GoggleSquad Swim School Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question about GoggleSquad swimming lessons?
Click the category to dive into the most common questions.
Getting Started with Swimming Lessons at GoggleSquad
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Children can start learning to swim with GoggleSquad from as young as eight weeks old. There’s more information about this topic in our advice article. We teach Baby and Toddler lessons in our East Molesey, Cobham Feltonfleet and Claygate venues. To enquire about places for babies, please email hello@gogglesquad.co.uk.
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No. Children do not need any prior swimming experience to join GoggleSquad. We welcome complete beginners as well as children with some swimming experience. Lessons are structured so children are placed in the most appropriate group for their age and ability, and our instructors are experienced in supporting children who are new to the water as well as those who are building on existing skills.
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We offer two main lesson pathways: GoggleTots for pre-school children and GoggleSquad Academy for school-age learners. Class placement is based on your child’s age, ability, and the facilities available at each venue. The best way to find the right class is to submit an enquiry or email hello@gogglesquad.co.uk.
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We understand that it’s completely normal for some children to feel nervous or anxious when starting swimming lessons. Our instructors are trained to take a calm, patient approach and to build confidence gradually. They use clear routines, positive encouragement, and age-appropriate activities to help children feel safe and supported in the water. We never force a child to do something they are not ready for, and we adjust our teaching to meet each child where they are, allowing confidence to grow naturally over time.
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Your child’s first swimming lesson is designed to help them feel safe, comfortable, and confident in the water. The instructor will spend time getting to know your child, understanding their confidence level, and introducing the structure of the lesson. Activities are gentle and supportive, focusing on water familiarity, listening to instructions, and simple movement in the pool. There is no pressure to “perform” in the first session, and instructors adapt their approach to each child so they can settle at their own pace.
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Where needed and if possible, we will assess a child in the water, but generally we place a child in a class following a detailed discussion with their parent. We’ll then make sure we are satisfied that they in the right group at a comparable level - and if not, will look at placing them in a more suitable group.
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We do not offer trial lessons. In some circumstances, an in-water assessment may be offered to ensure your child is placed in the most suitable group.
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You can register your child by completing an enquiry on our website, emailing hello@gogglesquad.co.uk, or calling 01372 613032. We’ll discuss your child’s needs, confirm availability, and invite you to register via the Learner Portal.
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Registration requires parent or guardian contact details, emergency contact information, photo consent, learner details, and the creation of a password to access the Learner Portal.
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If no suitable space is available, your child can be added to our waiting list and we’ll contact you as soon as a place becomes available.
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We operate three terms per year. Term 1: September to Christmas holidays; Term 2: January to Easter holidays; Term 3: After Easter to the Summer holidays. We split each term into two blocks for the purposes of payment. See our Term Dates page for specific information about lesson dates at each of our venues.
What to Expect from GoggleSquad Swimming Lessons
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Most swimming lessons are 30 minutes long. Some venues and programmes offer longer sessions, such as 45 minutes or more, which are clearly shown at booking.
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Attending one swimming lesson per week is usually sufficient to see progress. Consistent attendance helps children build confidence and improve faster.
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During term time, children’s lessons are mainly small-group sessions. We also offer private one-to-one lessons during school holidays and adult swimming lessons at selected venues.
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Yes, adult lessons are available for all levels. We teach adult lessons at our Cobham Notre Dame, Walton and East Molesey Imber Court venues.
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No, our adult classes cater for all levels and learners are placed with others at a similar level to ensure lessons are optimal for all!
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In the early stages, swimming lessons focus on building water confidence and basic safety skills. Children begin by learning how to feel comfortable in the water, follow simple instructions, and move safely with support. Early skills typically include safe pool entry and exit, floating and body position, blowing bubbles, face submersion, and simple arm and leg movements. As confidence grows, these foundations are built upon to develop more independent swimming skills.
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Yes. Water safety is an important part of our swimming lessons and is built in from the very beginning. Children are taught age-appropriate safety skills such as safe pool entry and exit, understanding basic pool rules, floating and recovery skills, and how to respond calmly in the water. These principles are reinforced as children progress, alongside the development of swimming technique and confidence.
