The Westland Recreation Centre’s Swim School is well on its way to being fully staffed and ready to deliver swim lessons at every level, giving local kids the skills they need to feel confident in the water. After a year of rebuilding, the swim school now has a dedicated team of instructors.
Becoming a swim instructor is no small feat, requiring a full year of training to complete the necessary qualifications. Swim School Coordinator Jo Sim says “the team is proud to support local young people in gaining these skills and giving back to the local community. It’s great to recruit young people at age 16, it gives us a couple of years of their skills and energy before they head off to university or other paths,” Jo says.
The current team includes four daytime swim instructors and six after-school instructors plus four casual qualified instructors that cover school holiday swim lessons when they are home on break. A significant step up from last year’s staffing levels, which included just four after-schoolers and Jo in the afternoon. This growth now allows the school to offer lessons for all levels — from Level 1 right through to Level 10 and Squad
“We have strong numbers coming through and currently have around 387 children registered for lessons in the whole swim school,” Jo says.
Each 30-minute lesson is delivered in small groups, with one instructor teaching between three to five children for lower levels, the higher levels have between six to seven children. Our preschool lessons run for 25 minutes with a maximum of 3 students in group. We are delivering private lessons which are 20 minutes, currently we still have a waitlist which we’re working through. The goal at WRC swim school is to ensure we deliver high-quality instruction and individual attention.
Lockie Oliver, one of the instructors, says “It’s good to pass on my swimming knowledge. I’m a competitive swimmer, so I enjoy teaching other children how to swim, the skills, water safety, boat safety, rescues, and it’s also just a fun job. The kids tell me some funny stuff, they tell me about their day, and it’s good to have a laugh with them. We build a real bond with our students. It’s such a good environment and very rewarding.”
Registrations for swim lessons are open for three weeks at the end of each school term on Skool Loop, sign-up is strongly recommended to secure a place as we no longer offer a rollover each term for lessons.
Head to our website www.greydc.govt.nz/wrc for more information, follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/WestlandRecand download our Skool Loop app to keep up to date.
Photo from left to right:
Lockie Oliver, Jayden Richardson, Ruth Grossi, Caroline, Miro Horrox, Sophie Whittacker, Indi Robins and Molly Meek
