JORVIK SWIM ACADEMY

Jorvik Swim Academy is Team Jorvik's teaching section which supports children to learn to swim, following the Swim England Stages 1 to 7.

We are a small, friendly swim school and we take pride in knowing each of our individual swimmers well. Our well qualified, experienced teaching staff encourage children to work on skill development and technique, while inspiring a lifelong love of swimming.

Our teaching staff are experienced swimmers themselves, and our teaching philosophy is that swimming is more than a life skill or a competitive sport; it is an addition to a healthy lifestyle which develops values such as perseverance, self-discipline and self-belief.

We use the Swim England (formerly "ASA") Learn-to-Swim programme and children are rewarded with badges and certificates at the completion of each stage. At the end of Stage 7, many of our swimmers choose to continue with Team Jorvik and move up to our Vikings squad to start swimming competitively.

Our Swim Academy proudly offers:

• Accredited Swim England lessons from Stage 1 to Stage 7.

• Fully qualified teaching staff.

• Small class sizes with a maximum of 7 children per class.

• Our early Stages (1-3) all benefit from in-water teaching assistants, providing an amazing 1:3 ratio to ensure that our youngest swimmers are supported to quickly develop confidence and independence in the water.

• Lessons from age 3, rather than the standard age of 4, because we believe in introducing the benefits of swimming at a young age.

• Pool-side seating and experienced, qualified teaching-assistants (in-water for Stages 1-3 and where necessary) so you can stay dry and enjoy watching your swimmer happily make progress.

• 40 minute sessions, allowing us to cover more per session than the average 30 min lessons which are provided by other swim schools.

As children grow, the experiences they have shape their characteristics and embody who they are. At Team Jorvik we work with children from learning to swim all the way to when they go off to university. Working with your children in this timeline has developed our philosophy to swimming: it is more than a life skill or a competitive sport, but an addition to your lifestyle. It teaches values like perseverance, self-discipline and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

As past swimmers we all fell in love with swimming because of inspirational teachers and coaches who had the belief in us to succeed, and that is what we look for in our staff. We have the expertise and knowledge to educate your children, but we want to go the step further and to create a home for them in the water. Your children should love swimming and understand that as well as being a life skill it can be part of their daily life, We want them to fall in love with the water and be confident and comfortable in this environment. Team Jorvik is about promoting the value 'swim for life' - because swimming is so much more than a sport.

We see learning to swim as a venture into so many other aquatic based disciplines. These can include lifesaving, water polo, diving, scuba, teaching, coaching and more...this is how investing in learning to swim adds so much value to our lives compared to some other sports.

We believe that swimming is for life and we work hard to ensure that our members have the opportunity to continue building their skills, refining their stroke technique and most importantly, to enjoy swimming in a social and supportive environment.

On completion of Swim England Stage 7, our swimmers are invited to join our Jorvik Vikings Squad, which acts as a bridge between swimming lessons and swim training. Swimmers begin to refine their stroke techniques and acquire new skills such as block starts. Our Vikings Squad swim in the same pool as Jorvik Academy lessons run, so our new club members benefit from a familiar environment as they transition into club swimming.

Swimmers who are competent in swimming at Swim England Stage 7 level, from any swim school or any swim background, may also arrange a trial with our inclusive, supportive Vikings squad.