GoggleSquad Swim School Frequently Asked Questions

  • There are two categories of swimming lessons offered by GoggleSquad which are based on your child’s age - Goggle Tots for pre-schoolers and GoggleSquad Academy for children of school-age. Beyond that, the appropriate class (i.e who your child will be learning with), will be determined based on your child’s ability first and foremost. In order to determine that, we aim to conduct an assessment and then make a decision based on the Swim England Learn to Swim Framework. You can read all about our Swim Programme here.

  • Children can start lessons with us from as young as twelve weeks but it’s never too late to learn to swim, even if you’ve never had any lessons. All GoggleSquad swimming lessons are tailored to the individual needs of learners which means a non-swimmer’s lessons will be focussed on putting in place the basic building blocks required to swim safely. Read about our Swim Programme to understand what that includes.

  • One parent is welcome to observe the lesson and we allow time at the end of every half term block to address any questions you may have. Unfortunately due to the size of the pool area, we are unable to accommodate more than one adult with each learner.

  • We’re not fans of armbands in lessons as they tend to make life harder when it comes to teaching and learning. Armbands are great for staying afloat when messing around in the water but rubbish for learning to swim; due to where they are worn, the buoyancy is in the wrong place. For successful swimming, floatation has to come from the whole body rather than the arms. Putting all the emphasis on the arms means that children then fail to understand how they need to move in the water.

  • Payment is required in advance in half-termly block before the commencement of a block of lessons. Payment must be made by Direct Debit. There’s more information about payment in our Terms and Conditions.

  • If your child is not toilet trained, we operate a strict double nappy policy which requires a swim nappy worn underneath a reusable neoprene nappy, with a tight fitting swimsuit over the top. Under no circumstances can only regular nappies be worn while swimming.

  • There is a small, mixed changing room on the poolside at our East Molesey and Walton-on-Thames venues. Our Claygate venue has two rooms for changing. Our Kingston upon Thames and Cobham venues have male and female changing rooms.

  • We have three terms throughout the year: Term 1 (September to Christmas holidays), Term 2 (January to Easter holidays), and Term 3 (April to Summer holidays). For full details of term dates for each of our venues, check out the Term Dates page on the website here.

  • Payment for each half-termly block is required one month prior to its start. For instance, if the block begins on January 9th, payment is due on December 9th.

  • New learners require at least one month's notice for cancellations. For existing learners, cancellations must be made one month before the end of the half-term block to avoid payment. Changes to bookings can be requested but are not guaranteed.

  • We cannot offer refunds for missed lessons or withdrawals once the half-term block has started. Catch-up lessons, credits, or refunds due to individual circumstances are not provided. We pay considerable costs in advance to secure pool time (as part of a pool rental agreement) and we also secure the time of our instructors in order to ensure that we have teaching staff for lessons. These commitments mean that we have in effect paid the costs associated with the lesson in advance. If we did not operate this way, we would not be able to operate a successful swim school. This principle is the same for most quality educational services and sports clubs. It's also the same for things like school fees or nursery fees.

  • In the event of lesson cancellations due to circumstances beyond our control, such as adverse weather, power cuts, or government guidance, we offer either a credit or an alternative date for the affected lesson(s).

  • Food and drink consumption is prohibited in the swimming pool area and changing rooms.

  • Where appropriate and relevant, learners' medical conditions must be disclosed to the school. Swimmers should not attend if they are unwell or have contagious illnesses. We follow strict guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of all learners.

  • No, taking photos of learners during lessons on the premises is not currently permitted unless it has been arranged in advance and with the agreement of everyone in attendance.

  • By enrolling, parents, guardians, and learners consent to the processing of personal data collected through the enrolment process. Data will not be shared with third parties. For more details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

  • If you have any queries or concerns, you can email pip@gogglesquad.co.uk.

  • Pool closures do occur occasionally at short notice and we notify parents/guardians/learners by text and email, so please keep us updated with your current mobile phone number and email address.

  • We accept no responsibility for lost property, but we're happy to help check if you've lost something at the venue.

  • GoggleSquad Swimming School is committed to providing an environment in which all children participating in its activities have a safe and positive experience. In order to achieve this GoggleSquad Swimming School has adopted the Wavepower Swim England Child Safeguarding Policy and Procedures in full. More details are available at https://www.gogglesquad.co.uk/child-safeguarding-policy.

  • We welcome infants as young as 3 months old to adults of all ages.

  • We offer both group and private lessons.

  • Swimsuits, towels, and goggles are recommended. We provide swim aids.

  • Yes, all our instructors are certified and experienced in teaching various age groups.

  • Lessons typically last 30 minutes for children and 45 minutes for adults.

  • es, we have clean and well-equipped changing rooms on-site.

  • Please refer to our policy on our website for details regarding cancellations.

  • Parents are welcome to observe, but we encourage minimal distraction.

  • No, our adult classes are open to all skill levels, from beginners to advanced swimmers.

  • Our instructors provide regular feedback, and we offer progress assessments.

  • Our instructors are all qualified lifeguards.

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  • We are unable to provide catch-up lessons following absence for individual circumstances, as our costs are incurred whether or not a learner attends. Catch-up lessons are disruptive to the normal running of established classes and classes are generally fully booked which means we don't have the capacity to offer ad hoc places at a point in the future.

  • Places cannot be put on hold without payment if for any reason a child cannot attend lessons for a long period of time.

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  • Swimphony is a software solution that helps us to manage memberships, bookings and progression of learners in their swimming lessons. Additionally it helps us to automate communications and billing, meaning we have more time to spend on what we do best - teaching swimming! Parents and participants can view lesson information, terms dates, learner progression and achievements and payments.

  • The member portal is an online hub that allows us to connect directly with all swim school members. Parents are able to view and track the progress that their children are making after their swimming lesson each week, make online payments, view their payment history, notify us of planned absences, manage their bookings, and much more. The member portal is secure and GDPR compliant. It can be accessed here.

Swim Programme

  • There are two categories of swimming lessons offered by GoggleSquad which are based on your child’s age - Goggle Tots for pre-schoolers and Goggle Academy for children of school-age. Beyond that, the appropriate class (i.e who your child will be learning with), will be determined based on your child’s ability first and foremost. In order to determine that, we will conduct an assessment and then make a decision based on the Swim England Learn to Swim Framework. You can read all about our classes here.