KEY POINTS:
New industry standards introduced today will ensure swim schools throughout the country use best practice teaching methods, Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) says.
Schools operating under the Quality Swim School brand will have reached industry agreed national standards in areas such as programming, staff training, management, facilities and safety.
Until now there have been no qualifications, criteria or standards required for anyone wanting to establish or run a swim school in New Zealand.
SNZ and New Zealand Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association (NZSCAT) said there was a need to establish national standards in all areas of swim school operations to give parents confidence that their children were taught to swim safely using best practice methods.
SNZ education manager Ally Todd said with many schools closing their pools and an increasing demand for swimming lessons, there had been a marked increase in the numbers of swim schools around the country.
The initiative had been endorsed by the New Zealand Recreation Association.
"The water is such a key part of the quality of life in New Zealand," Ms Todd said.
"It's so important as a nation that everyone can swim and therefore have the confidence to enjoy all the wonderful experiences around water in New Zealand.
Ms Todd said there would be ongoing auditing procedures to ensure standards were maintained.
Sixty-five swim schools have met Quality Swim School standards prior to the launch today.
Many more were progressing through the assessment process.
- NZPA
