When you’re choosing swimming lessons for your child, the quality of teaching should be the first thing you look at.
Here’s why Kings Swim School in Christchurch does things differently.
Every parent wants to know their child is in safe, capable hands in the water. But not all swim schools are created equal. The difference between a good swimming lesson and a great one comes down to the people teaching it, how they’ve been trained, and the programme behind them.
At Kings Swim School, we believe the investment we make in our teachers is the single biggest reason families stay with us and recommend us to others.
30–40 Hours of Training Before Teaching a Single Lesson
Every Kings swim teacher completes between 30 and 40 hours of hands-on training before they teach their first class. That’s not an online module or a weekend course. It’s weeks of supervised, in-pool training covering technique, water safety, child development, and how to create a positive, confidence-building experience for every child.
Our teachers learn how to read each child’s comfort level, adapt their approach for different ages and abilities, and ensure every lesson builds on the last. By the time they step onto the pool deck as a lead teacher, they’ve already spent dozens of hours working alongside experienced instructors.
This level of preparation is uncommon in the swim school industry, and it’s one of the reasons parents in Christchurch trust Kings with their children’s swimming education.
A Programme Built With Child Development Specialists
Kings Swim School brings over 30 years of experience in developing leading learn-to-swim programmes. Our programme wasn’t designed by marketers. It was developed in collaboration with child development specialists to support key developmental milestones during those important early years.
Research shows that children who start swimming from a young age often develop stronger physical and fine motor skills, while also showing positive outcomes in areas such as language, literacy, and numeracy. Swimming engages the whole body and mind: coordination, breath control, spatial awareness, listening, following instructions, and building confidence in an unfamiliar environment.
Our babies and preschool programme is structured around carefully designed developmental stages:
Babies (parent in the water):
Cuddlefish (3 months – 1 year): Safe entries and exits, water familiarisation, introduction to breath control, kicking, reaching and holding on, back floating, rolling, controlled submersion, and water safety.
Wigglefish (1 – 2 years): All Cuddlefish skills plus kicking, reaching and holding on, monkey walking, mat crawling or walking, noodle introduction, extended submersion, and introduction to back floating.
Pufferfish (2 – 3 years): All skills from Cuddlefish and Wigglefish plus mat run, water wheels, diving for underwater objects, independent kicking, and greater confidence and movement in the water.
Preschool (3–5 years, parent in the water):
Bubblefish (3 – 5 years): All skills from previous levels plus starting circle arms (breaststroke style) when ready.
Clownfish (3 – 5 years): Circle arms, kicking with aid and without, starfish on front and back, sculling hands on back, diving, retrieving objects from the bottom of the pool, water safety, rolling from front to back, wiggly worm, developing independence.
Preschool (4–5 years, parent out of the water):
Seahorse (4 – 5 years): Safe entries and exits, supported floating (front and back), supported rolling, water wheels, water safety, introduction to diving for underwater objects, kicking, reaching and holding pool edge, bubbles and breath control, kicking on the front.
Nemo (4 – 5 years): Developing circle arms with kicks, kicking with kickboard, starfish on back and front, retrieving dive sticks from the bottom of the pool, rolling from front to back, developing independence, wiggly worm, sculling hands on back. All skills achieved in previous levels are extended upon.
Tiddler (4 – 5 years): Independent kick on back (5m), rolling front to back by self, push-off and glide on back and front, sculling hands with kicking, sitting dive, push-off and streamline underwater, single arm freestyle with kicking, fly kick or wiggly worm, forward roll.
Each level is carefully sequenced so children progress at their own pace, building water confidence alongside physical and cognitive development. Skills achieved in each level are extended upon as children move through the programme.
Staff Are St Johns First Aid Certified
Safety isn’t an add-on at Kings. It’s foundational. All Supervisors, senior staff and the majority of our instructors have completed a comprehensive St Johns first aid course. That means whoever is on deck, whether they’re teaching your baby’s first splash or coaching a school-age swimmer through their turns, there are staff trained to respond in an emergency.
Combined with our purpose-built facility (UV-filtered water, climate-controlled environment, and a dedicated 33.5°C learn-to-swimpool for babies and preschoolers), this creates one of the safest swim school environments in Canterbury.
A Legacy of Coaching Excellence
Kings Swim School was established in the early 1990s and has been a cornerstone of Christchurch swimming education for over 30 years. Todd and Pam Mason took ownership of Kings in 2008, after Todd had been working within the school since around 2006. Todd brings Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games level coaching experience spanning more than 30 years, and his coaching philosophy now runs through everything Kings does: technique-based teaching, individual progression, and a genuine belief that every child can become a confident swimmer.
Pam’s background in education has shaped the way Kings structures its programme and trains its teachers. Together, they’ve built on the school’s proud legacy to create a swim school that combines elite-level coaching knowledge with an educationally grounded approach to child development.
Over three decades, Kings has guided thousands of Christchurch children from their first time in the water through to confident, capable swimmers.
Meet Some of Our Team
Eva – Babies and Pre-school Instructor
“I love seeing the moment something finally clicks for a swimmer. The training at Kings gave me the confidence to teach properly, but you’re always learning from the supervisors and the other teachers around you.”
Paula – babies and pre-school supervisor
“With the little ones, it’s about so much more than learning to swim. You see their confidence grow every week, and watching them become comfortable and independent in the water is really rewarding.”
Rachel – Senior babies and pre-school instructor
“Everyone here genuinely wants the kids to succeed. There’s always someone there to help if you need it, and we work together to make sure every swimmer feels safe, supported and proud of what they’re achieving.”
What to Look for When Choosing a Swim School
If you’re comparing swim schools in Christchurch, here are some questions worth asking:
How many hours of training do teachers complete before they start teaching?
At Kings, it’s 30–40 hours.
Are all staff first aid certified?
At Kings, all 50 staff hold comprehensive St Johns certification.
Is the programme designed with input from child development specialists? Ours is, and it’s been refined over 30+ years.
What’s the water temperature for babies and preschoolers? Our dedicated learn-to-swim pool is heated to 33.5°C.
Is the facility purpose-built for swimming lessons? Kings’ Wigram facility was designed from the ground up for learn-to-swim, with UV filtration, climate control, acoustic baffles, and ample parking right at the door.
Give Your Child the Best Start in the Water
Kings Swim School offers classes for babies from 3 months through to adults, at our purpose-built facility in Wigram, Christchurch. With new teaching capacity now available for babies and preschoolers, there’s never been a better time to get started.
Book a class or find out more by viewing our pathways and levels at Kings Swim School.
