Finding the right stage

Helston Sports Centre offer swimming lessons following their own Better Swimming Framework, with classes for young people of all ages and abilities, no matter when they’re starting their swimming journey.

Helston Sports Centre Foundation swimming lessons are designed for school-aged kids who are beginners or completely new to swimming. These lessons include core swimming skills with a big focus on how to stay safe in and around water.

Foundation classes consist of 3 levels which swimmers work towards, each designed to introduce, develop and master water confidence, essential swimming skills and stroke development techniques. These classes will teach your young person to swim 10 meters unaided.

They’ll also learn the basics of all 4 swimming strokes (front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly). To find out more about swimming lessons with Helston Sports Centre, please visit their guidance tool.

Helston Sports Centre Development classes are the next step up from Foundation lessons, aimed at young people who have a good basis of swimming skills, and can swim 15m unaided. Like Foundation classes, these cover various ability levels, ensuring each swimmer feels comfortable in the water.

These lessons will cover more swimming essentials including developing technique across all 4 strokes, an introduction to aquatic sports, as well as basic water survival and rescue skills.

They’ll also learn the basics of all 4 swimming strokes (front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly). To find out more about swimming lessons with Helston Sports Centre, please visit their guidance tool.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 1 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Enter the water safely.
Move forward for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Move backwards for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Move sideways for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Scoop the water and wash the face.
Be comfortable with water showered from overhead.
Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing.
Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing.
Push and glide in a flat position on the front from a wall.
Push and glide in a flat position on the back from a wall.
Give examples of two pool rules.
Exit the water safely.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 1 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Enter the water safely.
Move forward for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Move backwards for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Move sideways for a distance of 5 metres, feet may be on or off the floor.
Scoop the water and wash the face.
Be comfortable with water showered from overhead.
Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing.
Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing.
Push and glide in a flat position on the front from a wall.
Push and glide in a flat position on the back from a wall.
Give examples of two pool rules.
Exit the water safely.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 2 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Jump in from poolside safely.
Blow bubbles a minimum of three times rhythmically, with nose and mouth submerged.
Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing without support.
Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing without support.
Push from a wall and glide on the back – arms can be by the side or above the head.
Push from a wall and glide on the front with arms extended.
Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the back for 5 metres, without the use of floatation equipment.
Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the front for 5 metres, without the use of floatation equipment.
Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the front, to a back floating position, then return to standing.
Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the back, to a front floating position, then return to standing.
Perform a log roll from the back to the front.
Perform a log roll from the front to the back.
Exit the water without support.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 3 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Jump in from poolside and submerge.
Sink, push away from wall and maintain a streamlined position.
Push and glide on the front with arms extended and log roll onto the back.
Push and glide on the back with arms extended and log roll onto the front.
Travel 5 metres on the front, perform a tuck to rotate onto the back and return on the back.
Fully submerge to pick up an object.
Correctly identify three of the four key water safety messages.*
Push and glide and travel 10 metres on the back.
Push and glide and travel 10 metres on the front.
Perform a tuck float and hold for three seconds.
Exit the water without using steps.

*The Water Safety Code contains four key water safety messages:

Stop and Think – Always swim in a safe place.
Stay Together – Always swim with an adult.
Float – If you fall in, float on your back, breathe, relax.
Call 999 – If someone else in trouble;
– Call 999/112
– Tell the person to float on their back
– Throw them something that floats.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 4 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Perform a sequence of changing shapes (minimum of three) whilst floating on the surface and demonstrate an understanding of floating.
Push and glide from the wall towards the pool floor.
Kick 10 metres backstroke (one item of equipment optional).
Kick 10 metres front crawl (one item of equipment optional).
Kick 10 metres butterfly on the front or on the back.
Kick 10 metres breaststroke on the front (one item of equipment optional).
Perform a head first sculling action for 5 metres in a flat position on the back.
Travel on back and log roll in one continuous movement onto front.
Travel on front and log roll in one continuous movement onto back.
Push and glide and swim 10 metres, choice of stroke is optional.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 5 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Perform a flat stationary scull on the back.
Perform a feet first sculling action for 5 metres in a flat position on the back.
Perform a sculling sequence with a partner for 30-45 seconds to include a rotation.
Tread water for 30 seconds.
Perform three different shaped jumps into deep water.
Push and glide and swim 10 metres backstroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 10 metres front crawl (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 10 metres breaststroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 10 metres butterfly (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Perform a handstand and hold for a minimum of three seconds.
Perform a forward somersault.
Demonstrate an action for getting help.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 6 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Give two examples of how to prepare for exercise and understand why it is important.
Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into backstroke.
Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into front crawl.
Swim 10 metres wearing clothes.
Push and glide and swim front crawl to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
Push and glide and swim breaststroke to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
Push and glide and swim butterfly to include at least three rhythmical breaths.
Push and glide and swim backstroke to include at least six regular breaths.
Push and glide and swim 25 metres, choice of stroke is optional (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Perform a ‘shout and signal’ rescue.
Perform a surface dive.

By completing the Learn to Swim Stage 7 Award, swimmers will be able to:

Push and glide and swim 25 metres backstroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 25 metres front crawl (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 25 metres breaststroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 25 metres butterfly (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Perform a movement sequence (linking skills with strokes and sculls) of one minute duration, in a group of three or more, incorporating a number of the following skills:
– Sculling: head first, feet first
– Rotation: forward or backward somersault, log roll
– Floating: star on the front or on the back, tuck float, create own
– Eggbeater: Moving, lifting one or both arms out of the water
Perform a sitting dive or dive.
Push and glide and swim 50 metres continuously using one stroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Push and glide and swim 100 metres, using a minimum of three different strokes (performed to Swim England expected standards).
Tread water using eggbeater action for 30 seconds.
Complete an obstacle course (using minimum of four objects) with feet off the pool floor throughout.

Develop confidence and ability to perform a wide range of core aquatic skills without buoyancy aids
Develop the basic technique of the strokes
Introducing the basic technique of sculling
Develop balance and buoyancy through a variety of activities

Introduce and progress new core aquatic skills
Develop stroke technique to include all four strokes
Introduction to diving (pool permitting)
Develop awareness and feel for the water through a variety of core aquatic skills

Further develop competency in all four strokes
Achieve the Triple S award / Scotland’s Safe Swimmer Award
Development of diving
Further developing Butterfly and Breaststroke aiming to achieve legal technique

To demonstrate competent technique in all four strokes
Introduce lifesaving skills and basic aquatic discipline skills
To provide basic skills to enable progression in to all aquatic sports or disciplines including life saving