We are Stockton’s most established learn to swim provider and have been guiding children to take their first splashes for over a decade. Our approach is simple, deliver the best possible experience to help children build self awareness, develop essential skills and enjoy being safe and confident in and around water.
Swimming is undoubtedly one of the most important life skills that you can learn, and fortunately, once you learn how, you will never forget. However, 1 in 3 children in the UK cannot swim. It is for this reason that swimming is now part of the national curriculum and reported on by Ofsted to ensure that all children leave school with the ability to swim 25m.
We follow the Swim England framework across all of our swimming pools to ensure we are delivering the latest technical, technique and teaching content throughout the stages. In recent years there has been an emphasis placed on water safety and understanding the risks of water, a theme that flows throughout our lessons delivered in a fun and engaging way.
The Tees Active learn to swim scheme is proudly supported by Commonwealth Gold medallist and Team GB Olympian Aimee Willmott, who shares our passion and commitment to raising the profile of swimming and promoting its many benefits to children and adults across the region. We believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and enjoy swimming in their local pool, and together with Aimee we will continue to inspire the next generation of swimmers.
The most important benefit of taking part is that the participant of the Learn to Swim Scheme will gain abilities and confidence in the water. This is a necessary skill which we should all learn.
All participants of Tees Active’s Learn to Swim Scheme also receive a Tees Active Live More Savings card when they join, which not only provides discounts for all swim lessons but also gives the holder discounts across a variety of leisure activities with Tees Active for the duration of their time on the scheme! This includes ice skating, swimming, birthday parties, coached activities, soft play and much more! Find out more about Tees Active’s Savings Card’s here.
Aimee Willmott – Tees Active Learn to Swim Ambassador
Continuous assessment to ensure your child moves at the right pace for them.
Track progress, receive alerts and manage everything in one place easily from any device.
Receive certificates and medals to keep you motivated as your child progresses through the stages.
All our coaches are Swim England Level 2 qualified.
Children develop self-confidence, social skills and a sense of accomplishment in a fun and friendly environment.
Easy to set up and manage direct debit payments.
Intensive learn-to-swim lessons are a fantastic way to learn … children learn so much quicker when they have a lesson every day! These lessons are perfect for those are already enrolled onto our Learn to Swim Scheme and would like extra help or those who are waiting for spaces.
Teen Learn to Swim lessons are a great opportunity for teens ages 10+ who are new to swimming. The course gives your child the opportunity to learn with others in a similar group to take them through stages 1-3 and then can progress to Next Level Teen L2S.
Our Junior Swim Fit sessions are designed for children who have successfully completed all Learn to Swim stages and want to continue enjoying swimming in a relaxed, supportive environment. These sessions are ideal for your child to improve fitness, and develop their technique, without the commitment of competitive swimming or joining a club.
We’ve created a short survey to help you understand your child’s current swimming ability and a link to enrol directly onto the most appropriate stage. Complete the survey here.
We run lessons across all of our swimming pools and spaces come and go often as children move throughout the stages. Once you have decided on your availability, whether this is specific to a particular day or venue, or whether you can be more flexible, you can join the waiting list.
Once a space that matches your criteria becomes available, an automated email will be sent to a small number of people at the front of the waiting list who will each have 30 minutes to accept the place before it is sent to the next group. This process will continue until the place is booked – please note if you miss this opportunity you will remain at your current place in the list. Please be aware that these emails are automated and could be sent at any time throughout the day or night.
All lessons are a minimum of 25 minutes of delivery time in the pool with the remaining time used to update the children’s progress and speak with parents if and when required.
Lessons are available to purchase by monthly direct debit.
Visit our timetables and pricing page for prices – select the swimming timetable and then the price tab at the bottom of the timetable.
Please note that a one off £10 joining fee applies per child when joining the Tees Active Learn to Swim Scheme. Your child will then be eligible for Tees Active LiveMore activity prices for the whole duration whilst they are on the scheme. A LiveMore card provides fantastic savings on a variety of our activities, this includes anything from swimming, ice skating and soft play, to GoClimb and Air Trail as well as birthday parties!
