Our Certificates

HydroStart – Ducklings Awards

Our Duckling Awards are designed to help toddlers have fun in the water and begin the process of learning to swim.

In this group we concentrate on building water confidence and learning basic skills and completing our Duckling Award levels 1-4. When your little ones complete each stage of our Duckling Awards they will receive and work to collect four colourful certificates and matching badges.

Check out the full award specification below:

Ducklings Award Level 2

• Make a sitting entry with adult support if required
• Rotate 180 degrees – log roll or upright – with float aids, no adult support
• Submerge the face with confidence and without force
• Blow an object for a distance of 2 metres
• Travel 3 metres using arms and/or legs without adult support
• Move 5 metres along the rail or wall without adult support
• Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side with minimal adult support

Ducklings Award Level 3

• Make a supervised jump to an adult with or without support
• Float on the front or back without adult support
• Push off – front or back – streamlined shape from a supporting adult
• Blow bubbles with the mouth and nose underwater
• Travel 5 metres on the front to poolside without adult support
• Kick 5 metres on the front holding a float (adult may hold float)
• Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side without adult support

Ducklings Award Level 4

• Jump into the water unaided, but supervised
• Perform a mushroom or star float
• Rotate 360 degrees – log roll or an upright position
• Push and glide – streamlined position on the front or back
• Submerge completely
• Travel 10m on the front or back, without adult support
• Jump into water, turn around, swim back to the point of entry & hold on to the side/rail

Duckling Awards are the first steps in water confidence, and perfectly prepares them for Stage 1 of Our Learn to Swim Awards.

Learn to Swim Stage 1-7 Awards

The HydroKidz learn to Swim Stage 1-7 Awards are divided into achievable stages for your children to work towards. Criteria for each stage follows the national syllabus of learning to swim and they are designed to reward your child as their skill improve in the water. We aim to improve their confidence, competence and safety in the water.

On completion of each stage of our HydroKidz Learn to Swim Awards, your children will receive and work to collect seven colourful certificates and matching badges.

Check out the full award specification below:

HydroBeginner

As a beginner your child will learn to convert the basic skills learned in our HydroStart classes, and start to develop stroke technique; perfecting it over short distances whilst achieving our Learn to Swim Award Levels 1 and 2.

Learn to Swim Award Level 1

• Enter the water safely
• Move forward for 5m
• Move backwards for 5m
• Move sideways 5m
• Scoop the water and wash the face
• Be comfortable with water showered from overhead
• Move from flat floating position (back) to standing
• Move from flat floating position (front) to standing
• Push and glide, flat position on the front from wall
• Push and glide, flat position on the back from wall
• Give examples of two pool rules
• Exit the water safely

Learn to Swim Award Level 2

• Jump in from poolside safely (pool depth >1m)
• Blow bubbles 3+ times rhythmically, nose and mouth submerged
• Move from flat floating position (back) to standing without support
• Move from flat floating position (front) to standing without support
• Push from wall, glide on back – arms by the side or above the head
• Push from wall, glide on front with arms extended
• Travel the width of the pool using recognised leg action (back)
• Travel the width of the pool using recognised leg action (front)
• Tuck to rotate from flat floating position (front), to back floating, to standing
• Tuck to rotate from flat floating position (back), to front floating, to standing
• Perform a log roll from back to the front
• Perform a log roll from front to the back
• Exit the water without support

HydroImprover

With our improvers we build on their knowledge of swimming strokes, and add the ability to breathe in a hydrodynamic way, helping them find an effective rhythm to swim and breathe across all strokes competently, whilst achieving our Learn to Swim Award Levels 3 and 4.

Learn to Swim Award Level 3

• Jump in from poolside and submerge to minimum depth of 1.0m
• Sink, push away from wall and maintain a streamlined position
• Push and glide (front) with arms extended and log roll onto the back
• Push and glide (back) with arms extended and log roll onto the front
• Travel 10m – 5m on the front, perform tuck to rotate onto back, and 5m return
• Fully submerge to pick up an object
• Answer correctly three questions on the Water Safety Code
• Push and glide and travel 10 metres (back)
• Push and glide and travel 10 metres (front)
• Perform a tuck float and hold for three seconds

Learn to Swim Award Level 4

• Perform 3+ changing shapes whilst floating on surface
• Push and glide from the wall towards the pool floor
• Kick 10m backstroke (one item of equipment optional)
• Kick 10m front crawl (one item of equipment optional)
• Kick 10m butterfly on the front or on the back
• Kick 10m breaststroke on the front (one item of equipment optional)
• Perform a head first sculling action for 5m, flat position on the back
• Travel on back and log roll, one continuous movement, onto front
• Travel on front and log roll, one continuous movement, onto back

HydroAdvanced

In this group our teachers give swimmers the skills to sustain good technique over several lengths at a time, as well as the skills of competitive swimmACing; should they want to learn them. We also incorporate safety skills; including challenges like swimming in clothes. Our levels 5 and 6 can be achieved in this group.