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No, armbands are not allowed as they interfere with correct body position and swimming technique. We use approved teaching aids that support safe and effective learning.
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Children should bring swimwear, a towel, and goggles. School-age learners must wear a swimming hat and long hair should be tied back. All teaching equipment is provided.
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Yes. For baby and toddler swimming lessons, a parent or carer is required to get into the water with their child. These lessons are designed to support very young children through close parental involvement, with the instructor guiding activities and helping parents learn how to safely support their child in the water.
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Our regular swimming lessons follow school term times and do not usually run during school holidays. However, we do offer intensive crash courses during some school holidays at selected venues, including Feltonfleet and Imber Court. Details of holiday courses are shared when available and spaces are limited.
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Swimming lessons cannot be deferred or put on hold. Missed lessons remain payable and places are only held for the lesson block that has been paid for.
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We cannot accept responsibility for any personal belongings lost or left behind at our swimming venues. Please ensure that all items - especially swimwear, towels, goggles, and bags - are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Any items found by our instructors when they sweep at the end of a session will be placed in the venue’s lost property box where available.
Unclaimed items will be disposed of at the end of each term block. We recommend taking all belongings home immediately after each lesson to avoid loss.
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At GoggleSquad we believe that smaller classes allow for more attention and better instruction and support. We therefore limit group swimming lessons for to no more than four children to one teacher. The only exceptions are parent and child lessons where parents are supporting their child in the water alongside the instructor and lessons for learners at Stage 5 and above who can swim independently and can follow instructions better.
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We welcome children with special educational needs and work closely with parents to understand a child’s individual needs to ensure we can support them effectively with their lessons. At present, we’re unable to cater for children with physical disabilities that require specialist equipment, as we rent pool facilities and don’t have full control over accessibility features. We’re always happy to have a conversation to see whether we’re a good fit and to recommend alternative options if needed.
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We like consistency, so strive to ensure that learners have the same instructor every week. Invariably, this can change if an instructor is off sick, in which case we organise a cover teacher and a detailed handover so that that the cover teacher has all the information they need. Sometimes teachers have holidays or emergencies for which we arrange cover in the same way. Generally, we do this as a last resort and we always aim to communicate this before the lesson.
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This isn’t uncommon, particularly at the start when everything is new and unfamiliar. Our instructors are trained to gently help children build confidence. We generally persevere as we know that most children tend to settle as they become more comfortable in their surroundings, but we’ll never continue with a lesson if a child is in distress and can’t settle. We’re always happy to have a debrief after a lesson to discuss our approach and to get input from parents or carers. in our experience, more children enjoy and look forward to GoggleSquad swimming lessons than don’t!
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We do our best to ensure learners are alongside others at a similar stage of their swimming journey so that classes are tailored to their needs, allowing them to consistently build up their skills with every lesson. If we think your child would be better suited to an alternative group once their lessons have started, we’ll discuss this with you promptly.
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Yes, all of our instructors have experience teaching young children. We also have early years specialists who have deeper experience teaching babies and toddlers.
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We believe in being transparent about pricing. Our lesson prices are clearly listed on our website, and reflect the quality, structure, and outcomes of our teaching.
GoggleSquad lessons are delivered in small groups (a maximum of four children up to Stage 5), which means each child receives significantly more individual attention than in typical leisure centre classes of 8–12 learners. In practical terms, this gives children around two to two-and-a-half times more teacher attention, helping them progress faster, build confidence sooner, and avoid getting stuck at the same stage.
Our teachers are always in the water providing hands-on support, and are backed by experienced managers who monitor standards and provide ongoing training. We pay our instructors well to attract and retain high-quality staff, and we stay closely involved in class placement and parent communication rather than relying on automated systems alone.
While our lessons may cost more per session, the real value is in the speed and quality of progress. Many children reach their goals in fewer terms, saving time and frustration in the long run. We also reinvest in our venues, people, and systems to ensure a consistently safe, professional, and high-quality swim school experience.
