Information Booklet

Swimming Lesson Options Group Lessons These lessons consist of a maximum of 6 children at a time however Katfish Swimming Academy aim to keep lesson sizes to a minimum to ensure all children in the class get the special care and encouragement needed to make learning to swim as easy and fun as possible. The Group Lesson programme follows a seven-stage award scheme giving swimming the opportunity to maximise their potential whilst achieving NPTS awards along the way. One-One Lessons At Katfish Swimming School your child can also be enrolled on our 1-1 scheme, these are private lessons great for nervous swimmers looking to build confidence in the water and for those looking for fast progression. The programme follows a sevenstage award scheme giving swimmers the opportunity to maximise their potential whilst achieving NPTS awards along the way. Mother and Toddler Lessons The earlier a child experiences swimming the easier it is for them to learn to swim and the more confident a child will be in water. These mother-toddler lessons are for any child between the ages of 1&1/2 4 yrs of age. These lessons are focussed on learning through play, toddlers love to splash, jump in, kick their legs and chase toys, as well as interact with the other children in our fun games and activities. This programme follows to ducklings award scheme which will help your toddlers confidence in water soar! Adult Lessons It is never too late to learn to swim! Whether you are a beginner lacking confidence or looking for a new challenge our adults programme can help! Swimming is great for keeping in shape; it provides a full body workout at the same time as having fun and meeting new people. Parents and Grandparents too often shy away from taking their children swimming as they have never learnt themselves, this programme not only improves your ability but it can also help you improve theirs! This programme is run predominantly as a drop in session, both beginner and improver drop in sessions are offered however 1-1s can be arranged if necessary. Lessons are run this way as adults lives are often busy and find it hard to commit to a certain number of weeks at an exact time.

Payment for Lessons Payment for group, one-one, and mother and toddler lessons is done on a termly basis. A term will consist of however many school weeks are in that school term; on average 10 weeks. Lessons will not be on during school holidays, however in the main summer holiday extra lesson options will be available to those who want them. Term dates will be given out at the end of the previous term. The reason lessons are done this way is so that children (and parents!) get a break and that parents do not feel bad when children miss lessons and lose money to go away on breaks and holidays. Price of lessons are shown below: Group 1-1 Lesson (up to Lesson 6 children) Do I need to pay for a block? How much per lesson, per person? Yes Yes Group Lesson & 1-1 Lesson (per week) Yes Mother and Toddler Yes Adult 'Drop in'

No

12

17 - Per Week

*Adult drop in sessions are paid by cash when coming to the session. Payment for block lessons should be paid by cheque, cheques should be made payable to Katfish Swimming Academy. If this is a problem let one of the team know and we will aim organise another payment option.

Term Dates At the start of each term you will receive a letter, similar to the example below, showing you the dates of that term and giving you the price of that term. This letter will also show you the main objectives of each lesson so that you can see how the lessons are structured and how this structure helps your child to progress to the next NPTS stage. See the stages below. National Plan for Teaching Swimming Katfish Swimming Academy implements the National Plan for Teaching Swimming (NPTS) to help structure our lessons and help us take swimmers from their first splash to developing confidence and competence in the water. The National Plan for Teaching Swimming comprises 7 core stages, which develop the FUNdamental movement skills . It is the national syllabus produced by the National Governing Body for Swimming, the ASA, to assist and support the delivery of swimming lessons. It is a single pathway for swimmers to learn how to be competent and confident in the water. It is a multi-skill programme for swimmers to learn how to swim and be competent in water for them to then make the choice to continue to participate in any aquatic sport later on in life. The outcomes for each of the first seven stages are listed below: ASA NPTS STAGE 1 OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Enter the water safely Move forwards for a distance of 5 metres Move backwards for a distance of 5 metres Move sideways for distance of 5 metres Scoop the water and wash face Be at ease with water showered from overhead Move into a stretched floating position using aids, equipment or support Regain an upright position from on the back, with support Regain an upright position from on the front with support Push & glide in a horizontal position to or from a wall

ASA NPTS STAGE 2 OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Jump in from poolside safely Blow bubbles a minimum of 3 times rhythmically with nose and mouth submerged Regain upright position from the back without support Regain an upright position from the front without support Push from wall & glide on the back Push from wall & glide on the front

7. 8. 9.

