DFYC Swim school
At DFYC Swim School we offer a variety of classes for a range of ages and abilities. The lesson structure is broken down into 5 categories:
Tots
For children aged 1-2. An adult (18+ years) is required to enter the water with the child.
Tots classes focus on developing water confidence in preparation for the 'Learn to Swim Programme'. The lessons consist of a variety of games and activities to promote basic water safety and core skills.
Classes we offer
1-2yrs Tots
Pre-School
For children aged 3-4.
Pre-School classes focus on developing water confidence before progressing through stages 1,2 & 3 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme'.
Classes we offer
3-4y Stage 1
3-4y Stage 2-3 (For children who have completed Stage 1 or Stage 2 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme')
Junior Learn to Swim
For children aged 5-15.
Junior Learn to Swim classes focus on progressing students through stages 1-7 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme'.
Classes we offer
5y+ Stage 1-2 (for beginners or students who have completed Stage 1 of the 'Learn to Swim programme')
5y+ Stage 3-3+ (for students who have completed Stage 2 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme')
5y+ Stage 4-4+ (for students who have completed Stage 3 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme')
5y+ Stage 5 (for students who have completed Stage 4 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme')
5y+ Stage 6-7 (for students who have completed Stage 5 or 6 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme')
Junior Yellow Hats
For children aged 5-15.
Progressing through stages 8-10 of the 'Aquatic Skills Framework - Learn to Swim'.
Classes we offer
Yellow Hats Squads (for students who have completed Stages 1-7 of the 'Learn to Swim Programme')
Adult
For ages 16+
Open to all abilities and taught across 3 stages: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.
Beginner lessons focus on developing water confidence and introducing basic core skills.
Intermediate lessons focus on developing the 4 strokes, working towards swimming 25m unaided (no teacher or float support).
Advanced Lessons focus on refining technique and building stamina, working towards swimming up to 400m continuously.
Classes we offer
Adult Beginner
Adult Intermediate
Adult Advanced
Swim School Programme
Weekly Swim School
The swim school is ran in 12 week semesters. From September we will be running lessons on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings as well as Saturday and Sunday morning. The upcoming semesters are:
2021 Autumn Semester - Monday 06/09/2021 to Sunday 28/11/2021
*This semester will continue to run through the October half-term
2021/22 Winter Semester - Monday 29/11/2021 to Sunday 06/03/2022
*There will be a 2 week break over the Christmas period from Monday 20/12/2021 to Sunday 02/01/2022 for which the centre will be closed
**Monday 03/01/2022 is a bank holiday on which we do not open; Monday classes will only run for 11 weeks during the Winter Semester
***The swim school will continue to run through the February half-term
2022 Spring Semester - Dates TBC
Holiday Crash Courses
In addition to our regular weekly swim school, we also run 4-day crash courses during the school holiday periods (except the Christmas period). They consist of 4 lessons ran over 4 consecutive days. We offer a variety of group classes as well as 1-to-1 classes. The crash courses work well as an introduction to the 'Learn to Swim Programme', as a booster class alongside the regular swim school or for swimmers who are unable to attend the weekly swim school but want to develop their swimming.
Enrolment and Payments
New Customers
To enrol in classes, all customers will need a DFYC Swim School account. You can create an account by following the link below:
Once an account has been created, customers can then enrol in classes. Follow the link below to view and book classes:
Swimmers can join a semester at any point up to the last 2 weeks (not including 2021 Summer Semester), after which we stop taking bookings. Semesters go live on our website for bookings 2 weeks before the start date. You can contact our Swim Team in advance and ask to be put on the waitlist.
Free Trial
We offer all new customers a free trial lesson. To book a free trial, customers will need to create an account and then contact swimming@downside-fisher.org. Please include the age of the student as well as their swimming experience (include the stage they last swam at if they have had lessons previously).
*Free trial cannot be used for Holiday Crash Courses
Current Customers
All swimmers enrolled in a semester will be reserved a place in the following semester. We try to reserve spaces as close as possible to the day and time of a customers current booking. As the new semester approaches, we will attach fees to the reservation and email customers with a payment request. This payment request is optional. Customers can choose to ignore the request, and the reservation and fees will be removed from their account after 7 days. If a customer wants a reservation, but for a different day/time, contact swimming@downside-fisher.org and we can discuss alternative classes and send out a new payment request. Once all reservations have either been paid for or removed from accounts, the upcoming semester will go live on our website to take bookings and we will no longer be able to guarantee customers a space in their preferred class. All bookings will then have to be made through our website.
Early Booking Discount
We offer a early booking discount (EBD) of £5 for all bookings made before the start date of a semester. This is applied automatically to bookings made through our website and payment requests for reservations.