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No. Outdoor shoes should not be worn in the changing rooms. Shoes should be left in the designated lobby or waiting area where available.
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Yes. Arriving ‘swim ready’ (for example, wearing a onesie or clothes over swimwear) helps make changing quicker and easier for everyone.
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Baby changing facilities are available at many venues. Facilities may vary slightly depending on the site.
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Yes. Parents and carers are welcome to observe swimming lessons. We ask that a parent or carer remains on or near the poolside during all lessons.
For preschoolers taking part in independent lessons (where the parent is not in the water), a parent or carer must remain on the poolside for the duration of the session so they are available if needed.
Due to limited space on poolside, we ask that only one parent or carer accompanies each child.
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All children under 3 years old, and any child who is not yet toilet-trained, must wear a double nappy for swimming lessons. A double nappy consists of one swim nappy (disposable or reusable) with a neoprene nappy worn over the top. This is a non-negotiable condition of using our services. Children who are not wearing the correct nappy combination will not be able to take part in their lesson. Nappy bins are provided in changing rooms where available, or used nappies should be taken home.
Learner Progress and Development
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Progress varies and can be affected by many factors. Age, water comfort, and lesson frequency all play a role so we’re afraid there’s no easy answer to this question. It depends! We’ve written an article on this topic titled How Long Does It Take A Child To Learn How To Swim?
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There is no fixed timeframe for moving up a swimming stage, as progress varies from child to child. Factors such as age, confidence in the water, attendance, and individual learning pace all play a part. Some children progress quickly, while others benefit from spending longer consolidating skills at each stage. Our focus is on building strong, confident swimmers rather than moving children through stages as quickly as possible.
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A child is ready to move to the next swimming level when they can consistently demonstrate the key skills and confidence required for their current stage. Our instructors assess progress through regular observation during lessons, focusing on technique, water confidence, and safety skills rather than speed of progression. Decisions are made in line with the Swim England Learn to Swim Framework, and children move up only when they are comfortable and secure at their current level.
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If it becomes clear that your child would be better suited to a different swimming level, we’ll review their placement and make an adjustment. This may involve moving them to a more suitable group so they can learn alongside children of a similar ability and confidence. Our priority is to ensure every child is comfortable, supported, and able to make steady progress, and we’ll always discuss any recommended changes with parents.
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Children progress at different rates, and that’s completely normal. If a child is progressing faster, instructors will continue to challenge them within the lesson while monitoring whether a move to a different group would be beneficial. If a child needs more time, instructors focus on reinforcing confidence and core skills without pressure. Our aim is always to place children in a group where they feel comfortable, supported, and appropriately challenged, and we’ll discuss any recommended changes with parents when needed.
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Not necessarily. As children progress, they may move to a different group so they can continue learning alongside others at a similar stage and ability level. While we aim to keep changes to a minimum, moving groups can be the best way to ensure each child is appropriately supported and challenged as their skills develop.
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We’ll provide updates at the end of each half-term lesson block in the learner portal. There you can monitor progress in line with the Swim England Learn to Swim Framework to assess and track key learning milestones. We also make time at the end of each term block for parents to discuss progress. You can also discuss it with the lesson coordinators in the office at any time via hello@gogglesquad.co.uk.
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The Learner Portal is dedicated software called Swimphony that helps us to manage memberships, bookings and progression of learners in their swimming lessons. Additionally, it lets us automate some communications and billing, meaning we have more time to spend on what we do best - teaching swimming! Parents and participants can view lesson information, learner progression and and payment information.
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Yes. We follow the Swim England Learn to Swim Framework, which includes clear stages and milestones. When a child completes a stage, we use Swim England’s Awards Direct system to issue certificates digitally. You’ll receive an email when a stage is achieved with the option to order a certificate, which will then be sent directly to your home. The cost of the certificate is paid by parents at the point of ordering.
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As a swim school operating across multiple venues, issuing physical certificates poolside can be unreliable and time-consuming, with certificates often getting wet, damaged, or misplaced. Using Swim England’s Awards Direct system ensures certificates arrive in perfect condition and allows our teaching team to focus their time on delivering high-quality lessons rather than managing paperwork. Any commission offered through the system is donated to a swimming-related charity rather than retained by the swim school.
