Student Resources and FAQ
Everything current students/parents need to know about Swimming Lessons, from details on booking make-up lessons, to submitting your SA Sport Voucher, to our best practice procedure for having students ready to go at the start of their class.
How to enrol into swimming lessons via the class timetable page. Download step-by-step guide as a PDF.
Here's an interactive tutorial
** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **How to enrol into swimming lessons via the main CLient Portal login screen
General
Children under 5 – must be accompanied in the water and remain within arms reach of an adult.
Children under 10 – must be accompanied and constantly supervised by an adult.
In swimming lessons, students enrolled in babies and toddlers classes require their parents to be in the water with them. In all other swimming lesson classes, parents are still expected to abide by Watch Around Water with constant supervision of their children under 10.
Yes, we encourage students to practice their new skills. However the pool can be busy at peak times and have limited or no availability. Casual swimming at Thebarton is primarily available on Weekends and some evenings. Students simply need to scan their card to gain entry, and accompanying parents and guests pay standard casual admission fees.
The YMCA welcomes the capturing of your magic moments on camera or video, however privacy of others must be respected. The use of cameras and video cameras at this venue is conditional upon the following:
- You must have all relevant individuals consent to use images
- It is illegal to broadcast or publish images without consent
- Under no circumstances are cameras, video cameras or mobile phones to be used in change room areas
Our teachers hold nationally accredited Teacher of Swimming & Water Safety Certificates, along with current CPR and Working with Children checks. All teachers that teach infant or disability lessons hold specialised qualifications.
Account and membership
If you are unable to attend a swimming lesson you are entitled to a make-up lesson at no cost. Every student can use 12 make-up lessons per 12 months of enrolment. All make-up lessons must be booked online via the Customer Portal. Full details can be found in our Make Up Lesson policy.
No. There are no lessons held on public holidays, and you are only charged when lessons are held.
We do not offer suspensions outside of medical suspensions. However, we do offer a convenient and flexible Make-up Lesson Policy to cover up to 12 missed lessons per 12 months, which can be used to cover family holiday, illnesses etc.
Swimming lessons are automatically suspended for two weeks over the Christmas holidays. We also offer medical suspensions which are available at no charge for students who are unable to attend 2 or more consecutive lessons.
Medical suspensions are available at no charge for students who are unable to attend 2 or more consecutive lessons. Medical suspensions cannot be back-dated, and must be arranged prior to the missed lesson in writing (in-person or email) and be accompanied by a supporting medical certificate. Suspensions over 6 weeks will be removed from their class and re-enrolled into a suitable class with vacancy upon return.
Fortnightly direct debit payments encourages continual skill development with no re-enrolment process. Every second Thursday the agreed debit amount will automatically be withdrawn from your nominated bank account or credit card. Generally the debit will be for the cost of 2 lessons (any outstanding debt is automatically added to the debit). If a debit has failed, you will be notified via text and email in the days following the debit. A $15.00 fee is charged for any rejected debit.
If an account is not paid after two consecutive failed debits, the student will be removed from the class, and the swimming lesson membership and centre access will cease immediately. If your membership is cancelled due to rejected debits, you will need to pay any outstanding balance and re-enrol into an available class
While most of our students enjoy building the skill of swimming year round, we completely understand if you wish to take some time off. We simply need 14 days written notice of cancellation - this can be provided in person by paper form or via the form below. We will confirm receipt and last day of lessons for all cancellation emails.
With 14 days notice, this generally means you will have two more lessons. As lessons are paid in advance there may be a partial debit still taken out after notice is provided depending on the day of lessons and day of cancellation.
If there is a particular challenge/issue prompting your cancellation, or have feedback to share, we would love to hear from you.
Attending classes
Come ready to swim, with bathers one. If you need to get changed on site, we have change rooms available.
For swimming lessons you will need bathers, towel, goggles (if preferred), and also dry clothes to change into after their session. Parents, don't forget you are in the water to if in our babies and toddlers program.
Goggles are not a compulsory part of our program however we highly recommend children gaining experience both with and without goggles.
If your child is under 3 and/or enrolled into one of our Babies & Toddlers Classes (Starfish, Periwinkle, Minnow) then a parent/guardian must be in the water for the lesson.
We recommend parents/guardians wear a tshirt while in the water to give children something to hold on to.
Infants are required to wear a swimming nappy. We generally have stock available at Customer Service if needed. Standard nappies are not permitted in the pool.
Please be aware that it is common for children at this age to have difficulty adjusting to swimming lessons. Most children will settle within a few weeks; however we do encourage parents to bring bathers along during this time, in case your child requires additional support.
All students in our program are continually assessed by the teacher for improvement and readiness for upgrading to the next level. Once they feel that a swimmer is ready, they will notify the supervisor for a formal assessment.
Skill tracking and assessments are available in the Customer Portal. Once all skills are attained you will receive an email prompting a class transfer to the next level.