Moving to Step 4 of the COVID-19 Roadmap

How we're returning safely

Moving to Step 4 with confidence
Your safety, as well as the safety of our colleagues and teachers, is and always will be our number one priority. In compliance with government guidance, we have made a number of changes to your Great Waves classes to ensure that your classes are a safe place to be.

We’ve reviewed our safety procedures to provide the uptmost level of care and consideration for all of our swimmers. As we move to Step 4 of the COVID-19 Raodmap, the safety of everyone at your Great waves session is our number one priority.

We have reviewed and risk assessed our procedures based on current government and industry guidance and look forward to welcoming new and current swimmers to the pool.


🏊‍♀️ How you can prepare for your Lessons

Our procedures maintain our warm family centered approach, with increased cleaning and hygiene practices, increased ventilation and all team members wearing face coverings when not teaching. Your safety is our main priority!

  • Arrive ‘Swim Ready’ for your lesson wherever possible.
  • Santise your hands on entry. Help us to maintain good hand hygiene by using the hand sanitiser on entry to our facilties and throughout your lesson.
  • Arrive no more than 10 minutes before the start of your lesson. This helps us to minimise the numbers in the facilities and keep to our rigorous cleaning timetable.
  • Keep changing at the facilities to minimum. Changing rooms are open for use.
  • Please keep numbers of spectators to a minimum where possible.
  • Spectators are requested to wear a face covering
  • Ensure your personal and medical information is up to date in case we need to contact you.
  • Do not attend your lesson if you have any COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Communicate with us immediately if you have a positive lateral flow test or PCR test.


ℹ️ Lesson Information
Before your Lessons

  • Complete our online swimmer information form which can be found here.

  • Watch our pool procedure video and read our pool procedures ahead of your lesson.



At the Pool
  • Arrive Swim Ready wherever possible.
  • Santise your hands on entry.
  • Only arrive a maximum of 10 minutes before your lesson.
  • Spectators are asked to wear a face covering in the facilities.
  • Contactless sign in to lessons.
  • NHS QR codes to be scanned on entry.
  • Changing boxes for belongings and clothing if desired.
  • Please limit spectator numbers wherever possible.
  • We will stagger our entry onto poolside, with swimmers entering before spectators to allow us to start the lesson promptly and santise the seating area.


During your Lessons
  • There may be staggered lesson timings for lessons.
  • One float given to every swimmer to bring to lessons.
  • Hats and goggles to be put on by parent/guardian.
  • Swim Zones for swimmers to store equipment and listen to instructions.
  • Teachers in the swimming pool.

Your teacher will be based in the pool for younger children and for lower stage swimmers.



👍 Pool Equipment
  • Every swimmer will be given their own float (variety of colours available) to own and bring to your lesson. This will minimise the sharing of equipment during your lesson and it allows you to clean this at home. We will provide you with information on how to clean your float after your session.
  • Limited equipment. For swimmers who require noodles, arm rings or pull buoys, we will be supplying these, but use will be limited and they will be cleaned between use.
Lost Property

If there is any lost property at a session, we will securely seal it in a bag and will hold it for one week. After this time we will dispose of it.



🐙 Changing Rooms and end of lesson
The use of changing rooms will be limited. At some sessions, we will stagger lessons to ensure that we can accommodate more space in the changing rooms and maintain our rigorous cleaning procedures.
  • Changing rooms will now be open before your lesson. We ask that you continue to arrive swim ready wherever possible.
  • Please change quickly after your lesson to allow the team to clean between classes.
  • We suggest bringing a onesie for ease changing.
  • We will be offering santised buckets to store personal belongings.
  • Please leave the facilities promptly after you have changed.


🧼 Cleaning and Hygiene Procedures

We will be adopting robust cleaning procedures and will be continually cleaning the pool, changing and reception environments.

Great News – PWTAG, Swim England and PHE have confirmed that correctly maintained chlorinated pools kill COVID-19!

You will see us cleaning throughout your lesson and we have put lots of safeguards in place to keep everyone safe.

  • COVID-19 Officer at every session A COVID-19 Officer will be at every session to ensure that a COVID-19 secure environment is maintained.
  • Regular Chlorine checks. We will be regularly testing the water to ensure that the chemical levels are at the right level to kill COVID-19.
  • Equipment cleaned after every use For any shared equipment, we will be following PWTAG cleaning guidance.
  • Please bring your own poolside shoes. We have removed blue shoe covers and suggest bringing a pair of poolside shoes to the session. No outdoor shoes should be worn on poolside.
  • GW team will be regularly cleaning the facilties.


Frequently Asked Questions
How will lessons be different now we move to Step 4 of the COVID-19 Roadmap?

We will still maintain our friendly, supportive and fun lessons. We will follow all industry best practices and government guidance for swimming lessons and everyone’s safety is our main priority.

At some pools, we will be removing our one way systems.

The GW Team will continue to wear a face covering when not teaching and we ask that all spectators wear a face covering at the session.

 

A member of my household is unwell and has COVID-19 symptoms, should I attend my lesson?

If you, your swimmer, or anyone in your household presents with any COVID-19 symptoms, please do not attend your lesson adopt the following:

  1. Contact NHS for a PCR COVID-19 test.
  2. Do not attend your lesson and inform us that a member of your household is symptomatic. This will allow us to track and monitor you, so we can plan your return if you are negative or once you have completed your self-isolation period.
  3. Follow NHS advice based on your test result. For further information, please see our COVID-19 policy.
My swimmer(s) missed a lesson what are our options?

If your swimmer misses a lesson, we will endeavour to offer an alternative lesson. Please see our catch-up policy for information on catch-up lessons. For further information, please see our Catch-up policy.

What happens if there is a local lockdown?

We will follow government guidance and will communicate with you as soon as we know. Please see our COVID-19 policy for more information.



The Great Waves Team

The GW Team can’t wait to see you at the pool! We are always working hard behind the scenes to keep up to date with all Step 4 government and industry guidance and best practices. As a team, we are…

  • Completing Industry-specific COVID-19 training.
  • Pool specific training on new procedures, cleaning routines and maintaining a COVID-19 secure environment.
  • Updated First aid and rescue guidance based on industry guidance.

We know that there will be changes to the current guidance and we will update training and procedures as changes are made.



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