Payment, Cancellation and Important Policies
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Payments are taken in advance by Direct Debit for each half-term lesson block. You’ll receive email confirmation before payment is taken.
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Payment is taken one month before the start of each lesson block.
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If a payment fails, we’ll contact you to let you know and ask you to update your payment details in the Learner Portal as soon as possible. Until payment is successfully made, your child’s place in the class cannot be guaranteed. We recommend keeping payment details up to date to avoid any disruption to lessons, and our team is always happy to help if you experience any difficulties.
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New learners must give one month’s notice to cancel. Existing learners must cancel one month before the end of the current block or payment will be taken.
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We don’t offer refunds or catch-up lessons for missed sessions because our lessons run in small, carefully matched groups with no spare capacity. Each place in a class is reserved for a specific learner, and our costs remain the same whether a child attends or not. This approach allows us to keep class sizes small, maintain consistent teaching, and deliver high-quality lessons for every child.
If a lesson is cancelled by us due to circumstances beyond our control, such as power cuts, adverse weather, government guidance, or an issue affecting the pool or venue, we will offer a credit or an alternative date for the affected lesson(s).
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Unfortunately, we do not offer catch-up lessons to make up for lessons missed as our costs are incurred whether or not a learner attends. Catch-up lessons are disruptive to the normal running of established classes and classes are generally fully booked.
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Make-up lessons are not offered unless we cancel the session.
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Where possible, we aim to accommodate siblings in concurrent sessions, but this cannot be guaranteed.
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From time to time, swimming lesson prices may change to reflect rising venue, staffing, and operating costs. If any changes are planned, we’ll always notify parents in advance by email so you have plenty of notice before new prices take effect.
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Refunds and credits will not be given if a learner refuses to take part in a lesson.
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Refunds and credits will not be given if a learner is unable to take part in a lesson due to sickness.
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If a swimming lesson needs to be cancelled, we’ll let you know as soon as possible by email and SMS. In some situations, such as issues with the pool, power outages, or other circumstances beyond our control, notice may be short. Where lessons are cancelled by us, a credit or alternative date will be offered in line with our policy.
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In many cases, yes. If you need to change venues, please contact the GoggleSquad team and we’ll do our best to help, subject to availability at the new location. As class spaces are limited and grouped by age and ability, a transfer cannot always be guaranteed, but we’ll work with you to find the most suitable option where possible.
Safety, Supervision and Child Welfare
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GoggleSquad has a robust safeguarding policy aligned with Swim England guidelines to ensure the wellbeing of all children. Staff are trained and all concerns are treated seriously. We adopt and implement Swim England’s Wavepower safeguarding policy framework, the details of which can be found on our Safeguarding Policy page.
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Parents and carers must remain on site and close to the pool area for the full duration of their child’s swimming lesson. The swimming instructor is responsible for the child only during the scheduled lesson time. Parents or carers remain responsible before the lesson begins and immediately after it ends, and must remain available throughout in case their child needs support.
For preschool-aged children attending independent lessons, a parent or carer must remain on the poolside for the entire lesson. Waiting outside the pool building or observing through glass is not sufficient for this age group.
Parents of older children are also asked to wait on poolside or in a nearby viewing area, if applicable. If a parent or carer chooses to wait elsewhere on site, this is at their discretion and outside our usual arrangements, and swim school staff must be informed of where they can be found.
Please note that we do not accept responsibility for children outside of their lesson. If a child needs parental support during a lesson and a parent or carer is not immediately available, locating them may take longer.
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Yes, all instructors undergo enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks.
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Yes, all instructors have passed water safety or lifeguard certifications that include CPR and First Aid.
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Yes, GoggleSquad is a Swim England-accredited swim school. All instructors follow the Swim England Learn to Swim Framework and hold at least ASA Level 2 qualifications or the equivalent.
