Terms & Conditions

Please familiarise yourself with our terms and conditions of booking.  In particular our policies regarding make-ups, cancellations and sickness, as well as the level/age limitations at some of our venues

1. General Lesson Policies

1.1 All children swimming in a 1:2 lesson, working toward stage 4 and above in the Putney West pool, working toward stage 4 and above in the Home Guard pool before 4.00pm and after 7.00pm, and working toward stage 5 and above at all other pools: If a partner cannot be found for the child, SwimWay will honour the booking for the first two scheduled lessons in the term. If a partner still has not been found by the end of the second scheduled lesson, you will have the following options:

1.1.1 Dependent on availability, move to another suitable lesson time/day/venue that has a child to partner with. However, if the pairing is a mismatch, and the instructor informs us that the children cannot swim together, you will then need to choose an alternative time/day/venue if one is available, or choose one of the options from 1.1.2 – 1.1.4

1.1.2 Change your booking to 1:1 private lessons for the remainder of the term. The difference in fees for the remaining lessons will then be due

1.1.3 Choose to not continue and be refunded for the remaining lessons in the term

1.1.4 You source a partner of a similar age/skill level to join the lesson yourself.  If the instructor informs us that the children are not a suitable match, you would then need to choose one of the options from 1.1.1 – 1.1.3

1.2 Children swimming in a 1:2 lesson working toward stage 4 and above at the Home Guard venue between 4.00pm and 7.00pm, working toward stage 3 (all pools) and stage 4 (all pools except Putney West): If a partner cannot be found for the child, SwimWay will honour the booking for one term, and the first two scheduled lessons of the following term. If a partner still has not been found by the end of the second scheduled lesson of the following term, you will have the following options:

1.2.1 Change your booking to 1:1 private lessons for the remaining lessons of that term

1.2.2 Source a partner of a similar age/skill level to join the lesson yourself

1.3 If your child is assessed as working toward stage 4 or above, they may not be allowed to swim in any slots before 4.00pm on weekdays unless booked into a 1:1 lesson, or in a 1:2 lesson with a partner you have sourced yourself

1.4 Each pool operates with certain age or skill level limits as detailed below. If you are swimming in a 1:2 lesson, you will fall under the restrictions outlined in clauses 1.1 - 1.3.  If you are swimming in a 1:1 lesson, we will provide further guidance if required

1.4.1 Kensington/Holland Park: Specialises in lessons for children from beginner through to stage 6, up to the age of 9 years. Children aged 9 or over, or gaining stage 6, will only be able to swim privately. Additionally, SwimWay does not source partners for 1:2 lessons at this venue.  Should you experience any mismatches/changes to your 1:2 booking at this venue for any reason, you would need to source a new partner or pay an additional fee to change your booking a 1:1 class

1.4.2 Balham/Tooting Bec, East Sheen Gordon Avenue, East Sheen Sheen Mount School, Wimbledon/Southfields, Putney Upper Richmond Road & Clapham Common West Side: Specialise in lessons for children from beginner through to stage 6, up to the age of 9 years

1.4.3 Putney West & Wandsworth Common: Specialises in lessons for children from beginner through to stage 4, up to the age of 8 years

1.4.4 East Sheen Sheen Mount School & Kew Gardens: Specialises in lessons for children from beginner through to stage 8, up to the age of 12 years. Children aged 12 or over, or gaining stage 8, will only be able to swim privately

1.4.4 East Sheen Home Guard Club: Specialises in lessons for all ages and abilities.  However, from 4.30pm onwards on weekdays we strictly only allow bookings for children working towards stage 4 and above.  Should the instructor confirm that the student booked into a lesson at 4.30pm or later is not swimming at stage 4 or above, SwimWay reserves the right to cancel the booking.

1.5 Should the instructor verify that a 1:2 lesson is  not a suitable match, the priority over the lesson time goes to the child who has been booked in the lesson for the longest period of time. In this case, SwimWay will try to offer alternative spaces for the second child to move to. If these alternatives are not suitable, or none can be found, SwimWay will offer a full refund for the remaining lessons in the term for the child who is leaving the lesson

1.6 1:2 lessons may be paired with a child of a higher or lower stage.  SwimWay will always defer to the instructor's decision should there be any question as to whether a 1:2 pairing is suitable/unsuitable

1.7 All bookings are made at the discretion of SwimWay Ltd.  We reserve the right to refuse, change, move or cancel a booking in cases where it may breach these terms, cause certain operational costs to not be covered, or other reasonable grounds

1.8 People should not swim if they have any significant illness such as ear infection, chicken pox or a very bad cold. If any person entering the water has had sickness or diarrhoea, they should not use swimming pools whilst symptomatic, or for 48 hours after symptoms have completely ceased. People diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis should not use swimming pools for 14 calendar days after symptoms have resolved and should inform the SwimWay office immediately if diagnosed

