Swim England Duckling Awards are designed for pre-school pupils learning to swim with help from their parents or guardians. Each award has its own certificate and cloth badge which we recommend are sewn onto the pupils towels, not their swimming costumes.
By the time our pupils achieve Duckling 3, they will be swimming independently, without the need for a parent in the water, swimming five meters without a floatation device on their front and back.
Certificates are currently £4.50 each.
Discovery Duckling Awards
The Discovery Duckling Awards are the start of the learn to swim experience for all children. These awards are perfect for babies and toddlers and pre-school children who are new to swimming lessons.
Ideal for gaining water confidence while staying close to adult support, these awards are followed by the existing Duckling Awards.
The Discovery Duckling Awards 1-4 each have their own certificate and badge.
By the end of this stage your child should be able to:
- Enter the water safely and comfortably, with full adult support.
- Bob up and down in the water, in an upright position, with full adult support.
- Float on the back and return to an upright position, with full adult support.
- Be at ease with water being poured on the back of the head.
- Move smoothly through the water, in an upright position, with full adult support.
- Exit the water safely with full adult support.
By the end of this stage your child should be able to:
- Enter the water safely and comfortably, with full adult support.
- Float on the back, with full adult support.
- Splash hands in the water.
- Complete a 360 degree turn, with full adult support. (The adult should hold the child close to them at first and then at arm’s length, the child should be facing away from the adult).
- Move through the water in a streamlined position on the back, with full adult support.
- Be at ease with the face being washed or splashed.
- Move smoothly through the water, in an upright position, with full adult support.
- Travel on the front or back, with full adult support.
- Make progress towards holding the side of the pool, with full adult support.
- Exit the water safely, with full adult support.
By the end of this stage your child should be able to:
- Enter the water safely, with full adult support. Swimmers should be encouraged to sit on the side and wait for adult instruction.
- Float on the back, with full adult support behind the head, shoulders and hips.
- Reach and grab toys on the water surface.
- Rotate 180 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position, with full adult support.
- Move through the water in a streamlined position on the front, with full adult support.
- Be at ease with water being showered over the face.
- Travel on the back using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
- Hold the rail or side of pool and move towards the step or ladders using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
- Exit the water safely with adult supervision.
By the end of this stage your child should be able to:
- Enter the water safely from a seated or standing position and return to the wall or pool side, with full adult support.
- Float on the front using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
- Reach and grab toys on top of and under the surface of the water.
- Rotate 180 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position, using floatation equipment and with minimal adult support.
- Push away from the wall in a streamlined position, with full adult support.
- Be at ease wetting or splashing the face and putting the chin in the water.
- Travel on the front using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
- Hold the rail or side of pool and move towards the steps or ladders using floatation equipment, with full adult support.
- Exit the water safely with adult supervision.
Duckling Awards
Duckling Awards are the next step on from the Discovery Duckling Awards.
They are designed to help toddlers enjoy learning to swim with help from their parents or guardians.
With Duckling Awards your child can work towards four different colourful Awards. Each Award has its own certificate and badge.
To achieve the duckling 1 award our pupils should be able to:
- Make a supervised safe entry with adult support if required.
- Float on back with adult support behind the head without floatation equipment.
- Blow bubbles at the water surface.
- Wet the head without submersion.
- Kick 5 meters on back with adult support.
- Travel without adult support for 2 meters to a floating object.
- Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side with adult support.
- Exit the water safely with minimal adult support.
To achieve the duckling 2 award our pupils should be able to:
- Make a sitting entry with adult support if required.
- Rotate 180 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position, using floatation equipment and without adult support.
- Submerge the face with confidence and without force under adult supervision.
- Blow an object for a distance of 2 meters.
- Travel 3 meters using arms and/or legs without adult support.
- Move 5 meters along the rail or wall without adult support.
- Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side with minimal adult support.
- Exit the water safely with minimal adult support.
To achieve the duckling 3 award our pupils should be able to:
- Make a supervised jump to an adult with or without support.
- Float on the front or back without adult support.
- Push off on the front or back in a streamlined shape from a supporting adult.
- Blow bubbles with the mouth and nose underwater.
- Travel 5 meters on the front to the side of the pool without adult support.
- Kick 5 meters on the front holding a float (the adult may hold the other end of the float).
- Enter the pool, rotate and return to the side without adult support.
- Climb out of the water with adult support if required.
To achieve the duckling 4 award our pupils should be able to:
- Jump into the water unaided, but supervised.
- Perform a mushroom or star float.
- Rotate 360 degrees either using a log roll or an upright position.
- Push and glide achieving a streamlined position on the front or back.
- Submerge completely.
- Travel 10 meters on the front or back, without adult support.
- Jump into the water, turn around, swim back to the point of entry and hold on to the side or rail.
- Climb out of the water with adult support if required.
Once our pupils start school, they move on to our after school or Saturday lessons. They then transfer to the Learn to Swim Awards, Stage 1 to 7
Learn To Swim 1-7
The Learn to Swim Awards 1-7 are divided into progressive stages. They make up the core, national syllabus of learning to swim for primary school aged children.
They are designed to reward your child for their development of the essential aquatic skills they need to be confident, competent and safe in the water.
Each of the Learn to Swim Awards 1-7 stages has a list of clear outcomes that need to be completed in order to gain each award.
