Our Learn to Swim programme gives both children and adults the opportunity to build confidence in the pool, learn new skills, and improve upon current skills and strokes.

Sportspark is excited to re-introduce our group Learn to Swim programme this Autumn.

Due to the continued success of our Sportspark Swim School, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve been able to add additional Junior Group and Adult Group lessons to our timetable. To register your interest please complete and submit the booking form at the bottom of this page.

Working in line with the Swim England Learn to Swim framework these sessions will run largely in line with the Norfolk County Council term times and equate to 38 weeks per year. The Swim Stage criteria can be found here.

Payments will be made via a monthly DD (with a payment break in August each year) as outlined further below.

As an additional benefit for our Learn to Swim members, all participants on our youth stages 1-10 will also receive free swimming outside of their sessions (whilst a live lesson subscription is in place). To gain access they will need to visit Reception in the normal manner. Please note that our standard child supervision policies will be in place at all times with any accompanying adult therefore required to pay the relevant fee. 

If the ability/stage is unknown, please contact our swim school coordinator via spswimschool@uea.ac.uk.

Adult Lessons

Be Water Confident – for nervous swimmers or those new to swimming that want to improve confidence.

Be a Swimmer – giving swimmers the skills necessary to start swimming independently over short distances without support or swimming aids.

Be a Better Swimmer – for those that can swim 25m or more and would like to improve technique and build on their stamina.

Student/Young Adult Beginner Class – For students and young adults that are nervous swimmers or complete beginners that would like to learn to swim amongst their peers.

Be a Master Swimmer – For avid swimmers looking to perfect their stroke techniques and explore all the strokes in depth, build and develop stamina for competitions and events.

To view each stage outcome description visit https://www.swimming.org/learntoswim/swim-england-adult-learn-to-swim-awards/*

For anyone aged 16+.

Junior Lessons

The Learn to Swim Stage 1 – 10 Awards are divided into progressive stages.*

They are designed to reward your child for their development of the essential aquatic skills they need to be confident, competent and safe in the water.

Each of the Learn to Swim Stage 1 – 10 Awards has a list of clear outcomes that need to be completed in order to gain each award.

To view each stage outcome description visit https://www.swimming.org/learntoswim/swim-england-learn-to-swim-framework/* or see here.

*please note that we will not be providing stages 8 – 10 at this time.

Payment for participation is administered via Direct Debit, calculated upon an annual amount split evenly across 11 months (with a payment break every August). i.e. monthly payments will remain the same irrespective of the number of sessions being carried out in that particular month. 

All 30-minute courses – £27.50 per month 

All 45-minute courses – £31.00 per month 

Please note that payment on joining will fall in-line with the deadlines/cut-off dates in place for our other Direct Debit payments.  Full details can be found in our Terms and Conditions of Memberships. 

In order to register for the scheme all participants will need to complete a Direct Debit Instruction as part of their initial registration, this will need to be done in person at our reception in the centre. Continued participation requires a valid bank account, with sufficient funds maintained.  Unpaid amounts will effectively assign a leaver status to the participant and therefore the space will no longer be guaranteed and may become available to those on the waiting list.   

Working in line with the Swim England Learn to Swim framework these sessions will run largely in line with the Norfolk County Council term times and equate to 38 weeks per year.

Payments will be made via monthly Direct Debit (with a payment break in August each year).

Courses at Sportspark run 38 weeks per year with sessions stopping on the following dates:

23 – 29 October 2023

21 December 2023 – 7 January 2024

19 – 25 February 2024

1 – 14 April 2024

27 May – 2 June 2024

22 July onwards for Summer Holidays

Re-enrolments for each term will not be required and your child will retain their space for as long as they require it.  If, due to a progression, the cost needs to be amended then a new direct debit form will need to be completed but all other details will remain constant. 

A considerable benefit to the implementation of the GoLearn scheme is access to the Home Portal. 

We know it can be difficult to always gain access to your child’s teacher due to time constraints on the night or due to other commitments. This can make it difficult to know how your child is progressing.   

The Home Portal helps to make viewing your child’s progress as accessible as possible. Participants and parents can view and monitor their progress within the chosen activity programme at any point from the comfort of their own home.  

Teachers can add current status and leave feedback for their class participants in order to clearly show progress and identify areas of focus required to achieve the next step on their development. Parents are able to manage several children with a single login making the system even more convenient. 

As part of this system you may notice our team using an on-line system via handheld devices whilst teaching.  This will allow the efficient recording of each child’s attendance and progress, which parents can then view through the GoLearn Home Portal.  

