Swimming
Swimming is a great way to stay fit and healthy, regardless of your age or ability. Whether you’re interested in a recreational swim to stay active, lane swimming to maintain and develop your fitness, making a splash with the family or wanting to learn to swim, we have something for you
We have summarised what each of the different sessions involves so you can find out which one suits you best. Please view your local swimming pool timetable for accurate swim sessions and times.
Public Swimming
These sessions are designed for everyone to come and enjoy the pool. Whether you want to get some lengths in, or you just want to enjoy yourself in the water, these sessions are designed to suit everybody’s needs.
Lane Swimming
Lane swimming is great for people who want to use the pool to support them with their fitness goals. Divided into lanes for swimmers of different abilities and speeds, they’re for swimmers of all ages who can swim continuous lengths.
Aqua Classes
This is a water based, group exercise class. The most popular of these are Aqua Aerobics sessions, which give you an excellent whole-body workout, but without the dangers of impact injuries.
Family Swimming
Southwark Leisure believe that swimming should be fun and exciting for all the family. That’s why you’ll find a wide range of fun swim sessions at any of the local swimming pools and leisure centres. From Family Fun Swim sessions, Aqua Splash, Toddler Splash, Swim for under 5’s, Swim for All, Aqua Play and Swim for Families, there’s something to make swimming fun for kids of all ages – and mum, dad and carers too.
Schools Swimming
These sessions are run during term time and are where we invite local schools to bring their pupils along to take advantage of our award-winning swimming lesson programme. It’s part of the national curriculum that every child that leaves primary school must be able to swim at least 25m unaided, as well as a good knowledge of water safety.
Swimming Clubs
We are proud to have some key partnerships with local Southwark swimming clubs, as well as water polo and diving clubs. These sessions will generally see the pool closed off for exclusive use by that club. If you’d like to join in with them, however, they’re always looking for new members and it’ll add an extra element of competition to your aquatic activities.
Swim Lessons
Southwark Leisure offer swimming lessons from four months old to adults. We follow the Swim England Learn to Swim framework and are taught by Swim England (or equivalent) qualified teachers. They cover 10 stages in all and run 50 weeks of the year – only stopping over the Christmas period. To find out more about the swim lessons available, click here.
1. Can the child glide and float on their front and back with or without aids, then return to their feet?
Disability Swimming
Fun is at the centre of these sessions, with inflatables available for everyone to enjoy. These sessions are a great way to get active while having fun at the same time.
Silver Swimming
These sessions are designed for people aged 60 and over. Here, you can swim freely, and it’s a great way to get active without pushing yourself too hard.