School swimming program toolkit
School programs bring hundreds of children through your pool in a fortnight. The teaching is the easy part. This toolkit covers the paperwork around it, in the order you need it.
- 600,000+ studentshave passed through our systems
- 1 million+ workoutscompleted in FitDesk
- Since 2013an Australian company
Stage 1: the school booking
Collect this once, at least six weeks before the program.
- School name, contact teacher, phone and email
- Year groups and number of students in each class
- Preferred dates, days and arrival times
- Number of lessons and lesson length
- Supervising teachers and helpers attending
- Transport arrangements and arrival point
- Who pays, and how: school invoice, parent payment or funded places
- Any funding or voucher scheme the school is using
Stage 2: student information
One form per student, completed by the school or the parent, due two weeks before.
- Name, class and date of birth
- Medical conditions, medication and anything instructors must know
- Emergency contact
- Swimming ability, using the four questions below
- Consent for lessons and, if you use them, for photos
- Permission to contact the family about continuing lessons
Download this guide as a PDF
Stage 3: allocate levels before day one
Four questions sort most children into the right group. Adjust on the first day, not for the first half of it.
| Question for the parent or teacher | If yes, start in |
|---|---|
| Is the child nervous about putting their face in the water? | Water confidence group |
| Can the child float and move a few metres without help? | Beginner group |
| Can the child swim about 15 to 25 metres without stopping? | Intermediate group |
| Can the child swim 50 metres or more using recognisable strokes? | Advanced group |
Follow your state's guidelines for group sizes and supervision.
Stage 4: day-one run sheet
Before arrival
Print or load group lists by class. Brief instructors on medical notes.
On arrival
Mark the roll with the teacher. Send groups to their lane with their instructor.
First ten minutes
A quick in-water check. Move any child who is in the wrong group, and record the change.
End of lesson
Record attendance and any skills achieved. Tell the teacher about any concerns.
Stage 5: skills record and certificates
- Record skills against the competencies you teach, each lesson or at the end of the block
- Give every child a certificate that names what they can now do
- Include one clear next step for the family
Stage 6: the report back to the school
- Attendance by class
- Number of students who met each competency
- Students who may need more support
- A short note the school can share with parents
After the program
Where the family has agreed to be contacted, invite them to continue in your learn-to-swim program at the level their child reached. A child who has just earned a certificate is the easiest enrolment you will make this year. SwimDesk School Programs runs every stage above in one system, from the school booking to the certificate.
How do you sort school students into swimming levels?
Ask the school or parents a few ability questions before the program, allocate groups from the answers, then confirm with a quick in-water check in the first lesson.
Download this guide as a PDF
See it with your own program in mind
Tell us your centre and what you run, and we will show you GreeneDesk in a short demo. After the demo you get a trial for your team. Setup and migration take about two weeks, and we do the move for you.
We do the migration for you. We respond to support requests within 4 hours, and straight away for critical issues.
