ALAC Swim School 

Infant Classes (6 months to 3 years old) 

Available to babies from six months of age, these classes are structured for parents who want their baby to learn to swim and gain water safety skills for life.

Our programs provide education for parent/carers about aquatic environments, how to enter and exit the water safely, and swimming and water safety whilst teaching buoyancy, floatation, body position, rotation and basic swimming skills. 

Ducks 1 | 6 – 12 months 

Begin conditioning of baby for submersion using trigger words and physical cues.

• When displaying readiness, undertake submersion of baby using trigger words.
• Perform assisted front and back floating activities.
• Encourage baby to splash arms and kick legs.
• Learn to roll from side to side; front to back and back to front.

Ducks 2 | 12 – 18 months

• Extend baby’s breath control.
• Encourage independent submersions.
• Initiate independent free float activities
• Continue with assisted back floats.
• With encouragement, move legs up and down.
• Experience pulling arms through the water and reaching for objects.

Ducks 3 | 18-24 months

• Extend baby’s breath control.
• Encourage independent submersions.
• Initiate independent free float activities
• Continue with assisted back floats.
• With encouragement, move legs up and down.
• Experience pulling arms through the water and reaching for objects.

Ducks 4 | 24 – 30 months

• Independent submersions and good breath control.
• With assistance, turn and swim back to pool edge.
• Ability to hold the pool edge, hand walk along the pool edge and climb out independently.
• Front and back floats using floatation aid.
• Assisted and independent swims using arms and legs through the water.

Ducks 5 | 30 - 33 months

• Independent submersions and good breath control.
• With minimal assistance, turn and swim back to pool edge.
• Extend ability to hold the pool edge, hand walk along the pool edge and climb out independently.
• Front and back floats using floatation aid.
• Assisted and independent swims using arms and legs through the water.

Ducks 6 | Term the child turns 3

This is a transition class with parents starting the term in the water and will then be advised by the teacher as to when they can leave the class.

• Jump safely into water, turn and swim back to wall; climb out of pool.
• Good breath control; blow bubbles with face fully submerged.
• Independent submersions and can kick and paddle independently.
• Using a floating aid, rotate body from front to back.
• Retrieve objects from bottom of the pool.
• Refined propulsive movements.
• Vertical body position and independent swim.

Pre School Classes (3 to 5 years old) 

Classes designed to give children basic independent submersion, floating and gliding skills. The next step is to refine these basic swimming skills and extend to the correct body position, breathing practices, kicking techniques and freestyle arms. 

Seahorse | 1A  

Safe entry and exit

• Confident submersion – blowing bubbles
• Assisted front float – 5 seconds
• Assisted back float – 5 seconds
• Assisted front glide
• Assisted back glide
• Flutter kick with aid
• Assisted jump

Starfish | 1B

• Independent front float – 7 to 10 seconds
• Independent back float – 7 to 10 seconds
• Independent front glide
• Independent back glide
• 3m flutter kick with aid – face in, blowing bubbles
• Recover object 
• Independent jump

Angelfish | 2A

• 3m front glide
• 3m back glide
• 5m front torpedo (glide with kicking)
• 5m back torpedo (glide with kicking)
• 3m freestyle (no breathing) – arms clearing the water
• Assisted kneeling dive
• Assisted sculling
• Jump, float, recover and return to wall – leisure pool

Goldfish | 2B

• 6m front torpedo (glide with kicking)
• 6m back torpedo (glide with kicking)
• 5m freestyle – straight arms clearing the water
• Independent kneeling dive
• Independent sculling
• Assisted recover object in 25m pool - shallow end
• Jump, float, recover and return to wall – 25m pool deep water

Skippy | 3A

• 7m to 8m front torpedo (glide with kicking)
• 7m to 8m back torpedo (glide with kicking)
• 10m single arm freestyle with breathing
• 10m flutter kick with board – 25m pool
• Assisted standing dive 
• Recover object in 25m pool independently – shallow end

Swordfish | 3B

• 10m freestyle – completed in the 25m pool
• 5m survival backstroke kick with aid
• Intro into backstroke
• Independent standing dive
• Independent treading water
• Somersault
• Recover object from 25m pool – deep water
• Throw rescue

School Age Classes 

Stage 1 

• Safely enter and exit the water
• Exhale in water, face submerged
• Open eyes under water to identify object
• Submerge (waist deep minimum)
• Glide forwards and recover (floatation aid acceptable)
• Float or glide backwards and recover (floatation aid acceptable)
• Water Safety Sequence 1

