Swimming Lessons

Perfect for babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children. This award aims to celebrate specific single successes for early learners, and can be awarded at any time by your child’s swimming teacher. Brilliant for motivating those who might be ‘stuck’ at a particular level of learning.

They’re also great for rewarding learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Your child will enjoy receiving a badge and certificate for:

•  Entering the water safely
• Jumping in
• Floating on their front
• Floating on their back
• Rolling over
• Blowing bubbles
• Swimming
• Entering, turning, returning
• Exiting safely

The Discovery Duckling Awards are the start of the learning to swim experience for all children. These awards are perfect for babies and toddlers and pre-school children who are new to swimming lessons. Ideal for gaining water confidence while staying close to adult support.

The Discovery Duckling Awards 1-4 each have their own certificate and badge.

Discovery Duckling Award 1

By the end of this stage your child should be able to:

• Enter the water safely and comfortably, with full adult support.
• Bob up and down in the water, in an upright position, with full adult support.
• Float on their back and return to an upright position, with full adult support.
• Be at ease with water being poured on the back of their head.
• Move smoothly through the water, in an upright position, with full adult support.
• Exit the water safely with full adult support.

Discovery Duckling Award 2:

By the end of this stage your child should be able to:

• Enter the water safely and comfortably, with full adult support.
• Float on their back, with full adult support.
• Splash hands in the water.
• Complete a 360 degree turn, with full adult support. (The adult should hold the child close to them at first and then at arm’s length. The child should be facing away from the adult).
• Move through the water in a streamlined position on their back, with full adult support.
• Be at ease with their face being washed or splashed.
• Move smoothly through the water, in an upright position, with full adult support.
• Travel on their front or back, with full adult support.
• Make progress towards holding the side of the pool, with full adult support.
• Exit the water safely, with full adult support.

Discovery Duckling Award 3:

By the end of this stage your child should be able to:

• Enter the water safely, with full adult support. Swimmers should be encouraged to sit on the side and wait for adult instruction.
• Float on their back, with full adult support behind the head, shoulders and hips.
• Reach and grab toys on the water’s surface.
• Rotate 180 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position, with full adult support.
• Move through the water in a streamlined position on their front, with full adult support.
• Be at ease with water being showered over their face.
• Travel on their back using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
• Hold the rail or side of the pool and move towards the steps or ladders using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
• Exit the water safely with adult supervision.

Discovery Duckling Award 4:

By the end of this stage your child should be able to:

• Enter the water safely from a seated or standing position and return to the wall or pool side, with full adult support.
• Float on their front using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
• Reach and grab toys on top of and under the surface of the water.
• Rotate 180 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position, using floatation equipment and with minimal adult support.
• Push away from the wall in a streamlined position, with full adult support.
• Be at ease wetting or splashing their face and putting their chin in the water.
• Travel on their front using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
• Hold the rail or side of the pool and move towards the steps or ladders using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
• Exit the water safely with adult supervision.

Duckling Awards are the next step on from the Discovery Duckling Awards. They are designed to help toddlers enjoy learning to swim with help from their parents or guardians.

With Duckling Awards your child can work towards four different colourful awards. Each award has its own certificate and badge.

Duckling 1 will see children start to move by themselves in the water. By Duckling 4 they will be jumping in, going underwater, floating and travelling 10 metres without support.

Duckling 1

By completing this award your child should be able to:

• Make a supervised safe entry with adult support if required.
• Float on their back with adult support behind their head without floatation equipment.
• Blow bubbles at the water surface.
• Wet their head without submersion.
• Kick 5 metres on their back with adult support.
• Travel without adult support for 2 metres to a floating object.
• Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side with adult support.
• Exit the water safely with minimal adult support.

Duckling 2

By completing this award your child should be able to:

• Make a sitting entry with adult support if required.
• Rotate 180 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position, using floatation equipment and without adult support.
• Submerge their face with confidence and without force under adult supervision.
• Blow an object for a distance of 2 metres.
• Travel 3 metres using arms and/or legs without adult support.
• Move 5 metres along the rail or wall without adult support.
• Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side with minimal adult support.
• Exit the water safely with minimal adult support.

Duckling 3

By completing this award your child should be able to:

• Make a supervised jump to an adult with or without support.
• Float on their front or back without adult support.
• Push off on their front or back in a streamlined shape from a supporting adult.
• Blow bubbles with their mouth and nose underwater.
• Travel 5 metres on their front to the side of the pool without adult support.
• Kick 5 metres on their front holding a float (the adult may hold the other end of the float).
• Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side without adult support.
• Climb out of the water with adult support if required.

Duckling 4

By completing this award your child should be able to:

• Jump into the water unaided, but supervised.
• Perform a mushroom or star float.
• Rotate 360 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position.
• Push and glide, achieving a streamlined position on their front or back.
• Submerge completely.
• Travel 10 metres on their front or back, without adult support.
• Jump into the water, turn around, swim back to the point of entry and hold on to the pool side or rail.
• Climb out of the water with adult support if required.

Perfectly designed to help build water confidence, develop basic safety awareness and learn the basic skills needed to build swimming ability. Children will be encouraged to move around the pool and feel confident in the water. This is the first step of the core Swim England Learn to Swim Stage 1-7 Awards.

Swimmers will achieve the Puffin Award once they complete this stage.

Outcomes:

1. Enter the water safely
2. Move forward for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor
3. Move backwards for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor
4. Move sideways for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor
5. Scoop the water and wash the face
6. Be comfortable with water showered from overhead
7. Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing
8. Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing
9. Push and glide in a flat position on the front from a wall
10. Push and glide in a flat position on the back from a wall
11. Give examples of two pool rules
12. Exit the water safely

Swimmers will achieve the Rainbow 5m Distance Award once they complete Learn to Swim Stage 2.

