish to pursue a career as a swim teacher. If you have a child interested in volunteering with us please complete our short online form which can be found at: https://www.activestirling.org.uk/volunteering-note-of-interest

• Payments for 5 – 16 years swim lessons can be made annually or by direct debit
• Direct debit is taken on the 1st of each month and payments are split equally across 12 months
• Full terms and conditions for booking can be found on our Classes and programmes terms and conditions page

To enquiry about a space, please complete our online enquiry form which can be found at activestirling.org.uk/learn-to-swim-enquiry

• Please remain available during your child’s lesson to take your child to the toilet or help us with any behavioural issues (our school venues have toilets on poolside so children will be sent there).
• Our Staff cannot take children to the toilet.
• School pools without lockers—children should either bring their belongings on to the poolside after getting changed or give them to their parents during the class.
• Please do not leave belongings in a cubicle at any of our venues.
• School changing rooms—Active Stirling's policy is that if a child is 7 years old or younger, then they may get changed in the same sex changing room of the parent that brings them. If they are 8 years old or over then they are required to change in their own sex changing room. If they need help to get changed from a parent then you are welcome to use the disabled changing rooms on poolside, please speak to a member of the poolside staff about this and allow more time to get changed in case they are busy.
• Please be prompt when picking your child up after their lesson.
• Community venue customers - please note that access will be provided to the venue/changing rooms from approximately 10 minutes before the lesson is due to take place. Should customers arrive out with this time we cannot guarantee access to the venue. Can we please ask for your support in helping/encouraging your child to change as quickly as possible at the end of the lesson; we ask if this can be done ideally within 10 minutes after the lesson has finished to allow other users access to the area. We do however understand if certain user groups require extra time.
• Please don’t distract our teachers during a lesson. No spectators are allowed on poolside unless this has been agreed with the Pool Co-ordinators.
• If you have any queries, regarding your child’s progress, please speak to the Pool Co-ordinator or e-mail bookings@activestirling.org.uk.
• Please be on time for your lesson, arrive on poolside 5 minutes before the lesson starts (not earlier). Pupils can be refused entry if they are more than 5 minutes late. The instructor/co-ordinator will give you a thumbs up or thumbs down sign to indicate if it is ok for your child to join the lesson.
• Children under 8 should not be left unaccompanied before or after lessons.
• Please don’t bring your child if they are unwell, we recommend that you do not bring them to their swimming lesson within 48 hours of being unwell. If your child has been ill with diarrhoea, they should not attend their lesson. To protect others, they should not swim for at least a week after it has completely cleared up.
• Please make sure your child has a shower before and after their lesson.
• Photography or filming is not permitted on poolside or in the changing areas without prior approval from the Centre Management.

• Swim kit and towel
• Goggles
• Long hair should be tied back.
• Please take children’s jewellery off before they enter the pool