*EBD does not apply to Holiday Crash Courses
Discounted Annual Booking
We offer a Discounted Annual Booking (DAB) at DFYC Swim School. This booking guarantees a reservation in four consecutive semesters at a discounted rate. It costs £330, with a saving of £78 across the four semesters. A DAB can be used for any student on a customers account (can be changed each semester).
*DAB cannot be used against Holiday Crash Courses
Payments
We currently do not offer a monthly payment scheme; the cost of the remainder of the semester has to be paid in full. Payments will need to be made before the start of customers first lessons.
Accepted Payment Methods
Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, Discover, Visa/Visa Debit/Visa Electron, Union Pay, PayPal and via cash at reception.
Price Structure (Swim School)
Free Trial
We offer all new customers a free trial lesson. To book a free trial, customers will need to create an account and then contact swimming@downside-fisher.org. Please include the age of the student as well as their swimming experience (include the stage they last swam at if they have had lessons previously).
*Free trial cannot be used for Holiday Crash Courses
Current Customers
All swimmers enrolled in a semester will be reserved a place in the following semester. We try to reserve spaces as close as possible to the day and time of a customers current booking. As the new semester approaches, we will attach fees to the reservation and email customers with a payment request. This payment request is optional. Customers can choose to ignore the request, and the reservation and fees will be removed from their account after 7 days. If a customer wants a reservation, but for a different day/time, contact swimming@downside-fisher.org and we can discuss alternative classes and send out a new payment request. Once all reservations have either been paid for or removed from accounts, the upcoming semester will go live on our website to take bookings and we will no longer be able to guarantee customers a space in their preferred class. All bookings will then have to be made through our website.
Early Booking Discount
We offer a early booking discount (EBD) of £5 for all bookings made before the start date of a semester. This is applied automatically to bookings made through our website and payment requests for reservations.
*EBD does not apply to Holiday Crash Courses
Discounted Annual Booking
We offer a Discounted Annual Booking (DAB) at DFYC Swim School. This booking guarantees a reservation in four consecutive semesters at a discounted rate. It costs £330, with a saving of £78 across the four semesters. A DAB can be used for any student on a customers account (can be changed each semester).
*DAB cannot be used against Holiday Crash Courses
Payments
We currently do not offer a monthly payment scheme; the cost of the remainder of the semester has to be paid in full. Payments will need to be made before the start of customers first lessons.
Accepted Payment Methods
Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, Discover, Visa/Visa Debit/Visa Electron, Union Pay, PayPal and via cash at reception.
Price Structure (Swim School)
Class Type |
Price per lesson |
Price per semester * |
1-2y Tots |
£8.50 |
£102 (£97 with EBD) |
3-4y Stage 1 3-4 y Stage 2-3 |
£8.50 |
£102 (£97 with EBD) |
5y+ Stage 1-2 5y+ Stage 3-3+ 5y+ Stage 4-4+ 5y+ Stage 5 5y+ Stage 6-7 |
£8.50 |
£102 (£97 with EBD) |
Adult Beginner Adult Intermediate Adult Advanced |
£8.50 |
£102 (£97 with EBD) |
Yellow Hats Squads |
£9.50 |
£114 (£109 with EBD) |
* 'Price per semester' is based on a 12-week semester. Some semesters have bank holidays on which our centre does not open. The price will reduce by the relative 'Cost per lesson' for each class type effected by bank holiday closures.
Price Structure (Holiday Crash Courses)
Class Type |
Price |
All Group Classes |
£30 |
1-to-1 |
£75 |
Credits and Refunds
We try our best to ensure all lessons run smoothly and on time, but occasionally we may have to cancel a lesson when we deem it not safe for our swimmers. In the event of a cancelled lesson, we credit customers accounts for the cost of the lesson. This credit can be used against future bookings and will automatically come off bookings made online or through payment requests. They can be refunded at the end of the semester if customers do not wish to make a new booking.
We do not offer credits or refunds to customers who cannot make their lessons. We are flexible, however, and can offer make-up classes or allow swimmers to move to a different day/time (subject to the availability of classes).
Private Hire
Our swimming pool is available for hire to outside organisations. All hirers will have to meet the following criteria:
- Organisations hiring the pool will need to have a valid and up-to-date insurance policy if delivering sessions led by their own staff
- All staff delivering sessions within a private hire session will need to have valid and up-to-date qualifications, eg. Lifeguard, Swim Teacher L1 & L2, etc.
- Not-for-profit organisations will need to provide proof of their tax-exempt or charity status (we offer discounted rates for registered charities)
- Proof of the aforementioned documents will need to be provided to Downside Fisher Youth Club in advance of the hire period
Please contact our team for availability and hire rates.
*Previous hirers include: kayaking clubs, private swim schools (focusing on 1-to-1s and 2-to-1s), scuba diving clubs, snorkelling clubs and armed forces training
Contact
swimming@downside-fisher.org
020-7939-7402
For all enquiries please email as we are currently experiencing issues with our phone lines. we are working to fix the issue.