Swimming Lessons – What’s changing
Swimming Teachers' Association (STA) Swimming Lessons
Wakefield Council and Aspire are now working with the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) to deliver our swimming lessons. This partnership helps us offer high quality teaching that follows a trusted national programme. It also means our lessons are simple to follow, safe, and fun for children of all ages. Families will see clear goals, steady progress, and a better learning experience in the pool.
We’re making some exciting updates to our swimming programme. These new systems will help improve how you book lessons, receive updates, and follow your child’s progress. This page explains the changes and what you can expect over the next few weeks.
Junior swimming lessons
Our junior swimming lessons will now be paid for by Direct Debit at £30 per month.
If you already swim with us, you will need to sign up in person between 20 April and 3 May. When you sign up, you will pay £30 to cover May. Your first Direct Debit payment will then be taken on 1 June.
If you still have unused prepaid credits, we will refund them when you rebook. Refunds go straight to your bank account, but they cannot be used to reduce the May payment.
All lesson emails will now come from aquatics@wakefield.gov.uk. Please check all your inbox folders, including spam and junk, so you don’t miss anything important.
We have also updated our Terms and Conditions.
Lesson times may change from 5 May. We will confirm your child’s new lesson time and start date when you book, and you will get a confirmation email as well.
Certificates and rewards
All certificates will now be sent to you digitally by email. This makes them easier to save and keep. If you want a printed certificate and badge, you can still buy them using the link in your email.
We are also launching a fun new rewards scheme featuring Baby Shark, Paw Patrol, and SpongeBob SquarePants. These rewards celebrate small achievements and big milestones. All digital reward certificates are included in your membership at no extra cost.
Changing from Swim England Stages
If your child was on a higher or lower Swim England stage before, don’t worry. We will look at their previous progress and check what they can do now. Our teachers will then place them in the most suitable STA group or grade.
Sometimes a short assessment may take place during the first lesson to make sure they are in the right level. Our aim is to make this move easy and help your child feel confident.
The Explorer Grading System
We are bringing in a new way to show progress called the Explorer System. It helps you see how your child is doing at every step, not just when they finish a skill.
You can follow their progress on the Home Portal.
What each grade means:
- Looking ahead – a skill we will teach soon
- Starting out (new) – your child is trying a new skill
- On my Way (practising) – they are practising and getting better
- I’ve Got It! (mastered) – they can do the skill well and with good technique
Children can earn Stars when they show great technique and can repeat the skill confidently.
Tracking progress
You can check your child’s progress in real time on the GoLearn Home Portal. The portal will be offline from 1 to 15 May while we change systems. After this, you will get an email telling you how to register and log in.
Free public swimming sessions
Your membership includes free public swimming sessions. To use them, log in to the Home Portal and show your digital barcode to the Front of House team when you arrive. You can open the portal on any smartphone with internet access.
If you need help, please email us at aquatics@wakefield.gov.uk.