Stage 2

• Glide forwards, kick 3m (correct head & body position) 
• Glide backwards, kick and recover 
• Freestyle 5m (correct head & body position, straight arms) 
• Scull / Tread water (basic hand and leg action) 
• Water Safety Sequence 2

Stage 3

• Freestyle 10m with breathing 
• Glide backwards and kick 5m (waist deep water) 
• Breaststroke leg action 5m (on back with board) 
• Demonstrate survival sculling (on back correct head & body position) 
• Demonstrate forward roll (basic) 
• Water Safety Sequence 3

Stage 4

• Freestyle 15m (regular breathing correct head & body position) 
• Backstroke 10m (correct head & body position) 
• Survival Backstroke 10m (arm recovery below water) 
• Breaststroke 5m (basic, correct head & body position) 
• Scull Head first on back (without leg action) 
• Recover an object (chest deep water) 
• Swim in deep water 
• Water Safety Sequence 4

Stage 5

• Freestyle 25m (correct head & body position and technique) 
• Backstroke 15m (correct head & body position and technique) 
• Survival Backstroke 15m (symmetrical leg action) 
• Breaststroke 15m (symmetrical leg & arm action) 
• Demonstrate a surface dive (shoulder deep and recover an object) 
• Water Safety Sequence 

Stage 6

• Freestyle 50m (correct technique) 
• Backstroke 25m (correct technique) 
• Survival Backstroke 25m (correct technique) 
• Breaststroke 25m (correct technique) 
• Demonstrate a dive entry (shoulder deep minimum required) 
• Water Safety Sequence 6

Stage 7

• Scull feet first on back (sculling hand action) 
• Demonstrate eggbeater kick (alternating leg action) 
• Swim150m (correct technique Backstroke 25m, Breaststroke 50m, 
• Freestyle 50m, survival backstroke 25m) 
• Water Safety Sequence 7

Stage 8

• Sidestroke 25m (scissor leg action required) 
• Demonstrate Dolphin Kick (basic) 
• Swim 200m (correct technique, Backstroke 50m, Freestyle 50m, 
• Breaststroke 50m, Sidestroke 25m, survival backstroke 25m) 
• Water safety sequence 8

Stage 9

• Butterfly 10m 
• Demonstrate tumble turn (basic) 
• Swim 300m (correct technique) - Freestyle 50m, Breaststroke 50m, 
• Backstroke 50m, Survival Backstroke 50m, Freestyle 50m, 
• Sidestroke 50m 
• Basic principles or DRABCD 
• Water Safety Sequence 9

Junior Lifeguard Club (Stages 10 and above)

Junior Lifeguard Club (JLC) is for those students completing their stages 10 and above and hopes to offer a pathway for any students who maybe one day might want a job in aquatic industry.

Junior Lifeguard Club tries to expose students to something different every term whether that be guest speakers, competitions or workplace experiences.

The class will include all stages 10 to 15 and be run with two instructors for large groups so if the group needs to be split up it can be. It will run for an hour to help build endurance and stamina while ensuring there is enough time to cover all the components.

The timetable will now have JLC instead of stages 10 to 15 options.

Squads   

Squads has 4 levels and will be graded by the time of their freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. This reduces the congestion in the lanes and decreases the chance on collision injuries to students.

Students will be assessed each term and will be advised if they need to move up a level.

Endurance Squads - For students who have passed stage 6. This is the first level of squads and doesn’t require a minimum time to be in this level. Students will be moved to Squads 1 when their freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke for 50 metres meet the minimum requirements.

• Squads 1 – The first level of timed squads. Students will need to swim 50 metres of freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke in the required time.
• Squads 2 – The second level of timed squads. Students will be told by their teacher when they are ready for this level.
• Squads 3 – The final level of squads offered by the Swim School.

Adult Lessons 

There are 3 levels available, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. All lessons are 30 minutes long with day and night classes available. There is a maximum of 6 adults to the class.

• Beginner – For any adult who has no or limited experience in the water.
• Intermediate – For adults that have a basic understanding of freestyle, backstroke or breaststroke.
• Advanced – Is for any adult who knows their strokes and is looking for stroke correction and to build up their stamina.

Private lessons

The Swim School offer private one on one lessons. These lessons must be booked for the full duration of the term and each lesson runs for 30 minutes. To enquire about private lessons please contact the Swim School on alacswimschool@albany.wa.gov.au