Please note that a one off £10 joining fee applies per child when joining the Tees Active Learn to Swim Scheme. Your child will then be eligible for Tees Active LiveMore activity prices for the whole duration whilst they are on the scheme. A LiveMore card provides fantastic savings on a variety of our activities, this includes anything from swimming, ice skating and soft play, to GoClimb and Air Trail as well as birthday parties!
When you enrol for lessons, you will create an online account where you can set up your direct debit for monthly payments.
If you are in receipt of a variety of benefits you can visit the venue in person to enrol for lessons with our LiveWell card. Please note you must bring proof of eligibility. For more on the LiveWell card please click here.
A pro-rata fee is a one-off payment which must be paid after completing your Direct Debit form. This payment covers the cost of swimming lessons until the date of your first Direct Debit payment. This amount will vary depending on what date of the month you join the programme.
The Direct Debit payment plan is a rolling 30 day contract. The terms and conditions can be found on the reverse of the application form but there are no hidden admin fees. You do not have to pay for a minimum term, however, we do ask for 30 days’ notice in writing if you wish to cancel your membership. To cancel, please email [email protected] and include with your child’s details.
The learn to swim programme is continuous and your child’s lessons may on occasion be due to take place on bank holidays. If this occurs, we will make the necessary adjustment to your next direct debit payment to take into consideration the cancellation of the lesson. The learn to swim programme breaks between Christmas and New Year for two weeks, these weeks have been removed from the price in advance.
Unfortunately, we cannot refund or credit missed lessons for religious events or festivals. Details of the Learn to Swim refund policy are available in the Guidelines and Policies section of our website under Tees Active Membership terms and Conditions.
Unfortunately, if a Direct Debit payment fails, we will attempt to contact you to take payment or attempt to take payment on the next direct debit run. If the account is not brought back up to date within this period, then we will class this as non-payment. This will result in you being removed from the programme. To avoid confusion and disappointment, please make sure payment is made as soon as possible, as we will not be able to teach anyone that is no longer registered.
If lessons have to be cancelled due to lack of swimming teachers and/or planned pool maintenance, a refund will be given. If however, the pool has to close due to unforeseen circumstances outside of our control due to an emergency etc. then as long as the member has a minimum of 47 lessons per year then no refund will be given. Please make sure you give correct contact details in case we need to contact you about a cancelled lesson.
In the unlikely event that we will need to refund, an adjustment to your next pro rata payment or if it is to short notice to make an adjustment, then we will endeavour to make the adjustment to your next available scheduled payment.
Each swimmer will learn at their own pace and we appreciate that some will be ready to progress to the next stage of the scheme earlier than others. You can track your child’s progress in the ‘Course Pro’ tab within your Leisure Hub account. This will give you an insight into the areas that require more attention allowing you to practice in your own time and progress quicker.
We ask that you communicate any issues with the venues reception team at your earliest convenience and this information will be passed onto your coach.
Unfortunately we cannot refund or credit lessons for the occasional missed lessons. However, we do have a refund policy where by the swimmer is unable to attend their lessons over a sustained period due to a medical condition. Details of the learn to swim refund policy are available upon request.
Children need to be at least 3 years of age before they can join the scheme, as they will be in the pool independently.
Our Learn to swim Scheme is 100% practical based and all our coaches are level 2 qualified and trained to help and motivate the swimmer to improve their technique and confidence in the water.
Our Learn to Swim Scheme runs 50 weeks of the year and only breaks up for 2 weeks over Christmas. please note this is taken into account within your payments already, so you will not need to request a refund for this period.
Starting swimming lessons is a big step for many children (and often for those taking them!).
Even if you are a pool regular yourself, it’s not always obvious what to bring for your child’s first swimming lesson.
So we thought we’d help out by highlighting some steps to take beforehand and what to bring to the first session.
Before the lesson
We strongly recommend you familiarise your child with the local pool and swimming pool environment. Family trips swimming are the perfect way to do this, as well as a fun day out! It may also be worthwhile checking what their dress code is for lessons and whether you need to take anything extra.