1.9 It is your legal responsibility to disclose any pertinent medical information regarding you (adult lessons), your child (children’s lessons), or you and your baby (parent & baby lessons). This must be provided in writing via email to the relevant account manager, so the details can be included in the child’s medical notes on the SwimWay database. Please note instructors and office staff will have access to these notes

1.10 You are fully responsible for ensuring you (adult lessons) your child (children’s lessons), or you and your baby (parent & baby lessons) are fit and healthy to attend the classes. If you or your child/baby have any existing medical conditions you should seek advice from your doctor prior to attending the lessons. In some cases, a doctor’s note may be required confirming you and/or your child are able to partake in the lessons. Whilst every care will be taken to ensure the health and safety of everyone booked into our lessons, SwimWay does not accept any responsibility for any negative impact on the lessons or you and/or your child’s wellbeing due to a medical condition that was or was not disclosed to us. SwimWay also reserves the right to cancel the lessons in this case (without a refund should the medical condition not have been disclosed)

1.11 SwimWay reserves the right to cancel your booking/s should significant pool closures occur as a result of an incident (health and safety or otherwise) caused by you, a guardian, or your child

1.12 Children under the age of 10 years must be supervised by a responsible guardian provided by the client who stays within sight of the lessons at all times.  Children over the age of 10 years can attend without a responsible guardian, but SwimWay can only be responsible for children during the scheduled running time of the swimming lesson.  It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure the safety and welfare of the child at all other times.

1.13 A parent or guardian must accompany the child in the water for parent and baby lessons only. SwimWay can only be responsible for children during the parent and baby lessons while holding the child during the lesson and the parent/guardian is responsible at all other times

1.14 Adult swimming lessons are provided with the understanding that the student is swimming and using the facilities at his or her own risk

1.15 All children under the age of 3 years are required to wear the double nappy system. There are no exceptions to this rule, regardless of potty training.  This consists of an aqua nappy (such as Huggies) that can be bought in most supermarkets/chemists and a Happy Nappy over the top. The Happy Nappy can be bought on-line at www.splashabout.com, Jo Jo Maman Bebe, Amazon, and various other retailers

1.16 Nappies must be taken away, or disposed of in a nappy bin if there is one available at the location

1.17 Children should not be fed for 1 hour before the lesson (45 mins for fluid/milk). No food or drink on the poolside (other than water or baby milk)

1.18 Any person aged 3 years and up is required to wear a swimming cap at all times during the lessons. SwimWay will provide one free swimming cap to new term-time clients on their first lesson. Please ask your instructor for a cap when your lessons start

1.19 Please be aware that lessons usually run with multiple teachers working alongside each other managing their own separate lessons

1.20 Whilst SwimWay has an extremely low turnover of staff and tries to ensure you always have the same instructor, we cannot guarantee this as teachers inevitably fall ill, leave the company, have immovable appointments, etc. We will inform you via email of any changes as soon as possible for the day, the remaining lesson(s), or the following term, and a fully qualified replacement will be provided. Also, due to the extremely thorough nature of our training and recruitment process, we may occasionally have an experienced and certified instructor teaching/shadowing your class. movements/make-ups/refunds/credits will not be available apart from the circumstances detailed in clauses 2.2 and 4.4

1.21 Dependent on availability, SwimWay can accept a maximum of one permanent lesson time change per term. If there are no alternative days/times that suit you, SwimWay cannot be held responsible for any schedule conflicts. Movements/make-ups/refunds/credits will not be available as per the policies detailed in point 2. Please note that this offer is limited to term-time bookings only. SwimWay cannot offer any time changes for holiday courses

1.22 Lessons are mostly run with the instructor in the water with the student. In these classes, in order for the instructors to properly execute the lesson, they will need to physically handle the student in a professional manner to provide support in the water, and to convey correct stroke techniques

1.23 Filming/photography during the lessons is not recommended.  SwimWay accepts no responsibility for the individual actions of any clients who do not follow this recommendation.  Please note that under no circumstances should you proceed with any filming/photography at all, unless you have the consent of all adults in attendance, including the instructors

1.24 While we try to ensure the highest levels of security, SwimWay is not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged items at any of the SwimWay facilities. Please report any missing items to the office, and our team will do our best to locate them

2. Term Time Cancellation Policies

2.1 If within 7 calendar days of the booking email being issued you inform SwimWay Ltd. that you would like to cancel your term-time booking, you will receive a refund of the fees paid, less an administration charge of 10% of the full invoice fee (incl. of VAT). This offer does not apply to bookings made within 7 calendar days prior to the start of the term, in which case you will receive a refund of the fees paid, less one lesson plus an administration charge of 10% of the full invoice fee (incl. of VAT)

2.2 New clients or current clients who experience a change of instructor at the start of a new term: From 7 calendar days after the booking email is issued, any cancellations will receive a refund of the fees paid, less one lesson and an administration charge of 10% of the full fee (incl. of VAT). This offer is valid up to 3 calendar days after the first scheduled lesson (as detailed on the booking email). After the 3-day deadline, no movements, make-ups, refunds, credits or cancellations will be issued. Please note that should you opt for this refund before the term starts, you will not be able to take part in the first lesson of the term

