Frequently asked questions
These are the most frequently asked questions we receive. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question that is not answered here.
What should my child bring to their swimming lessons?
All swimmers should wear appropriate swimwear to class. Girls will need a tight fitting costume (one piece with no frilly skirty bits). Boys will need swim trunks or swim shorts (not baggy or too long as they can hinder the kick movement). Your swimmer will also need a towel and their class coloured logoed swimming hat (given to them by the class teacher on their first lesson). If your swimmer is in Stage 5 or above – they will need their goggles and a 1 litre drinking bottle filled with either water or diluted juice. All our changing rooms are shoe-free zones so please remove any outdoor shoes before entering!
Am I required to get in the water?
No. We have teachers and helpers in the water, Parents/Guardians can watch their swimmers lesson from the spectator’s area.
What are the class fees?
For our 6-week swim term (April – May):
Stages 1-4 Red/Yellow/Green Hats (30-minute lessons) £69.00 per swimmer.
Stages 5-10 Light/Dark Blue/Purple/Black Hats (45-minute lessons) £76.50 per swimmer.
£5.00 for the compulsory class coloured logoed hat per swimmer.
All payments are via direct deposit/BACS only. We do not accept cash or cheques.
How many people can I bring to watch my swimmer?
Please consider that seating on poolside at NSG is extremely limited. To prevent overcrowding and to comply with the school’s fire procedures, we can only admit one adult per swimmer into the pool facility with a maximum total of two adults if you have 2 or more swimmers attending lessons. We do not allow standing or overcrowding of the spectator area/corridor.
Is it possible to get food/drink at the venues?
No. Food or drink aren’t available at NSG or NSB.
Do you teach children younger than 4 years old?
The minimum age for children to join our beginner classes is 4.
Do you offer adult lessons?
No.
Can I watch your lessons before joining?
For Safeguarding reasons, attending swimming lessons without prior enrollment is not allowed. To ensure a smooth experience, please enroll before your visit. Unannounced arrivals will be refused entry.
Do you offer 1-1 lessons?
No. Our small group classes are the perfect environment for teaching our Wizards.
Why is my swimmer not allowed to wear goggles in the early Stage lessons?
Learning to swim is primarily a lifesaving/safety skill and as such, goggles are not permitted in our early Stages (1-4) as these wouldn’t be available in a life-threatening situation. We teach children how to be safe in and around the water, this includes knowing what to do should they fall into open water such as a lake or a canal where goggles will not be available. From Stage 5 the emphasis is on technique where goggles are permitted.
I have just joined, my swimmer can swim a little bit, why do they need so many floats in your lessons?
In our Stage 1 & 2 Red Hat classes we unashamedly operate a safety-first policy with all new swimmers until we can assess their actual swimming ability in the pool, this includes using various flotation devices and additional technical safety measures. This normally only lasts until we can do a complete and thorough assessment of the new swimmer.
I need to go and pick up another child whilst the swimming lesson is going on, what do I do?
Parents/Guardians must remain at the school during the duration of their swimmer’s lesson. If parents need to leave the school premises whilst their child is swimming, a member of our teaching team must be informed. Swimming lesson children must also be picked up at the right time after their lesson to avoid distress.
Why do you have a play session at the start of summer and before Christmas?
Water Wizards Swim School’s motto is “Making Swimming Magical”. Children learn through play, it is a vital stage in their development. All throughout the swimming term, children are learning new skills and strokes in a formal teaching pattern, watched by their instructor. The children work exceptionally hard each term. When children are given free time, they often not only practice the skills they have mastered, but they also “have a go” at trying the skills that their peers are doing. Learning to swim can be hard work, but it should also always be fun. Playing together with their swim class friends has proven to be a highly successful way of improving confidence, technique, team building and social skills.
My swimmer cannot make the lesson. Do we get a refund, or can we change days?
Unfortunately, we do not give refunds or discounts for reasons of holiday, sickness, isolation or social engagements etc. We regret that we are unable to offer an alternative swim date for missed lessons.
