Pro Swim Academy

Today, I saw the most incredible transformation in one of my swimmers.

When she first started weekly lessons with me in September, she clung to me constantly. She wouldn’t let me move away from her, wouldn’t put her face in the water and wouldn’t even consider going onto her back. She was incredibly quiet, timid and frightened.

We had a break between February and May while I explored different pool options and finalised the structure of my programme, including the combination of progression lessons and back-to-back intensive swimming.

Today, she was going underwater independently to collect sinkers and swimming approximately five metres by herself. She is now so confident in the water that, at the end of her lesson, she can happily remain swimming independently nearby while I speak to her family.

She still finds swimming on her back difficult, but she will now lie back and kick with a woggle—which is something she once wouldn’t attempt at all.

Today, she accidentally swallowed some water and it knocked her confidence for a moment. Previously, that might have set us back considerably. We would have needed to revisit earlier stages before she felt safe enough to try again.

But today, she recovered quickly. She went back under the water, faced that fear and carried on.

The structure and routine of the programme give her security, but within that structure there also has to be flexibility. Sometimes she tells me that she doesn’t want to do something, but I know her well enough to recognise when what she really means is, “I don’t think I can do it.”

That is when I stay beside her, hold her hand and help her take that first step.

There have been a lot of psychological walls to gently break down—but they are coming down.

She has gone from being a very quiet, timid and frightened child to someone loud, confident and determined. She pushes her own boundaries and becomes frustrated when she cannot do something—not because she wants to stop, but because she wants so badly to achieve it.

She is like a completely different child.

This is what progress looks like. It isn’t only about how many metres a child can swim. It is about trust, resilience, confidence and having the courage to try again when something goes wrong.

Watching that transformation has been absolutely brilliant.

As we come towards the end of the final week, it’s becoming harder to know what to say—because I feel as though I’ve already said so much about how brilliantly every child has done.

They have all improved enormously. They are growing in confidence, developing vital self-saving skills and, most importantly, they are all loving swimming. Seeing their enjoyment and watching them achieve something new in every lesson is what keeps me going, even when I’m tired.

I guarantee progression—and throughout these courses, every child has progressed. But it isn’t only during the intensive weeks. I see progression in every single lesson. Sometimes it is a new physical skill; sometimes it is putting their face in the water, letting go for the first time, trusting themselves or simply feeling safe enough to try.

Swimming has always been such a huge part of who I am. It’s why I do this.

There are other things I want to achieve in my career, and I know I will get to them. But right now, my main focus is building this programme so that more children can experience this way of learning.

I genuinely believe there is a better way for children to learn to swim, self-save and become truly confident in the water than relying solely on traditional teaching methods.

And these children are proving it—lesson after lesson, course after course, time and time again.

Today was a hard day in the pool.

As we move through the final week of our summer programme, the tiredness is beginning to catch up with me. Teaching in the water is physically demanding, and today I really felt it.

But what carried me through was watching the children.

Seeing them grow in confidence, build their skills and become stronger, safer swimmers is such a rewarding experience. Watching the progress they make from one lesson to the next—and seeing how proud they are of themselves—makes even the most tiring days worthwhile.

Today wasn’t about one big breakthrough. It was about noticing how far every child has already come and remembering exactly why I love doing this.

Week Three, Day One – Inclusive by Design

Today was the first day of our final week of summer intensives, and the results are incredibly encouraging. Every family that has completed the course so far is signing up for one of our continuing packages.

These packages combine one or two progression lessons during term time with the main blocks of back-to-back learning taking place from Monday to Friday during the school holidays. It means pupils can consolidate their skills during the term while continuing to make their biggest leaps forward through focused, consecutive lessons.

But today also brought an important realisation about the programme itself.

While talking about the swimming programme at my women’s group this morning, particularly all the sensory elements we include, it dawned on me that the syllabus is genuinely inclusive of everybody.

It has not been created as one programme for neurotypical pupils and another for neurodivergent, anxious or less-confident pupils. The sensory preparation, predictable lesson structure, repetition, opportunities to regroup and child-led approach are built into the programme for everyone.

There are moments when pupils can regulate and recover. There are moments when they can channel their excitement and energy. The programme supports pupils who are nervous, pupils who may have experienced fear or trauma around water, and pupils who arrive confident and ready to progress quickly.

Every pupil follows the same underlying syllabus, but the way they move through it can respond to their individual needs. Nobody is excluded, singled out or made to feel that the programme was not designed for them.

Over these three weeks, I have watched the programme work with pupils who have very different personalities, confidence levels, sensory needs and previous experiences of swimming. Again and again, it has given them the structure, trust and freedom they need to progress.