The lesson itself
It’s a nice idea to involve your child in what they need for their swimming lesson so they know what to expect when they get to the pool. Use our checklist below to make sure you have all the essentials.
First Swimming Lesson Checklist
Here is our list of things to think of when taking your child for their first swimming lesson.
You can find the membership terms & conditions on our website here.
You can contact our team by completing the online form further down on this page. This will direct your query to the appropriate venue so we can provide a quicker and more accurate response.
Starting swimming lessons is a big step for any family and we want to make you feel as comfortable as possible by proving a full overview of each stage and what you can expect. The Swim England framework is designed to equip children with the necessary skills to support a life long ability to be confident in the water. If you child wishes to continue the journey on completion of the first 7 stages, we have a number of options available to develop skills further.
The Discovery Ducks and Duckling awards are designed to help toddlers (aged 3+) and children to explore and enjoy the fun of learning to swim whilst boosting confidence in and out of the water.
Stage 1 helps to build water confidence, while introducing water safety skills and the basic skills needed to build swimming ability. Learners will develop basic safety awareness, learn basic movement skills and water confidence skills. They will also be introduced to a structured class setting. Swimmers may use flotation equipment, such as arm bands and floats, throughout this stage.
Stage 2 sees swimmers develop streamlining to their strokes and travel without their feet on the floor, using a recognised leg kick. Swimmers are also introduced to aquatic breathing and taught to make safe entries into the water, including jumping. They will develop basic floating and learn how to rotate to regain an upright position without support.
Stage 3, swimmers will develop their kicks, on both their front and their back. They streamline through push and glides, whilst also swimming underwater. Swimmers will develop safe entries into the water, including submersion, and travel up to 10 metres on their front and back. Water safety knowledge and rotation skills will also be progressed.
Stage 4 sees swimmers perfect their leg kicks for all four strokes and further develop push and glides, while also being introduced to sculling. They will develop an understanding of buoyancy through a range of skills and should swim 10 metres to the Swim England Expected Standards.
Stage 5 swimmers will develop their skills in treading water, learn the correct arm pulls for all four strokes and learn how to do handstands and somersaults. This means they will develop their technique and perform all strokes to the Swim England Expected Standards. The emphasis is on ensuring all work done in the previous stages is developed further.
Stage 6 teaches swimmers how to prepare for exercise, while developing an efficient technique for all four strokes and further developing surface dives. The effective swimming skills taught include coordination, breathing and an understanding of water safety.
Stage 7 focuses on fully developing all four swimming strokes, as well as building stamina and improving diving skills. Swimmers should develop a quality stroke technique for up to 100 metres, incorporating the skills they have learnt throughout the stages and combining them to develop a linked routine. They should successfully complete an obstacle course, which combines a variety of skills they have learnt from Stages 1 to 7.
After swimmers have completed Stages 1 – 7 of our Learn to Swim scheme, they can continue on our scheme by completing the Swimming Challenge awards. The Bronze, Silver, Gold and Honours award challenges swimmers to develop a wide range of skills and stamina with a focus on good stroke technique.
Tees Active recognises the achievement of all swimmers that complete all 7 stages and then continue to achieve all Swimming Challenge awards. Children are awarded with a commemorative certificate and medal to mark their achievement.
RLSS UK’s Rookie Lifeguard programme gives your child the skills they need to be confident in the pool or the sea – which means peace of mind for you. With fun, varied activities, the Rookie Lifeguard scheme teaches children how to swim and enjoy water safely, whether in shallow or deeper water.
Our selection of videos will show you what to expect in your child’s lessons, how to monitor their progress and the standard of delivery we achieve in every lesson from our experience and qualified coaches.
Parents can play an active role in increasing water confidence in babies and young children from an early age. Although it’s not essential to take your child to a swimming pool, bath time activities can be a good introduction to the water. Here are four activities to help build your child’s water confidence.
The Causeway, Billingham Town Centre, TS23 2LJ
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