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Parents or carers may enter the changing rooms if they are helping a child aged 8 or under, or a child with a disability. When helping a child, parents or carers should use the changing room that matches their own gender (for example, dads should use the male changing room with their child). Children aged 8 and over are expected to change independently in the appropriate changing room and then meet their parent or carer in the designated waiting area by the entrance to the pool, ready for their lesson.
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Yes, during registration, you’ll be asked to share any relevant medical conditions and important health details.
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In the event of an emergency, the instructor will take immediate action to ensure the safety of all children in the lesson. All instructors are trained in water safety, first aid, and emergency procedures, and each venue operates under agreed safety and pool operating procedures. If necessary, parents or carers will be contacted straight away and appropriate medical or emergency services will be called. Our priority in any situation is the safety and wellbeing of the children in our care.
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Children who are unwell or have contagious illnesses should not attend lessons. Please inform the GoggleSquad team as soon as possible.
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No. For hygiene and safety reasons, food and drink are not permitted in pool areas or changing rooms..
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Each venue follows strict health and safety protocols to ensure learner wellbeing. We have operating procedures for our venues, which are updated. Our school pools have detailed pool operating procedures in place, alongside our own risk assessments.
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Minor cuts or grazes should be fully covered with a waterproof plaster before swimming. If a wound cannot be properly covered, your child should not swim until it has healed. Verrucas are common and do not usually prevent children from swimming, but we recommend covering them with a verruca sock or appropriate protection where possible. If you’re unsure whether your child should attend a lesson, please speak to the team before the session so we can advise appropriately.
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In most cases, it is fine for children to swim after vaccinations or once they are recovering from a minor illness, provided they are feeling well and able to take part comfortably. However, if your child has a fever, ongoing symptoms, or is generally unwell, they should not attend their swimming lesson. If you have any concerns following vaccinations or illness, we recommend following medical advice and using your judgement about whether your child is ready to return to swimming.
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If you have a safeguarding or welfare concern, please email welfare@gogglesquad.co.uk. Concerns will be handled sensitively by our designated safeguarding lead and managed in accordance with Swim England guidance and the Wavepower safeguarding framework.
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No. Photography and filming are strictly prohibited at all venues without exception. Anyone found filming or taking photos will be permanently banned and no refunds will be issued.
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We operate a strict double nappy policy, which means we insist on a swim nappy and additional neoprene nappy over the top for babies and toddlers. If you think there is a risk that this could happen with your child, then please take the appropriate steps to ensure there is no risk of 'leakage'. This is an absolute non-negotiable condition of using our services. If a child turns up to swimming and is not in the appropriate nappy combo, they will not be able to participate in their lesson. Under no circumstances should regular nappies be worn while swimming.
Learner Portal and Account Support
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Swimphony is the software we use to manage bookings, learner progression, communications, and payments.
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The Learner Portal is a secure online system where parents can view lesson details, payments, and learner progress. Access is provided once registration is complete.
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If you’re having trouble accessing the Learner Portal, first check that you’re using the correct email address and password. If you’ve forgotten your password, use the password reset option on the login page. If problems continue, please contact the GoggleSquad team at hello@gogglesquad.co.uk and we’ll be happy to help.
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Yes. You can update your child’s medical information and contact details at any time through the Learner Portal. Keeping this information up to date is important so we can ensure your child’s safety and contact you if needed.
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You can update your payment details by logging into the Learner Portal and navigating to the payments or billing section of your account. From there, you’ll be able to securely add or update your card details. If you have any difficulties, please contact the GoggleSquad team at hello@gogglesquad.co.uk and we’ll be happy to assist.
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If you have any concerns about your child’s swimming lessons, please contact the GoggleSquad team at hello@gogglesquad.co.uk in the first instance. We take feedback and concerns seriously and will respond as quickly as possible to discuss and address the issue.
Contacting GoggleSquad
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You can email hello@gogglesquad.co.uk with any questions or concerns.
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Our instructors are happy to briefly chat at the end of a lesson but generally, we prefer all feedback and communication to go via our central office so that communication is coordinated in an organised way. Email hello@gogglesquad.co.uk with any comments, queries or suggestions.