New Swimmer Information & Registration
Chalfont Otters Swimming Club are always on the lookout for swimmers who are interested in joining our friendly club from age 3 up to adults
We are a local, competitive amateur swimming club drawing swimmers from across South Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and the outer London Boroughs. We are supported via subscription fees, a highly qualified coaching team and volunteer committee members.
Established in 1978, we continue to go from strength to strength. In the past few years, we are very proud to have had several national swimmers and national champions. Our junior squads also comprise some of the top swimmers in the country and many have leading regional and county times.
We believe that as a community club it's important for us to develop all levels of swimming from absolute beginners to national champions. We have had a number of swimmers progress through the club via this pathway and move on to swim at all competitive levels.
Assessment Times
We hold assessments on a regular basis at Chalfont Leisure Centre, Nicol Road, Chalfont St Peter, SL9 9LR. each with limited places and they will be filled on a first come first served basis. You will be able to select an appropriate level and a convenient date when you complete the registration process. If you want to register for an assessment, your child will be assessed by the coaches and then we will be in touch with you as to which squad or teaching group they suggest.
Assessment ability level
If your child is a complete beginner, they do not need to attend an assessment, just select "Complete Beginner - No Assessment Needed" at the end of the registration process and they will be offered an available place in our beginners classes or placed on the waiting list.
The assessments are split into three levels:
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Level 1: beginners who may have had a few lessons but still need shallow water.
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Level 2: more advanced swimmers who can swim 25m in each of the four strokes without assistance (it's ok if they are still learning butterfly!)
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Level 3: experienced club swimmers who may have an idea of which squad they swim in already
Please DO NOT sign your swimmer up for Level 3 unless they are an existing club swimmer. These sessions are not set up to accommodate swimmers who are new to club swimming and we want your swimmers to have a great first experience. If you are at all unsure about your child's current ability, please select the level BELOW where you think they might be. If it is too difficult, this will knock their confidence. The assessment level they attend does not restrict which squad they will be allocated. We will always promote our swimmers when they are ready and we want them to love swimming.
For more information on the teaching groups and squad levels please check the squad description pages.
What happens at an assessment?
Please make sure swimmers bring a hat and goggles with them and also some drinking water. Arrive in good time as we need to "check in" all swimmers and this can take a few minutes.
The assessments are informal; for those that are able to, we'll ask them to swim one length of each stroke, or just see what they can do in order to place them in the right group. If needed, a coach will be in the water with the very young swimmers. Parents are allowed on poolside for our younger or more nervous swimmers.
If you are interested but are nervous about the idea of an assessment, you are welcome to take an opportunity to watch and get an idea of what is involved.
After the assessment, our coach will advise the membership administrator which group/squad they would like your child to join and we will email you a week or so later. At this point, we will ask you to sign up for a Direct Debit mandate to secure the place, though no money will be collected until their first week of swimming. Once this is received, we can complete the rest of the sign up process (or confirm their place on the waiting list), ensure that you have had a chance to ask questions and buy any equipment required before they start swimming. We start new members on the first session (of their class) of the month to reduce disruption and repetition, so please expect to wait until then. Our admin support is only a few hours per week so this process can spread out over a couple of weeks.
Timetable & Attendance
The latest timetable is on our website. If we get any late notice changes, we will let you know via email or via OnDeck and try to give as much warning as possible.
For our teaching groups - Otters Beginners and Stroke Development squads - you will be allocated one session per week. It may be possible to change slots if there is availability but if this is not convenient you would need to join a waiting list until a space becomes available.
Some children find the transition from swimming lessons to squad swimming a little daunting. The coach will endeavour to give new swimmers some extra guidance in their first few sessions but it is important that the swimmers ask if they are not sure and say if they can't hear the instructions.
In our non-competitive Club squads and Masters, swimmers are joining for fun and fitness, rather than speed. Decide whether you'd like to swim 3 or 4 hours per week from the Club timetable (1.5 or 3 for Masters) - there is no need to book ahead or attend the same slot each week. Swimmers need to be at a level equivalent to JD5 or higher to transfer to Club. Masters will be invited to try a session to see if it suits their aims.