As soon as your child becomes ready to move to a different stage, or becomes eligible to purchase a governing body award, you will be notified via the online management system in the portal.  

It will also allow the following administrative options: 

• Manage online payments and personal details 
• View/accept progression movements 

• View course history 
• Manage passwords 

Information on how to register and gain access to Home Portal will be provided as part of your booking process for your child via communication with the swim coordinator once your child has been allocated their swim stage day and time.   

Private lessons are available for adults and children of all abilities at the Sportspark. For further details on private lessons including dates and times please contact our swim school coordinator via spswimschool@uea.ac.uk.

1-1 Lessons 

£22 per 30-minute lesson

£44 per 60-minute lesson

Payable in advance in blocks of 4, 8 or 12 sessions.

1-2 Lessons 

£32 per 30-minute lesson

£64 per 60-minute lesson

Payable in advance in blocks of 4, 8 or 12 sessions.

MEET THE TEACHERS

All Learn to Swim instructors are Swim England Level 2 Qualified Teachers, DBS Enhanced checked, and have been carefully selected for their enthusiasm and passion.

To book swimming lessons, please fill in a Sportspark Booking Form and return it to Sportspark reception or complete the below enquiry form. Details on monthly Direct Debit fees are as follows:

All 30-minute sessions: 

£27.50 per month

All 45-minute sessions: 

£31.00 per month

Payment for participation is administered via Direct Debit, calculated upon an annual amount spilt evenly across 11 months (with a payment break every August) i.e. monthly payments will remain the same irrespective of the number of sessions being carried out in that part.

Continued participation requires a valid bank account, with sufficient funds, to be maintained at all times.

Terms and Conditions can be found here.

If you have any queries please feel free to contact us directly on:

Learn to Swim Coordinator – Martyn Saul spswimschool@uea.ac.uk

Office Number: 01603 593170

(office hours will vary, please use email if unable to reach via phone)

Sportspark, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7 TJ.

Please use either the Sportspark car park, or UEA car park (free after 16:30)

Does the fact that it is a 38-week programme mean that we are tied into the courses? 

No. There is no contract for our courses meaning that, although we deliver the programme more consistently, there is no commitment to complete 38 weeks.  Participants are free to stop sessions and rejoin at any point (subject to availability). If you wish to cancel, you will just need to cancel your direct debit with the bank before the 25th of the month to prevent any further payments from coming out. 

We are not going to be around much during a particular month.  Can I cancel and start again? 

As there is no contract for our courses all participants are free to stop their sessions at any point.  However when payments are not taken, participants will be judged as having left the scheme.  Their space is therefore no longer held and subsequently no guarantees can be given that they will be able to rejoin the same lesson on their return.  Please remember that no payments will be claimed in August of each year but your child will retain their place and re-commence automatically in September. 

How have you calculated the prices? 

Prices have been calculated based on the number of classes per week multiplied by the duration of the programme. This total price has then simply been divided by 11 months to give the monthly Direct Debit fee.   

Why am I paying the same amount each month even though the number of sessions may be different? 

Please refer to FAQ. 3 where we have calculated our prices.  These monthly fees are calculated as an average cost across the year to maintain consistency. 

Do I need to book my lesson at Reception in order to keep my place? 

Most bookings, movements and progressions will take place on-line without the need to come onto site.  There will however be certain processes that will still need to be completed in person such as the initial sign up to the scheme or any amendment in bank details or payment amounts (such as movement from a 30 minute class to a 45 minute class).  These adjustments and bookings will need to be signed for with one of our front of house team. 

What if I have more than one child on the scheme? 

No problem.  Multiple bookings can be made.  These payments will be administered as separate items and will be clearly visible on your bank statements.  Only one Home Portal account will be needed to monitor all participants. 

Is this scheme the same for all lessons?  Does it affect one to one lessons too? 

Based on feedback from our private swim lesson participants we will now administer such sessions via our GoLearn system although these will not utilise a Direct Debit system and will instead use a pre-pay system. 

Can I pay for a block of sessions instead of a direct debit? 

In order to ensure consistency for the team and a more manageable administration process, the only format of payment for group sessions will be Direct Debit.   

Cash payments will only be possible for private swim sessions although these can also be topped up online via the portal.  

How do I access Home Portal? 

When signing up for your agreed sessions and paying your initial fee you will be provided with login details and instructions. A step-by-step guide is being produced and will be provided to all those on group lessons as soon as possible.