Five programmes · ages 0 to adult

Find the right programme for your swimmer.

Whatever your starting point — a six-month-old who's never been in the bath without crying, or an adult who can already swim a length but wants to fix their stroke — there is a Tideway class that fits.

0–3 years

Splashlings

Parent & baby — gentle introduction to water

Group size: Max 8 babies + parents
Lesson length: 30 minutes
Badges earned: Splashling Stages 1–4

See Splashlings timetable

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.

What's covered

✓Heated 32°C teaching pool
✓STA Baby & Pre-school qualified instructors
✓30-minute lessons — perfect for short attention spans
✓Parent stays in the water

A typical week

Splashlings sessions run on weekday mornings (Tue and Thu, 10:00 and 10:30) at Bermondsey and Greenwich, plus Saturday and Sunday morning slots — built around nap times and parent-and-baby groups.

3–5 years

Tadpoles

Pre-school — first independent splashes

Group size: Max 6 children
Lesson length: 30 minutes
Badges earned: Stages 1, 2, 3

See Tadpoles timetable

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.

What's covered

✓Swim England Learn to Swim Framework
✓Maximum 6 children per instructor
✓Float-supported travel and submersion
✓Stage 1, 2 and 3 badge progression

A typical week

Tadpoles slots run on weekday afternoons (15:30 to 17:00) and Saturday mornings. Pick a regular weekly slot — the same instructor and the same group every week.

5–12 years

Stingrays

School age — strokes, distance, deep water

Group size: Max 6 swimmers
Lesson length: 30 minutes
Badges earned: Stages 4, 5, 6, 7

See Stingrays timetable

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.

What's covered

✓Ability-grouped, not age-grouped
✓All four strokes taught
✓25m and 50m distance awards
✓Deep-water and treading-water skills

A typical week

Most Stingrays lessons run between 16:00 and 18:00 on weekdays plus Saturday and Sunday mornings. Lessons are 30 minutes; many families pair siblings back-to-back.

16+ years

Adult Learn-to-Swim

Beginner & improver classes for grown-ups

Group size: Max 5 adults
Lesson length: 45 minutes
Badges earned: Adult Award 1, 2, 3

See Adult Learn-to-Swim timetable

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+).

What's covered

✓Small adult-only groups
✓Female-only sessions available on request
✓Beginner and Improver streams
✓Triathlon-prep and open-water orientation add-ons

A typical week

Adults swim in the evenings (Mon, Tue and Wed, 19:00–20:30) when the pools are quieter. Sessions are 45 minutes including a short warm-up and stretch.

8–17 years

Tideway Squad

Pre-competitive & club-feeder training

Group size: Max 10 per lane
Lesson length: 60 minutes (×2/wk)
Badges earned: Stage 8, 9, 10 + ASA Awards

See Tideway Squad timetable

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's covered

✓Two 60-minute sessions per week
✓Race-pace and interval training
✓Starts, turns and underwater work
✓Invitation only — assessed via free trial

A typical week

Squad meets twice weekly — Mon 18:00 at Greenwich and Thu 19:00 at Greenwich for Bronze and Silver. Tue 18:30 Lewisham for Gold. Both sessions of the week are required for selection.

Not sure which one fits?

Take the 2-minute Stage Finder — we map your swimmer to a stage and recommend the best class to start in.

Find my stage Book a free assessment