The Standen Swim Academy

Fun, friendly and supportive swimming lessons.

Taught and managed by the Standen family, with 25 years’ experience in swim-school leadership, our programme is designed to make lessons enjoyable for both swimmers and parents/guardians. We’re supported by Hampshire’s best instructors, handpicked for expertise, reliability and creativity, and all committed to providing high-quality, enjoyable lessons in a clean, safe setting.

We offer a supportive, stress-free environment with fun and friendly lessons designed to encourage a lifelong love of water.

Our class sizes are intentionally small — with a maximum of just three swimmers per group class (Duckling and Stage classes) — and we also offer a wide range of private 1:1 and 1:2 lessons to ensure each child receives plenty of individual attention.

As a registered Swim England Swim School, all our teachers hold either Swim England or STA qualifications and have been DBS checked. Our swimmers learn to enjoy the water safely while progressing through the Swim England Learn to Swim award scheme. Lessons give children the opportunity to earn badges and certificates that celebrate their achievements and growing confidence in the pool.

We are proud to be an inclusive swim school and look forward to welcoming you to the poolside soon.

thisgirlcan float on her back in a star shape. Her female swimming teacher provides feedback and encouragement. The teacher supports the student to ensure safety. Themed pool toys float on the water around the swimmer and the teacher.

Our Lessons

We offer a range of classes and stages, with exciting weekly themes to keep learning fresh and fun!

You can find full details about our class types, pricing, and stages through the links below.

Don’t forget to check out our FAQ page too — it’s packed with useful information for new and returning swimmers.

Lesson Stages
Lesson Types
Prices
Three happy children dressed in Christmas headresses are laying on top of a large float in a swimming pool. The children are kicking their feet making big splashes. The float is addorned with Chrisatmas themed pool toys.

Holiday Courses

We also run holiday courses packed with fun, skill-building activities — perfect for keeping little swimmers active and confident in the water during school breaks!

An intensive course can be a fantastic opportunity for children to build skills faster or focus on specific techniques that need improvement, helping them progress with confidence.

We are now taking bookings for our Christmas Course at Twyford School. Spaces are limited, so be sure to book early to secure your child’s place!

I want to book a space!

  • “Our children have developed a newfound confidence in the water, that I never thought we’d find especially with our youngest, who now has just started swimming unaided this very week. It has taken Sophie (their instructor) just 6 weeks to achieve something we couldn’t in the 2 years he had been with his previous swimming academy. We couldn’t be more pleased with the instruction and facilities that I believe have helped massively with the boys’ improvement.”

    — Parent of brothers who attend private 1:2 lessons

  • “Firstly I just wanted to share with you how fantastic this week at the summer swim school has been, Piper and Cole have come on more than I could ever of imagined and that’s totally down to Henry, he was just brilliant from start to finish, kept each class engaging, fun and really gave both children the confidence they needed to progress. They are both at quite different levels but he just knew how to get the best out of both of them, and in 30mins a day I thought that was pretty amazing. Please pass on our thanks to him.”

    — Parent of Summer Holiday Course Swimmers

  • “We just had to drop you a quick message and thank you all so much for being so amazing with our kids. They had their first lesson last week and Emma was brilliant, she encouraged our daughter and we couldn’t believe the things she was doing by the end of the first lesson. Our little boy was overwhelmed the first time and cried instantly but everyone was so friendly and welcoming they soon had him poolside playing with the toys. Today was our second visit and our daughter was straight in but our little boy was again crying and clinging onto my leg. Sarah was amazing and as she had some spare time she very kindly spent it with him and eventually managed to get him into the pool, by the end of the lesson both of our kids were jumping into the pool from the side. Sarah and Emma thank you so much, you and the whole team are fantastic. Both kids really enjoyed it.”

    -Parent of swimmers in private 1:2 lesson

  • “There wasn’t enough space to fit all this on the feedback form, so I wanted to send a separate email…Staff who went above and beyond….Maddie – She welcomed us on our first day, then greeted the boys by name every day afterwards. She was super polite, and a real credit to your company. Gina – Was really patient with Toby, who is a very enthusiastic swimmer but not the best listener! He came on leaps and bounds under her instruction. Issy and Sarah – Max went from being terrified to put his face under to picking up sticks from the bottom. His confidence has improved massively in just one week. The boys were both thrilled with their medals and certificates today. It was truly worth every penny.”

    -Parent of Summer Course Swimmer

  • “Can I just take the opportunity also to thank Sarah for today. My girls took to her straight away. My eldest in particular has in the past been an extremely nervous swimmer and can take huge persuasion when in the water. I was so pleased to see how quickly she trusted Sarah and the confidence she had in herself just within that first session. It was wonderful! “

    -Parent of Holiday Course Swimmer