FAQs

GBS Swim School is a family run swim school which has been running well respected swimming lessons in the Reading area since 2003. We provide high quality children’s swimming lessons at Leighton Park School. Our courses run during term time only. We have taught many thousands of children and adults to swim with great confidence, technique and style. Please contact us for availability.

GBS Swim School is a family run swim school which has been running well respected swimming lessons in the Reading area since 2003. We provide high quality children’s swimming lessons at Leighton Park School in Reading Berkshire. We have students that attend our swim school from the many surrounding areas to include:

• Woodley
• Earley
• Lower Earley
• Reading
• Caversham
• Shinfield
• Wokingham
• Finchampsted
• Twyford
• Charvil
• Hurst
• Sonning
• Wargrave
• Tilehurst
• Winnersh
• Barkham
• Spencers Wood
• Maidenhead
• Henley

For more information on our swimming classes and availability please call us.

We offer 30 minute lessons for children from 3 years upwards in small groups and for all ability levels. Our courses run term time only.

Our sessions include:

• Swim school lesson from 4 years
• Stamina Swimming
• Parent and toddler classes
• Adult swimming classes
• Summer intensive crash courses
• GBS Lifesaving delivering RLSS Lifesaving awards

We provide high quality children’s swimming lessons at Leighton Park School in Reading Berkshire.

We offer 30 minute lessons for children from 3 years upwards in small groups and for all ability levels. Our courses run term time only.

Our sessions include:

• Swim school lesson from 4 years
• Stamina Swimming
• Parent and toddler classes
• Adult swimming classes
• Summer intensive crash courses
• GBS Lifesaving delivering RLSS Lifesaving awards

For more information on our classes and lessons please contact us for availability and places.

GBS run toddler swimming classes. These lessons prepare your children for when they are old enough to join our main swim school from 4 and a half years. Please contact us for availability about places at our swim school.

Yes. We are an ASA/Swim England affiliated Swim School and follow the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme.

All our instructors hold an ASA/Swim England Level 2 Teaching qualification and may also be assisted by an instructor that holds an ASA/Swim England Level 1 Teaching qualification, or other recognised professional teaching qualification. Our instructors also all hold a National Rescue award for swimming teachers and coaches.

We are all confident and comfortable teaching all abilities, and interact well with both swimmers and parents. All our teaching staff have the relevant insurances required, and are DBS checked.

Our swimming lessons at GBS are delivered by very experienced swimming teachers and instructors and we are all extremely passionate about what we do. We have all known each other for a number of years and like to think of ourselves as a family.

A number of our swimming teachers specialise in other fields which help to enhance our ability to deliver great swimming lessons. We have swimming coaches, fitness instructors, primary and secondary school teachers and an RLSS national trainer assessor.

Some of our teachers have many years experience of working with special needs, and we also have teachers with higher degrees that work in industry.

We are committed to tailoring lessons to the individual needs of each child, even though the lessons are in a group environment.

As a team we have a love and passion for swimming. We want the children to enjoy their time in swim school and leave with confidence, technique and the skills to swim well.

We believe our reviews from parents demonstrate we are the highest regraded swimming swimming instructors in Reading.

Children are assessed prior to joining our swim school so they start off in the class most suitable to their ability. Your child will swim with children of similar ability. The result of this is our lessons are well balanced and fast paced, which progresses the children quickly.

We believe one of the biggest keys to our success is that our groups are kept small to ensure our teachers give your child that individual attention. Usually there are just 5 children in our beginners section, with two teachers always in the water supporting them.

We have low teacher to pupil ratios. In our higher levels there are no more than 6-8 children in a class.

At GBS we use a process of continual assessment in our swim school.

We make sure we review your child’s progress throughout the term and, when they are ready to move on to the next class/stage, they do not have to wait until end of the term if they are ready.

At the end of each term the children are given the opportunity to be distance tested according to the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme. Children love receiving their certificate and badge as a mark of their achievement.

Yes. We provide high quality children’s swimming lessons at Leighton Park School. Our courses run during term time only. We have taught many thousands of children and adults to swim with great confidence, technique and style. Please contact us for availability.

We are based at Leighton Park school. Please contact us for availability about places at our swimming lessons in Reading.

