Tiny Swimming Celebrates Award
One of the area’s leading swimming schools for babies and early years children, Tiny Swimming, is riding the wave of success as it celebrates a win in the UK Enterprise Awards 2024.
Founded by Sarah Taylor in 2022, Tiny Swimming offers it’s unique and child-led lessons through the Water’s TouchTM & Aqua SensoryTM programmes to babies from six weeks old up to pre-school children aged four-plus years old. The ethos behind the business is that learning to swim should be, and can be, fun and engaging, whilst enabling the youngster to become familiar with the new experience of swimming in a safe, warm environment.
As one of the region’s leading children’s swim schools with venues in Shrewsbury and Telford, Tiny Swimming operates small, focused lessons during school term time and summer holidays and it boasts all the industry standard partnerships it needs to make it a success. As one of the only affiliated and certified Aqua Sensory practitioners in the region, the school also follows the Swim England Ducklings & Discovery Ducklings Award Scheme, plus it employs fully STA-qualified instructors.
“All of our lessons focus on taking the child’s lead, developing water confidence and providing opportunities for sensory discovery in the pool,” explains Sarah Taylor, the founder of Tiny Swimming. “We understand the need for children to learn water safety skills and become competent in and around water.”
Sarah is realising her dream of bringing nurturing and child-led swimming classes to all children of all abilities in the northwest. From her experiences in the past with her own children, coupled with her own swimming background, she developed Tiny Swimming to enable other parents to help their children enjoy learning to swim, and develop skills and a lifelong love for the water, whilst remaining safe.
The first water experience offered is the Baby Turtles group, which is ideal for babies aged six weeks to six months old; these lessons offer a gentle introduction to the pool for both parent and baby, focusing on soft, nurturing movements and sensory activities through the Water’s Touch and Aqua Sensory programme.
The lessons then progress through the baby and preschool ages with Tiny Turtles for ages 6 months to one year: Turtles 1 (1-2 years), Turtles 2 (2-3 years), and Turtles 3 (3-4 years); and through their developmental stages, right through to Turtles 4 (4 years old) and Transition (4+ years old – competent and independent swimmers).
“We try to ensure a maximum of six babies or children per group,” Sarah elaborates. “An adult is required to get into the water with their little one in all Baby, Tiny, and Turtle 1, 2, 3, and 4 groups, but is not needed in the water for Transition Turtles lessons where our swimmers are more confident and independent.”
Tiny Swimming aims to complement and enhance the natural development stages of all children through the love of water and learning in the water. The swim school stands out as it is completely child-led.
“We don’t ‘intentionally submerge’ or make children do something they are not ready to do,” states Sarah. “Instead, we watch carefully for their cues and signs and respond appropriately and in a timely manner through the lessons. This learning is also key for the parent or carer, too, as they learn to understand cues from their child and bond with them in a safe and warm environment.”
The Aqua Sensory programme helps develop all aspects of a babies’ sensory, physical, and learning journey and has proven benefits as they grow older. Plus, there is also a SEN (Special Educational Needs) teacher set to begin classes soon at Tiny Swimming, offering one-to-one classes as well as aquaphobic classes for parents and children.
When recruiting new members of staff to join the team, Sarah looks for a specific type of person, namely one who is passionate, enthusiastic, and who exhibits empathy.
“We train all our staff in the additional Water’s Touch and Aqua Sensory approach to teaching in the pool, as well having their own teaching qualification recognised by the STA and Swim England,” Sarah tells us. “Teachers are regularly offered additional training to keep them up-to-date and share ideas for fun and engaging themes in the pool for the children.”
Recently, Tiny Swimming gained notable recognition in the UK Enterprise Awards for its dedicated approach to teaching its pupils to embrace and love the water, clinching the desirable title of ‘Early Years Swimming Centre of the Year 2024 – Shropshire’.
Now, just two years on from its initial inception, Sarah not only has a hugely popular swimming school, but she has ambitious plans for expansion to other areas in the northwest as well as increasing her teacher numbers to facilitate this expansion.
“Our new website (which is currently being updated to reflect their new branding) will echo our teaching ethos and vision,” she says. “The online Parent Hub allows access for all parents and carers to see information about their child, their lessons, and their progress.”
Pic: Tiny Swimming