Learn to Swim Awards Outcomes
By completing this Award, with or without floatation equipment or support, you will be able to:
- Enter the water safely.
- Move forward for a distance of 5 meters, feet may be on or off the floor.
- Move backwards for a distance of 5 meters, feet may be on or off the floor.
- Move sideways for a distance of 5 meters, feet may be on or off the floor.
- Scoop the water and wash the face.
- Be comfortable with water showered from overhead.
- Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing.
- Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing.
- Push and glide in a flat position on the front from a wall.
- Push and glide in a flat position on the back from a wall.
- Give examples of two pool rules.
- Exit the water safely.
By completing this Award, with or without floatation equipment or support, you will be able to:
- Jump in from poolside safely to a minimum depth of 1.0 meters.
- Blow bubbles a minimum of three times rhythmically, with nose and mouth submerged.
- Move from a flat floating position on the back and return to standing without support.
- Move from a flat floating position on the front and return to standing without support.
- Push from a wall and glide on the back – arms can be by the side or above the head.Push from a wall and glide on the front with arms extended.
- Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the back for 5 meters.
- Travel using a recognised leg action with feet off the pool floor on the front for 5 meters.
- Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the front, to a back floating position, then return to standing.
- Perform a tuck to rotate from a flat floating position on the back, to a front floating position, then return to standing.
- Perform a log roll from the back to the front.
- Perform a log roll from the front to the back.
- Exit the water without support.
By completing this Award, without floatation equipment or support, you will be able to:
- Jump in from poolside and submerge to a minimum depth of 1.0 meters.
- Sink, push away from wall and maintain a streamlined position.
- Push and glide on the front with arms extended and log roll onto the back.
- Push and glide on the back with arms extended and log roll onto the front.
- Travel 5 meters on the front, perform a tuck to rotate onto the back and return on the back.
- Fully submerge to pick up an object.
- Answer correctly three questions on the Water Safety Code.
- Push and glide and travel 10 meters on the back.
- Push and glide and travel 10 meters on the front.
- Perform a tuck float and hold for three seconds.
- Exit the water without using steps.
By completing this Award, without floatation equipment or support, you will be able to:
- Perform a sequence of changing shapes (minimum of three) whilst floating on the surface and demonstrate an understanding of floating.
- Push and glide from the wall towards the pool floor.
- Kick 10 meters backstroke (one item of equipment optional).
- Kick 10 meters front crawl (one item of equipment optional).
- Kick 10 meters butterfly on the front or on the back.
- Kick 10 meters breaststroke on the front (one item of equipment optional).
- Perform a head first sculling action for 5 meters in a flat position on the back.
- Travel on back and log roll in one continuous movement onto front.
- Travel on front and log roll in one continuous movement onto back.
- Push and glide and swim 10 meters, choice of stroke is optional.
By completing this Award you will be able to:
- Perform a flat stationary scull on the back.
- Perform a feet first sculling action for 5 meters in a flat position on the back.
- Perform a sculling sequence with a partner for 30-45 seconds to include a rotation.
- Tread water for 30 seconds.
- Perform three different shaped jumps into deep water.
- Push and glide and swim 10 meters backstroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Push and glide and swim 10 meters front crawl (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Push and glide and swim 10 meters breaststroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Push and glide and swim 10 meters butterfly (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Perform a handstand and hold for a minimum of three seconds.
- Perform a forward somersault.
- Demonstrate an action for getting help.
By completing this Award you will be able to:
- Give two examples of how to prepare for exercise and understand why it is important.
- Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into backstroke.
- Sink, push off on side from the wall, glide, kick and rotate into front crawl.
- Swim 10 meters wearing clothes.
- Push and glide and swim front crawl to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
- Push and glide and swim breaststroke to include at least six rhythmical breaths.
- Push and glide and swim butterfly to include at least three rhythmical breaths.
- Push and glide and swim backstroke to include at least six regular breaths.
- Push and glide and swim 25 meters, choice of stroke is optional (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Perform a ‘shout and signal’ rescue.
- Perform a surface dive.
By completing this Award you will be able to:
- Push and glide and swim 25 meters backstroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Push and glide and swim 25 meters front crawl (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Push and glide and swim 25 meters breaststroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Push and glide and swim 25 meters butterfly (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Perform a movement sequence (linking skills with strokes and sculls) of one minute duration, in a group of three or more, incorporating a number of the following skills:
Sculling: head first, feet first
Rotation: forward or backward somersault, log roll
Floating: star on the front or on the back, tuck float, create own
Eggbeater: Moving, lifting one or both arms out of the water - Perform a sitting dive or dive.
- Push and glide and swim 50 meters continuously using one stroke (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Push and glide and swim 100 meters, using a minimum of three different strokes (performed to Swim England expected standards).
- Tread water using eggbeater action for 30 seconds.
- Complete an obstacle course (using minimum of four objects) with feet off the pool floor throughout.
Distance Awards
Puffin Award
If one of our pupils has been unable to achieve all of the required criteria to be issued with their Award, we will issue them with a Puffin Certificate as we never want to let a pupil feel they are not progressing, or feel left out. It would be crushing for a pupil to watch their fellow class pupils receiving a certificate and be left out.
There are many more Swim England Certificates to be achieved.