It has been an amazing journey to watch the programme come to life, learn from what is happening in the water and see families choosing to continue with us.

I am incredibly happy with the results—and very proud of what this programme is becoming.

Day Five – The End of Week Two

Today was the final day of our second week of intensive lessons, and every single pupil has made progress.

One pupil’s family has been so impressed by what they have seen that they have booked another full week. That alone says so much about the difference these back-to-back lessons can make.

The biggest breakthrough today came from the twins I spoke about yesterday. At the beginning, they were frightened of getting water on their faces and would not allow me to let go of them. Everything had to happen entirely on their terms, with time, patience and consistency.

Today, something shifted.

Suddenly, they wanted to attempt things they had previously refused. I was able to let go while they floated. They travelled on both their fronts and backs using a woggle without me holding them, and they even managed a little independent swimming on their backs.

They also coped with water being splashed onto their faces on more than one occasion—and came back absolutely fine.

Because their trust in me and in the structure of the lessons had grown, I was able to extend their comfort zones further than I would have done before. They felt secure enough to accept the challenge, recover from it and keep going.

They even became competitive with one another, each wanting to keep up with the other and show what they could do. To see fear begin to turn into excitement and determination was brilliant.

It was a genuine breakthrough—not because they were forced through their fear, but because we had spent time building the safety, trust and confidence that allowed them to move beyond it.

What a fantastic way to finish week two.

Day Four of Week Two 🏊‍♀️

One of this week’s new swimmers joined us on Monday. She had experienced swimming lessons before and was confident in the water, but she wasn’t yet swimming independently or developing the skills she needed to be safe.

Today, her dad brought her for the first time—and he was completely blown away by the progress she had made in just four days. He was so excited by the programme and told me how brilliant he thought it was. He even said he wanted to leave a Google review and share the link with the other parents because more people needed to know about it.

But her progress wasn’t only visible in her swimming.

At the end of every lesson, I ask the children whether there is anything they would particularly like to do. Earlier in the week, she didn’t really know. She was still learning what everything meant and becoming familiar with the language and structure of the lessons.

Today, she knew exactly what she wanted: “I want to do mermaids, and I want to pick up the hoops.”

That might sound like a small moment, but it showed a huge change in her understanding. She now knew the terminology, understood what she was doing and felt confident enough to make her own choices.

In just four days, she hasn’t simply progressed physically—she has begun to understand swimming, take ownership of her lessons and discover what she enjoys.

That is what the Pro Swim Academy programme is designed to do: develop skills, understanding, confidence and a genuine love of being in the water. 💙

🏊‍♀️ **Day Two of Our Second Week of Intensives**

What really stood out today was how our programme provides consistency and familiarity while still adapting to each individual child.

For our less-confident swimmers, knowing what is coming next makes such a difference. They understand what is expected, they know they are safe, and—most importantly—they know they can say, “No, I don’t want to do that yet.”

If something feels too much, we simply move on to another familiar part of the lesson and return to it when they are ready. Giving children that choice doesn’t prevent progress—it builds the trust and confidence they need to keep trying.

We also had a swimmer who has progressed exceptionally quickly through the programme. She has now reached the point where we need to focus on building her strength before she can move confidently into the next stage, while continuing to practise and consolidate everything she has already achieved.

Today was a perfect example of why children don’t all need to progress at the same speed or in exactly the same way.

Some need more time, predictability and reassurance. Others progress quickly and then need time to develop strength and consolidate their skills.

**The programme provides the structure, but the individual child shows us the pace.** 💙

A new week of lessons 💙

Today I welcomed back a mixture of swimmers—some who joined us last week, some returning after a break, and several beginners.

A few of the children are still nervous or fearful in the water, so these early lessons are about taking our time, building consistency and helping each child understand what is coming next.

Being nervous doesn’t mean a child doesn’t want to learn. Every one of them was willing to try, and they were all genuinely excited to come back to their lessons—which is such an important sign.

Progress begins with feeling safe. By working at each child’s pace, without pushing them beyond what they are ready for, we can build the trust and confidence they need to develop lasting swimming and water-safety skills.

Today wasn’t about rushing towards an outcome. It was about showing them, again, that they are safe in the water with me—and giving them the confidence to keep coming back and trying. 💙

Not sure which swimming level or programme your child needs? Begin with an assessment.
We will get to know your child, explore their current confidence and skills, understand any support
needs, and recommend the most suitable next step.
Assessments are friendly, child-focused and designed to help us see the whole child - not simply
whether they can complete a checklist.
■ Lane End
■ Tuesdays from 4pm this September
■ 07497 204975 | ■ [email protected]