Travel on the back for 5 metres, aids or equipment may be used Travel on the front for 5 metres, aids or equipment may be used Perform a rotation from the front to the back to gain an upright position

ASA NPTS STAGE 3 OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Jump in from poolside and submerge (min depth. 0.9) Sink, push away from wall on side and maintain a streamlined position Push & glide on the front with arms extended and log roll onto the back Push & glide on the back with arms extended and log roll onto the front Travel on the front, tuck to rotate around the horizontal axis to return on the back Fully submerge to pick up an object Answer correctly 3 questions on the Water Safety Code Travel 10 metres on the back Travel 10m on the front

ASA NPTS STAGE 4 OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Demonstrate an understanding of buoyancy Perform a tuck float for 5 seconds Perform a sequence of changing shapes (minimum of 3) whilst floating at the surface Push & glide from the wall to the pool floor Kick 10 metres Backstroke Kick 10 metres Front Crawl Kick 10 metres Butterfly on the front or on the back Kick 10 metres Breaststroke on the back Kick 10 metres Breaststroke on the front Perform on the back a head first sculling action for 5m in a horizontal position Travel on the back and roll in one continuous movement onto front Travel on the front and roll in one continuous movement onto back Swim 10 metres, choice of stroke is optional

ASA NPTS STAGE 5 OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Perform a horizontal stationary scull on the back Perform a feet first sculling action for 5 metres whilst horizontal on the back Perform a sculling sequence with a partner for 30-45 seconds to include a rotation Tread water for 30 seconds Perform 3 different shaped jumps into deep water Swim 10 metres Backstroke Swim 10 m Front Crawl face in the water Swim 10 metres Breaststroke Swim 10 metres Butterfly

10. 11. 12.

Perform a handstand and hold for a minimum of 3 seconds Perform a forward somersault, tucked, in the water Demonstrate an action for getting help

ASA NPTS STAGE 6 OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Demonstrate an understanding of preparation for exercise Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into Backstroke Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into Front Crawl Swim 10 metres with clothes on Swim Front Crawl to include at least six rhythmical breaths Swim Breaststroke to include at least six rhythmical breaths Swim Butterfly to include at least three rhythmical breaths Swim 25 metres, choice of stroke is optional Perform a shout & signal rescue Perform a surface dive

ASA NPTS STAGE 7 OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Swim 25 metres Backstroke Swim 25 metres Front Crawl Swim 25 metres Breaststroke Swim 25 metres Butterfly Perform a movement sequence of 1 minute duration, in a group of 3 or more, incorporating a number of the following skills: Sculling, Rotation, Floating, Eggbeater Perform a sitting dive Swim 50 metres continuously using one stroke Swim 100 metres, using a minimum three different strokes Tread water using egg beater action for 30 seconds Complete an obstacle course (using minimum of 4 objects) with feet off the bottom throughout

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Swimming Progress Booklets These swimming progress booklets are something exclusive to Katfish Swimming Academy. They let both you and your child know how they are progressing and also let you and your child know what they need to do to achieve their next stage award! As a swimming teacher I was constantly asked about childs progress and what a child needs to do to move up/get their next badge. I therefore decided to make these progress cards to tackle the problem and hopefully improve your childs learn to swim experience and give them a visual record of how theyre doing. The progress cards however dont stop there! On the back of each progress card is a games related to your childs stage. Therefore if you and your child go swimming outside of lessons you can play some of the games they will have used in their swimming lessons which will help your child to progress even more! For adults these progress cards are more similar to a personal trainer session card you would find in a gym. You and your coach can discuss aims and targets of what you want to get from your swim sessions. The progress cards devise a step-by-step plan to get you achieving those aims!

FAQs Q) A) What do I need to bring to lessons? As a teacher I believe children learn better and faster when wearing goggles. Wearing goggles will help improve your childs confidence, and subsequently their swimming, as they are not constantly worrying about water going in their eyes. Are the teachers in the water? Yes. Our teachers are in the water with the swimmers until the teacher feels comfortable to teach from poolside. How long does a lesson last for? Our lessons last for 30mins. Are your teachers checked out with regards to child protection? All Katfish Swimming Academy teachers and poolside assistants are Enhanced Disclosure checked and are all qualified at ASA or UKCC Level 1 and 2. Why have the NPTS? It means we share a common programme with uniform criteria with other swimming academies and learn-to-swim providers throughout the UK. The fundamental aquatic skills acquired in the early stages may be transferred to other aquatic disciplines, thereby widening the opportunities for swimmers. It also enhances the knowledge and experience required of the teacher. What happens if a swimmer has not achieved all the outcomes in the stage they have been working on? The child must complete ALL outcomes in order to receive the NPTS Award. If a child continues to struggle in completing all outcomes over a considerable amount of time, it may be beneficial for him/her to move up to the next group. HOWEVER the communication regarding the outcomes that he/she has not achieved must also be passed onto the next teacher and be re-assessed before passing the next stage. How long will it take a swimmer to pass each stage? This will vary with every swimmer.

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Where does a child with a disability fit into the NPTS? The Additional Needs section of the NPTS Aquatic Teachers Guide (all the academys qualified teachers have them) refers to a set of small stepping stones which build toward NPTS Stage There are also awards to reward participants during this section called Alpha Awards. The academy should be informed about any disability or special need so that provision can be made. It must be recognised that some children may never be able to achieve all stages of the NPTS and so it is important that appropriate pathways are identified for these swimmers.

Contact Details Please feel free to contact me with any queries or comments by using the information below. Kat Reed Tel: 07715953065 E-mail: katfishswimmingacademy@gmail.com OR Like us on facebook! Search Katfish Swimming Academy