Children are never to young to start swimming at GBS. If you are looking for good quality toddler swimming lessons ran by very experienced teachers look no further. These lessons prepare your children for when they are old enough to join our main swim school at 4 and a half.

Here are GBS’s top reasons why children should start swimming as soon as possible.

1. It teaches water safety
2. It’s great for their physical and mental health
3. It promotes bonding
4. It boosts confidence
5. It develops their co-ordination
6. It builds their strength
7. It develops their learning skills
8. It enhances their wellbeing

If you are interested in our toddler lessons please contact us.

We deliver our GBS lifesaving programme. This programme runs for our older children. These programmes are extremely successful and we are very lucky they are taught by our NTA. National trainer assessor Lesley Wilmott.

GBS Lifesaving covers the RLSS Survive and Save Programme.

This includes the:

Pool Bronze, Silver and Gold Medallions.

The programme consists of swimming and lifesaving skills for the pool and open water (practised in the pool).

We also teach first aid and resuscitation skills as part of this programme.

It generally takes one term for each of the medallions and some of our lifesavers stay on to do the assistant Lifesaving teacher award.

Children must be 12 to complete the medallions but we often have children that start the programme earlier as an addition or as an alternative to lane swimming.

We have had great results over the years we have been running these courses, and the children really enjoy them. It has opened up a number of job opportunities for our students after leaving school or training in higher education.

There is an additional cost to purchase the required reference book from the RLSS. This book is extremely informative and covers many lifesaving topics.

If interested please call us for more details.

GBS run summer intensive courses through the summer holidays at Leighton Park School. This is a very popular course resulting in faster progression.

The children swim every day for half an hour for one week. Some of our parent’s book double lessons so the children swim back to back for an hour.

We run stamina classes for our older children at Leighton Park School. The children really enjoy these classes. These lessons aim to improve technique, skill and fitness. For more information on these courses please contact us for more details.

If your child is swimming please do not leave the premises during the lesson and ensure you are there to collect them at the end.

Please inform the teacher if someone else is collecting your child.

It is not the responsibility of GBS Swim School to look after swimmers prior to their arrival on the poolside or once they have left.

Parents are responsible for children in the changing areas.

• Swimming caps are optional at Leighton Park.
• We recommend either silicone or fabric caps as these are most comfortable.
• We recommend all swimmers wear goggles during their lessons as children progress quicker.
• You also need to bring swimwear, and towels, plus if you would like to make use of the pool’s shower facilities please bring shower gel and shampoo.
• All other equipment used in the swimming lessons is supplied.

Children should have two main requirements when it comes to swimming goggles, comfort while wearing them and a good seal to prevent leaking.

Having a good pair of goggles during their swimming lessons can;

• Lead to better performance during swimming lessons.
• Faster progression.
• Enhanced comfort and visibility when swimming underwater.

GBS highly recommends the Aqua Sphere brand. We find this brand of goggle has an effective seal to prevent water leakage. We have found they also have clear lenses which increases visibility when swimming under the water.

Aqua Sphere goggles also come in a number of different shapes and sizes so it’s easier to find a fit that suits your individual child. No one goggle style fits all.

It’s also a good idea to try on various shapes to ensure you find the right fit and shape for your child’s face.

Please find below the link for Aqua Sphere children’s goggles. We highly recommend purchasing a pair of clear lenses.

Eye Protection Youth Goggles

• Swimmers already having lessons with GBS Swim School will have priority on places provided they re-enroll on time.
• Re enrolment normally occurs 4/5 weeks prior to the end of term.
• Remaining places then go to children on our waiting list.
• All other places are booked on a first come first served basis.
• Full payment can secure your child's place.
• Term lengths may vary and prices based on the number of lessons per term.

In the unusual event of a pool closure GBS will endeavor to reschedule the missed session. If we are unable to do this we offer a credit towards next terms swimming lessons. However if a parent is not returning the following term and is unable to use their credit, a full refund of the lesson missed (due to the pool closure) will be given.

In the unusual event of a teacher’s absence GBS Swim school will make sure a replacement teacher is provided.

You can contact us during our office hours:
Monday-Saturday 8:30am-9pm
Telephone: 07881 596 722
Email: info@gbsswimschool.com
Website: www.gbsswimschool.com