Sickness and/or diarrhoea
Please do not bring your swimmer to any lessons if they have any illness such as an ear infection, diarrhoea, vomiting, chicken pox, impetigo, conjunctivitis or a bad cold. Please wait until your doctor has given the all-clear before returning to classes. In the instance of sickness and diarrhoea your child must have been clear of all symptoms for at least 48 hours before attending lessons.
Booking and paying for your lessons
Due to the amount of information we need to give you, booking is done via email only. Although we try to accommodate your first choice, spaces are offered on a first come, first served basis so please do not delay if you are offered a space. Once we receive your choices, we will email you to confirm your day/time along with all the necessary enrolment information for you to read and agree to along with our payment details. Lesson payment in full is required within 72 hours (or 24 hours before the start of your first lesson if sooner) of us sending confirmation and is payable via direct deposit/internet banking, we do not accept cash/cheque payments. All bookings remain provisional until full payment has been received. It isn’t possible for us to make and/or receive phone calls while on pool side, if we don’t pick up, email us!
Do you have a timetable of availability online?
Although we offer classes over multiple days/times all our lessons are in very high demand. As a result, we often must operate a waiting list system, so it isn’t possible to display a timetable.
Do you accept childcare vouchers?
No.
Do you offer a trial/taster lesson?
No.
What is the difference between your children’s swimming lessons and a leisure centres?
Over a quarter of people who contact us are looking to leave their local leisure centre classes. The main reasons being:
- Oversubscribed classes – 10+ children to 1 teacher isn’t unusual.
- No consistency – teachers change often.
- No progress.
- Paying a monthly subscription.
The difference with Water Wizards Swim School:
- We only allow a maximum of 8 children in our beginner classes with at least 2 teachers in the water.
- We handpick all our teachers and invest heavily in them to ensure only the very best join the Water Wizards family. As a result, our teachers are loyal (the majority have been with us for 10+ years) and are trained to the highest Swim England or Swimming Teacher Association standards.
- No monthly subscription.
Often leisure centres offer swimming lessons in addition to multiple other activities for a monthly membership fee. At Water Wizards Swim School, we specialise in teaching children how to swim. That’s all we do. And we love it! Our entire focus is teaching your children how to swim and be safe in and around water.
How long should my child stay in swimming lessons?
Learning to swim is a life skill and it is important that any swimmer stays with the programme until they become competent and strong. Swimming should be seen in the same light as reading or writing, learning is just the start of development. Swim England recommends a swimmer completes up to Learn to Swim Stage 7 through swimming lessons to give them a solid base to help them enjoy swimming and swimming related activities throughout their life.
How do I re-enrol for the next term?
Near the end of each swim term you will be sent a re-enrolment email to enable you to continue. Priority is given to those that are already swim school members and who are not changing class, day or time. 2nd priority is then given to those that are already swim school members who wish to change day or time. This priority is only given if the re-enrolment is received before the cut-off date, which is usually the last week of the swim term. Once this date has been reached places will be allocated to our waiting lists and/or those wishing to join. Payment of class fees must be received by the due date via direct deposit/internet banking.
Waiting List
We teach during term time only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:00PM – 7:00PM and Saturday mornings 9:00AM – 12:00 noon at NSG. We also teach at NSB 5:30PM – 7:00PM on Thursdays.
Although we offer classes over multiple days/times our lessons are in very high demand. As a result, we sometimes need to operate a waiting list system under the following conditions:
Existing members will always get priority.
Please be assured we make every effort to keep your wait time as short as possible. Unfortunately, we can’t give estimated wait times, so we politely request that you don’t contact us to ask about your position on the list.
Waiting list times are influenced by several factors including your swimmer’s current age, ability, class suitability and the speed of progression of existing swimmers, none of which we can control.
To keep your inbox spam free, we only email people on our waiting list if suitable spaces become available. You will receive no other updates or communication from us.
Available spaces are offered to multiple people on the waiting list until filled on a first come, first served basis so please don’t delay if you are offered a space. Unless you let us know differently, you will be removed if we do not receive a reply to our offer. If you accept a space and fail to pay your class fees on time, you will lose your space. If you request to be added back, it will be from the start.
Being on our waiting list is not a guarantee that you will be offered a space.
If we are unable to offer you a space within 3 months, your details will be removed from our waiting list in line with our Privacy Policy.