Learn to Swim Award Level 5

• Perform a flat stationary scull on the back
• Perform a feet first sculling action for 5m
• Perform a sculling sequence to include a rotation
• Tread water for 30 seconds
• Perform three different shaped jumps into deep water
• Push and glide and swim 10m backstroke
• Push and glide and swim 10m front crawl
• Push and glide and swim 10m breaststroke
• Push and glide and swim 10m butterfly
• Perform a handstand, hold for 3+ seconds
• Perform a forward somersault

Learn to Swim Award Level 6

• Give two examples of warm up exercises, understand why it is important
• Sink, push off on side from wall, glide, kick and rotate into backstroke
• Sink, push off on side from wall, glide, kick and rotate into front crawl
• Swim 10m wearing clothes
• Push and glide, swim front crawl with 6+ rhythmical breaths
• Push and glide, swim breaststroke with 6+ rhythmical breaths
• Push and glide and swim butterfly with 3+ rhythmical breaths
• Push and glide and swim backstroke with 6+ regular breaths
• Push and glide and swim 25m, any choice of stroke
• Perform a ‘shout and signal’ rescue

HydroStarz

In our most advanced group we give children the skills to complete a basic understanding of all strokes, and also the endurance to sustain a good technique over longer distances too. Children will be working to achieve our Learn to Swim Award Level 7.

Learn to Swim Award Level 7

• Push and glide and swim 25 metres backstroke
• Push and glide and swim 25 metres front crawl
• Push and glide and swim 25 metres breaststroke
• Push and glide and swim 25 metres butterfly
• Perform a movement sequence (linking skills with strokes and sculls) of one minute duration, in a group of three or more
• Perform a sitting dive or dive
• Push and glide and swim 50 metres continuously using one stroke
• Push and glide and swim 100 metres, using a minimum of three different strokes
• Tread water using eggbeater action for 30 seconds

Swim England Learn to Swim Stages 8-10

The Learn to Swim journey doesn’t have to end with Stage 7. Stages 8-10 are designed to further develop your children’s swimming ability with the opportunity to build on their technique, stamina and endurance on each of the 4 swim strokes. It is a great achievement for your children to reach Stage 10, opening doors to competitive swimming and other disciplines such as diving and water polo.

Swim England Learn to Swim Award 8

• Complete a set lasting 400 metres (e.g. 16 x 25 metres, 8 x 50 metres, 4 x 100 metres) on a specific turnaround time agreed by the teacher or coach (e.g. 1.00 minutes for each 25 metres) with a focus on stroke technique and consistency
• Swim 400 metres continuously using one stroke
• Push and streamline then kick 25 metres backstroke with or without using a board
• Push and streamline then kick 25 metres breaststroke with or without using a board
• Push and streamline then kick 25 metres butterfly without using a board
• Push and streamline then kick 25 metres front crawl with or without using a board
• Perform a backstroke turn from 10 metres into 15 metres out
• Perform a breaststroke turn from 10 metres into 15 metres out
• Perform a butterfly turn from 10 metres into 15 metres out
• Perform a front crawl turn from 10 metres into 15 metres out
• Perform a dive track or grab start, and kick butterfly underwater in a streamlined position for 5 metres with the focus on progressing it to 10 metres.*

*Delivery will depend on the pool design and facilities available.

Swim England Learn to Swim Award 9

• Complete a set lasting 800 metres (either 16 x 50 metres, 8 x 100 metres, 4 x 200 metres) on a specific turnaround time as agreed by the teacher or coach (e.g. 1.30 minutes for 50 metres) with a focus on stroke technique and consistency.
• Swim 800 metres continuously using one stroke.
• Swim a continuous 100-metre individual medley (4 x 25 metres) using recognised turns with a focus on stroke technique and consistency.
• Perform a 15 metre underwater kick on the front from a push and glide in a streamlined position.
• Perform a backstroke start then butterfly kick in a streamlined position underwater up to a maximum of 15 metres from the start point (wall). Transfer into stroke and complete the remainder of the 25 metres.*
• Perform a front crawl start then kick in a streamlined position underwater up to a maximum of 15 metres from the start point (wall). Transfer into stroke and complete the remainder of the 25 metres.*
• Perform a butterfly start then kick in a streamlined position up to a maximum of 15 metres from the start point (wall). Transfer into stroke and complete the remainder of the 25 metres.*
• Perform a breaststroke start then perform a one and a half pull underwater. Transfer into stroke and complete the remainder of the 25 metres.*

*Delivery will depend on the pool design and facilities available.

Swim England Learn to Swim Award 10

• Complete a set lasting 1600 metres (either 16 x 100 metres, 8 x 200 metres, 4 x 400 metres) on a specific timed turnaround set by the teacher or coach (e.g. 2.30 minutes for 100 metres), focus on stroke technique and consistency
• Swim 1500 metres continuously using one stroke
• Perform a continuous 100-metre individual medley kick (4 x 25 metres) without using a kickboard
• Swim a continuous 200-metre individual medley (4 x 50 metres) using recognised turns
• Perform a front crawl relay take over – as an incoming swimmer 6. Perform a front crawl relay take over – as an outgoing swimmer

Remember movement of a child from one class to another is governed not just by achievement of each Award but also our teacher’s assessment of their
readiness and confidence to SAFELY progress to the next class. This includes their endurance to swim progressively longer distances in deeper water.
We love progress but only when your child is ready to benefit from the next class. If you have any questions, do ask the host on poolside.

Distance Swimming Awards

At HydroKidz, our swimmers can also work towards achieving their Distance Awards. To receive these awards the swimmer is required to complete the relevant distance, by any stroke, without floating aids or assistance. The Distance Awards start at 5m up to 1500m.