Outcomes:

1. Jump in from poolside safely.
2. Blow bubbles a minimum of three times rhythmically, with nose and mouth submerged.
3. Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing without support.
4. Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing without support.
5. Push from a wall and glide on the back – arms can be by the side or above the head.
6. Push from a wall and glide on the front with arms extended.
7. Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the back for 5 metres, without the use of floatation equipment.
8. Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the front for 5 metres, without the use of floatation equipment.
9. Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the front, to a back floating position, then return to standing.
10. Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the back, to a front floating position, then return to standing.
11. Perform a log roll from the back to the front.
12. Perform a log roll from the front to the back.
13. Exit the water without support.

Swimmers will have their first opportunity to earn the Rainbow Distance 10m Award.

Outcomes:

1. Jump in from poolside and submerge.
2. Sink, push away from wall and maintain a streamlined position.
3. Push and glide on the front with arms extended and log roll onto the back.
4. Push and glide on the back with arms extended and log roll onto the front.
5. Travel 5 metres on the front, perform a tuck to rotate onto the back and return on the back.
6. Fully submerge to pick up an object.
7. Correctly identify three of the four key water safety messages.*
8. Push and glide and travel 10 metres on the back.
9. Push and glide and travel 10 metres on the front.
10. Perform a tuck float and hold for three seconds.
11. Exit the water without using steps.

*The four key water safety messages include:

• Always swim in a safe place.
• Always swim with an adult.
• If you fall in, float, breathe, relax.
• If someone else in trouble, call 999/112.

Stage 4 sees swimmers perfect their leg kicks for all four strokes and further develop push and glides, while also being introduced to sculling. They will develop an understanding of buoyancy through a range of skills and should swim 10 metres to the Swim England Expected Standards. This is the fourth step of the core Swim England Learn to Swim Stage 1-7 Awards.

Outcomes:

1. Perform a sequence of changing shapes (minimum of three) whilst floating on the surface and demonstrate an understanding of floating.
2. Push and glide from the wall towards the pool floor.
3. Kick 10 metres backstroke (one item of equipment optional).
4. Kick 10 metres front crawl (one item of equipment optional).
5. Kick 10 metres butterfly on the front or on the back.
6. Kick 10 metres breaststroke on the front (one item of equipment optional).
7. Perform a head first sculling action for 5 metres in a flat position on the back.
8. Travel on back and log roll in one continuous movement onto front.
9. Travel on front and log roll in one continuous movement onto back.
10. Push and glide and swim 10 metres, choice of stroke is optional.

Swimmers will develop their skills in treading water, learn the correct arm pulls for all four strokes and learn how to do handstands and somersaults. Emphasis is placed on building on their technique, performing all strokes to the Swim England Expected Standards. This is the fifth step of the core Swim England Learn to Swim Stage 1-7 Awards.

Swimmers can achieve the Stage 5 Rainbow Stroke 10m Award in all four strokes.

Outcomes:

1. Perform a flat stationary scull on the back.
2. Perform a feet first sculling action for 5 metres in a flat position on the back.
3. Perform a sculling sequence with a partner for 30-45 seconds to include a rotation.
4. Tread water for 30 seconds.
5. Perform three different shaped jumps into deep water.
6. Push and glide and swim 10 metres backstroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
7. Push and glide and swim 10 metres front crawl (performed to Swim England expected standards).
8. Push and glide and swim 10 metres breaststroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
9. Push and glide and swim 10 metres butterfly (performed to Swim England expected standards).
10. Perform a handstand and hold for a minimum of three seconds.
11. Perform a forward somersault.
12. Demonstrate an action for getting help.

The penultimate stage of the core Swim England Learn to Swim Stage 1-7 Awards. Teaches swimmers how to prepare for exercise, while developing an efficient technique for all four strokes and further developing surface dives. Swimmers will also learn to swim in clothes and understand how to be safe when they’re in and around water.

Swimmers can also achieve their Rainbow Distance 20m and 25m Awards and work towards their Personal Survival 1 Award.

Outcomes:

1. Give two examples of how to prepare for exercise and understand why it is important.
2. Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into backstroke.
3. Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into front crawl.
4. Swim 10 metres wearing clothes.
5. Push and glide and swim front crawl to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
6. Push and glide and swim breaststroke to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
7. Push and glide and swim butterfly to include at least three rhythmical breaths.
8. Push and glide and swim backstroke to include at least six regular breaths.
9. Push and glide and swim 25 metres, choice of stroke is optional (performed to Swim England expected standards).
10. Perform a ‘shout and signal’ rescue.
11. Perform a surface dive.

Swimmers can also achieve their Rainbow Distance 50m and 100m Awards.

Outcomes:

1. Push and glide and swim 25 metres backstroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
2. Push and glide and swim 25 metres front crawl (performed to Swim England expected standards).
3. Push and glide and swim 25 metres breaststroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
4. Push and glide and swim 25 metres butterfly (performed to Swim England expected standards).
5. Perform a movement sequence (linking skills with strokes and sculls) of one minute duration, in a group of three or more, incorporating a number of the following skills:
   Sculling: head first, feet first
   Rotation: forward or backward somersault, log roll
   Floating: star on the front or on the back, tuck float, create own
   Eggbeater: Moving, lifting one or both arms out of the water
6. Perform a sitting dive or dive.
7. Push and glide and swim 50 metres continuously using one stroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
8. Push and glide and swim 100 metres, using a minimum of three different strokes (performed to Swim England expected standards).
9. Tread water using eggbeater action for 30 seconds.
10. Complete an obstacle course (using minimum of four objects) with feet off the pool floor throughout.