2.3 Current clients who rebook with the same instructor: From 7 calendar days after the booking email is issued, any cancellations will only qualify for a refund if a new client takes over the booking. The refund will be for the number of lessons that the new client books, less an administration charge of 10% of the full fee (incl. of VAT). This offer is valid up to 7 calendar days prior to the start of the first scheduled lesson (as detailed on the original booking email)

2.4 Sickness: In order to cancel your booking during the term due to sickness, you will need to send an email to the SwimWay office, as well as an official note from your qualified GP, consultant or specialist. The note needs to be received within 7 calendar days of your cancellation email, and state that the child is not able to swim for at least 6 consecutive weeks during the SwimWay term. When agreed, a refund for the balance of lessons remaining in the term will be paid, minus an administration charge of 10% of the full invoice fee (incl. of VAT). We do not offer any refunds for lessons missed prior to receiving the necessary cancellation email and official note.  Please note we cannot reserve a space for the duration of the sickness. If you would like a refund for the missed lessons, you will need to cancel all the remaining lessons in the term. This offer is only valid for the student booked into the lesson. We cannot offer any movements, make-ups, refunds, credits for any parents/guardians taking a child to the class who are affected by long-term illness, or any friends/relatives of the student who is ill who are also swimming with us

3. Holiday Course Cancellation Policies

3.1 If within 7 calendar days of the booking email being issued you inform SwimWay Ltd. that you would like to cancel your holiday course booking, you will receive a refund of the fees paid, less an administration charge of 10% of the full fee (incl. of VAT). This offer does not apply to bookings made within 14 calendar days prior to the start of the course, in which case no movements, make-ups, refunds or credits will be available, even in cases of sickness or changes of instructor

3.2 From 7 calendar days after the booking email is issued, a refund of 50% of the full fee (incl. of VAT) is available for any cancellations made up to 14 calendar days prior to the start of the course. Alternatively, we can offer one movement to another holiday course that is on offer less an administration charge of 10% of the full fee (incl. of VAT).  Should you then request a cancellation of the course you move to, only the 50% refund will be available up to 14 days prior to the start of the course. No movements, make-ups, refunds or credits will be issued for any cancellations made within the 14 calendar days prior to, or after, the course start date even in cases of sickness or changes of instructor

4. General Financial Policies

4.1 All requests for cancellations or refunds need to be made in writing and sent via email to SwimWay Ltd.

4.2 Refunds are provided via bank transfer or card should you have made a card payment.  Refunds to cards can only be processed for the same term that the payment has been made for.  Please contact the office to arrange the refund to your card.  If you made payment via bank transfer, will also need to contact the office with your banking details: Bank Name, Account Holder Name, Sort Code and Account Number.  For security purposes, please do not provide any banking or card details via email

4.3 If you do not attend a lesson you will be fully charged. We do not accept cancellations or issue movements, refunds, credits or make-up classes for missed lessons

4.4 If SwimWay Ltd. has to cancel a lesson for any reason other than a Force Majeure Event (as detailed in clause 4.6), a make-up lesson will be provided if available, or a refund for that lesson will be paid once the necessary details are provided as per clause 4.2.  Please note instructor absences with cover provided do not qualify as a lesson cancellation

4.5 If SwimWay Ltd. has to cancel a lesson or series of lessons due to a Force Majeure Event (such as, but not limited to, acts of God, pandemics/epidemics or actions of government), credit for any cancellations that occur will be applied to your SwimWay account.  These credits will be available for use for any term-time or holiday courses for up to two years after the cancellation occurs

4.6 Any discounts or offers are subject to all the usual terms and conditions and may be removed or revised as we see fit.  Discounts are not applied automatically and must be requested by the client for each booking

4.7 If SwimWay Ltd. does not receive the necessary banking or card details as detailed in clause 4.2 within 12 weeks of any credit being applied to your account, the refund will become null and void (apart from credit applied under clause 4.6)

4.8 If full payment for any booking is not made within 48 hours of the booking email being sent, or the date stated in the email, then we are unable to guarantee your place and it will be opened to other bookings

5. Privacy, Agreement & Changes To Terms

5.1 SwimWay will not use, or make available any personal information that we hold to any third party not directly responsible for, or connected with the servicing of your booking. SwimWay will not use your personal information except to send you related service and marketing communications. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list please inform us by replying to one of the emails you have received with UNSUBSCRIBE, and your details will be unsubscribed from our mailing list. More information on our commitment to privacy can be found here

5.2 We may from time to time change these Terms and Conditions without giving you notice, but we will use our reasonable endeavours to inform you as soon as is reasonably possible of any such change

5.3 Your payment indicates that you have read and agree to these terms and conditions, which includes how your data will be processed (detailed in our privacy policies)

5.4 Should you make and pay for a booking over the phone or online, it is your responsibility to have fully read and understood these terms and conditions before proceeding with the booking