First splash to confident strokes.
Structured Swim England lessons for babies, children and adults at three pools across Bermondsey, Greenwich and Lewisham. Skip the guesswork — find your swimmer's stage in two minutes.
2-minute quiz · maps to Swim England framework · real open slots
Stage Finder · live
Mira → Stage 3
Sat 09:30 · Greenwich · 2 spaces
The Stage Finder.
No other swim school in South East London does this. Four questions and we map your swimmer to a Swim England Stage 1–10, show lessons with real open spots, and pre-fill your free taster.
- ✓Two minutes. No email. No phone call.
- ✓Same framework local schools assess to.
- ✓Instructor knows what to look for at your taster.
Question 3 of 4
How far can they swim without floats?
A pathway from bath-time bubbles to butterfly.
Five carefully designed programmes — each grouped by ability, not just age. Jump in wherever fits, and we'll move your swimmer up when they're ready.
Splashlings
Parent & baby — gentle introduction to water
Warm-water classes for babies and toddlers with a parent or carer in the pool. Songs, splashing, gentle submersions and a heap of cuddles. The aim isn't to teach swimming yet — it's to build trust, breath control and a love of bath-time.
Tadpoles
Pre-school — first independent splashes
Children leave the parent's arms and start working with our instructor in the shallow end. We focus on Swim England Stages 1–3: water confidence, blowing bubbles, floating on front and back, and travelling unaided across the pool with woggles or floats.
Stingrays
School age — strokes, distance, deep water
The core of our school. Children are placed by ability, not age — working through Swim England Stages 4–7 in the main pool. Front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, then butterfly. We build distance, technique and confidence in deeper water.
Adult Learn-to-Swim
Beginner & improver classes for grown-ups
Whether you've never put your face in the water or just want to fix your front crawl, our adult classes are quiet, supportive and judgement-free. Two streams: Beginner (water confidence to 25m unaided) and Improver (stroke refinement and 400m+).
Tideway Squad
Pre-competitive & club-feeder training
By invitation, for swimmers who have completed Stage 7 and want a more demanding session. Three squads — Bronze, Silver and Gold — building stamina, race technique, starts and turns. We are a recognised feeder for several London clubs.
What a Tideway lesson actually looks like.
Every minute is planned. Here's the rhythm parents see from the spectator gallery — and what's happening in the water.
Poolside warm-up
Names checked, listening ears on. Dryland stretches and the day's focus skill explained — no time in the water lost to admin.
Water entry & confidence
Controlled entry (steps for Stage 1, slide-in for Stage 3+). Quick recap of last week's skill so the new one builds on it.
The skill block
The main 12 minutes — one core skill, two drills, instructor at arm's length. This is where stages get earned.
Free swim & badge check
Last 6 minutes are playful — apply the skill in a game, instructor ticks the framework, parents get a thumbs-up or note.
Four principles that shape every lesson.
Built on the Swim England Learn to Swim Framework, refined over eight years by founder and former Olympic swimmer Hannah Bryce and our team of full-time instructors.
Read the full teaching methodSmall groups, always
A maximum of 6 swimmers per instructor in pre-school and primary classes — and just 5 in our adult lessons. Everyone gets seen, every lesson.
Confidence before technique
A scared swimmer doesn't learn. We invest the first weeks in trust, breath control and play before drilling stroke mechanics.
Honest progression
We only pass a swimmer up a stage when they meet the Swim England criteria — never on age, never on attendance. A Tideway badge actually means something.
Family-shaped timetables
Lessons are 30 minutes, sibling slots run back-to-back, and most parents can do the whole school's lessons in a single hour on Saturday morning.
Track every badge, every lesson, every milestone.
Every Tideway parent gets a private portal — see your child's current stage, what they're working on this term, the next session, badges earned and instructor notes. No more rummaging through book-bags for soggy passports.
- ✓Live stage progression with skill checklist
- ✓Lesson notes from your child's coach
- ✓Instant rebooking if you miss a session
- ✓Termly invoices and payment in one place
Welcome back, Sarah 👋
Mira's swimming
Current stage
Stage 3
2 of 4 skills mastered
Next lesson
Sat 09:30
Greenwich · with Dan
Term balance
£0.00
Paid for autumn term
Stage 3 progress
2 / 4 ticked
- ✓Travel 10m on front
- ✓Travel 10m on back
- Submerge to pick up an object
- Tread water for 30 seconds
3 badges earned this term · Splashling 1, Stage 1, Stage 2
Trusted by 800+ families across South East London.
Mira was terrified of putting her head under last September. Eight months later she's swam a 25m front crawl badge at Greenwich. The instructors are so patient — and they actually remember the kids' names.
Priya S.
Greenwich · parent of Mira, age 6
I came to the adult beginners class as a 38-year-old who'd never swam a length. The class is small, no-one judges and Coach Daniel works around your fears. I did my first triathlon last summer.
Tom R.
Bermondsey · adult learner
Both my boys swim with Tideway Squad on Thursdays at Lewisham. The coaching has lifted them from 'fast for their age' to actual race-ready. Highly recommend.
Amelia K.
Lewisham · parent of two squad swimmers
Find a Tideway pool near you.
Your first lesson is on us.
Find their stage in two minutes, then bring your swimmer for a free 30-minute taster at any Tideway pool. Decide on the term after.
Or call 020 7193 4400