Children’s Lessons

Ducklings

For pre-school children aged 3, 4 and 5 years

Ducklings is our pre-school swim course designed for pre-school children aged three, four and five, to introduce them to some basic water skills.  This course comprises of four lessons and each lesson is thirty minutes duration and takes place once  a week in our Learner Pool.

Parents do not get in the water with their children and may observe from the pool viewing gallery on the ground floor.

Groups are small and our Instructor is in the water with the children.  At the end of the four week course, children will have a greater sense of confidence and independence in the water and will be looking forward to starting lessons when the time comes.  

Please note that completion of a Ducklings course does not automatically lead to enrolment in our Group Lessons Programme.  Ducklings is a stand alone course and may be repeated as often as a parent wishes.  The minimum age before any child can be enrolled in Group Lessons at Level One is five and a half years.

Course Details

• Cost €50
• Course length – 4 weeks, one 30 minute lesson per week
• Lesson days/times – Wednesdays 2:15pm and 2:45pm
• Enrolments taken from Monday 20th January via CoursePro 
• New term starts week commencing Wednesday 29th January 

Learn to Swim Programme

From Age 5 and a half years attending primary school

IMPORTANT

Before you proceed with a booking:

Booking the correct level for your child is very important. If the wrong swim level is booked, the child will not be permitted to attend lessons and no refund will be made.

Five and a half years is the minimum age requirement for attending Children's Group Lessons.  If a false date of birth is given when enrolling, the child will not be permitted to attend lessons and no refund will be made.

If your child is five and a half or over, they will start in Level One of our programme.  Children aged three, four and five may attend our Ducklings swim skills course.  

If you are unsure what level to book for your child, please don't hesitate to ask a member of our team, we are always happy to help.  Information on our swim syllabus is available below and time permitting, we can arrange for your child to be assessed in order for you to book the appropriate level.

Not all swim programmes are the same and swim schools at different locations will use different syllabuses.  Here at The Watershed we operate Swim Ireland's Learn To Swim programme levels one to seven. 

If your child has attended lessons elsewhere, please check with us before enrolling to ensure the correct level is booked.

A No Refund policy applies to all bookings.  

Children's Group Swimming Lessons

Levels 1 and 2 are where the core aquatic skills are first introduced and reinforced through practise and repetition.  Level 1 and 2 lessons take place in the Learner Pool.

Level 3 to 7 are where the four swim strokes are taught, while continuously developing and strengthening the core aquatic skills.  From Level 3 onwards, lessons take place in the main pool.  From Level 6 onwards, lessons are taught in lane swimming format.

For more information on the syllabus that we teach in our lessons, please click HERE. Each term of lessons is nine weeks duration.

Parents can support their children by bringing them for a swim on the days in between their weekly lessons.  Regular practice is encouraged to assist the children in learning and developing their skills and it will allow them to move through the levels quicker.  Please note that all children learn and progress at different rates and it is not unusual for children to repeat some levels several times.

Course Details

• Cost €110.16
• Course length – 9 weeks, one 40 minute lesson per week
• Enrolments taken from Monday 20th January via CoursePro (for Monday lessons, enrolment takes place from 17th January)
• New term starts week commencing Monday 27th January (except Monday lessons which start a week earlier on Monday 20th)

Sharks Lane Swimming

(For 10 to 15 years)

Our Sharks Lane Swimming programme is the perfect option for graduates of our Learn to Swim Programme who would like to continue in lessons.  Sharks gives children who want to stay swimming, the opportunity to maintain their skills, build stamina and retain a level of fitness but who may not be competitive.  It is also suitable for children who have not attended our lessons before but are at the same standard as Level 8 or Kilkenny Swim Club Squads C and D, or equivalent.  To be eligible for Sharks therefore, children must be aged from ten to fifteen years and be able to swim 100 metres (4 Lengths) Front Crawl, Backstroke and Breaststroke.

During term time, 'Sharks' takes place on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and on Sundays at 10am and 12 noon.

Course Details

• Cost €110.16
• Course length – 9 weeks, one 60 minute lesson per week
• Enrolments taken from Monday 20th January via CoursePro 
• New term starting week commencing Monday 27th January