For all other squads, there is no expectation to attend 100% of sessions offered but in general the more members get to swim, the faster they progress (and the better value for money!). If your child is aiming for Senior Performance squad, attendance and other expectations will be explained.
Subscription Fees
Fees are charged monthly in advance (usually on or around the 1st of the month) via our payment system, GoCardless. You will need to set up a Direct Debit account which enables us to collect the fees and other payments such as equipment purchased in the shop or gala entry fees, as advised in advance.
Fees for all squads are split over 12 months of the year and all except OB squads will be offered sessions throughout the holidays to maintain progress and fitness. We do not offer discounts or refunds for absence due to short illness, long holidays or lower attendance. If you are in financial difficulty or have extenuating circumstances, please do get in touch via [email protected] ,in confidence, to discuss options.
There is a one-off joining fee of £60 for squads JD1 and above or a re-joining fee of £30 for all levels if you leave the club and return at a later date. We also have to pay an annual fee to Swim England for all members - this is a Training rate of £15 annually for all swimmers up to JD2 and a Competition rate of £30 for all swimmers JD3 upwards.
The Club is a non-profit organisation, not a business. All of our subs and gala fees go toward the running of the club - paying our professional coaching staff and a small number of admin hours and renting the pool time. Our committee is entirely voluntary and welcomes new help at any time.
Your data
The club uses a software system called TeamUnify to manage our website, store our swimmers' details, share key information about events and so on. As part of your registration process, you will create an account for your family and a profile for each swimmer on TU. Make sure the details are correct, as we will use this information to contact you and to register your swimmer for insurance and Swim England membership (both compulsory).
When your swimmer has been assessed and allocated a group/squad, you will receive login details for your TU account so that you can access all the functions, including messages to and from the club, registering for galas and updating your details if necessary. If you need help using the system, email us at [email protected].
If you do not receive the login details, check your junk folder and email us if you can't see them.
In accordance with GDPR we will only make your information available to club staff and volunteers that need it and only use it for purposes in connection with the swimming club.
On Deck App
We also use an App linked to TeamUnify called "OnDeck". Downloading this will allow you to track your child's performance, attendance, and receive notifications directly to your mobile phone or tablet. More details and link to On Deck App.
Swimming Kit
In order to prepare your child for the swimming sessions, it is important that they have some basic essentials. These can be purchased at the Otters shop held monthly at Chalfont Leisure Centre or, for clothing items, from our online club shop page.
Coaches
We have a team of coaches, led by Head Coach Balazs Sasvari, that support our squads and these coaches are responsible for the development of your child. As SwimMark Affiliated Club, we are committed to help your learn to swim, enjoy their training, and to achieve their potential. The coaches and teachers are here to help them and have been trained to do so in a safe and proper manner. Parents are encouraged to come onto poolside at the first session and introduce themselves and their swimmer to the coach, as they can't leave the other swimmers to come out and say hello. You should soon get to know your coach and if you have a question or concern about any aspect of the training, speak to them in the first instance. Read more about our coaches.
Leaving the club
Why talk about leaving before you've even joined? We know how many activities children are involved in and the logistics of getting everyone where they need to be and some children just don't take to swimming as heartily as others, so you might need some reassurance that if it's just not working out, there's no hard feelings!
In order to make best use of our excellent coach:swimmer ratio, however long you have been with the club, we do ask that you give us a month's notice to leave so that we can close your account and invite someone else to take up the space. It enables us to have a quick discussion to see if there is anything we can adjust to help, whether it is being able to make enough sessions, teenage tiredness, getting on with the other swimmers or anything else. Please email [email protected]
As there is an amount of admin required, we do charge a re-joining fee of £30 if you later decide you'd like to come back.
Other Useful Information
There is a lot of useful information throughout the website, but in particular, new members and parents may be interested in the following pages:
