Swindon and Lewisham Champion Inclusive Swimming for Every Child
Level Water swimmer
At Level Water, our mission has always been simple. To ensure that every child, regardless of ability, has the chance to learn to swim, feel confident in the water and enjoy all the benefits that swimming brings. We’re delighted to shine a light on two areas where our ‘Inclusion Specialists’ are making a huge difference to several children’s lives each week.
In Lewisham, the pioneering programme has been launched in partnership with Better at Forest Hill Pool and Glass Mill Leisure Centre, placing an Specialist into the centres to deliver adapted lessons. These include communication support in Makaton, BSL and neurodiversity awareness. Read about Lewisham centres here. The impact is already clear: children who may never previously have been given the chance to learn a lifesaving skill are now doing exactly that.
Meanwhile in Swindon, our collaboration has meant that children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are now participating in dedicated swimming lessons at The Link Centre and Dorcan Recreation Complex. Starting with one-to-one initially, progressing to small groups, supported by trained instructors who take the time to understand each child’s triggers, preferences and pace. Read about Swindon here.
What a difference this makes: one parent says of their children, “Thank you so much for giving my children the chance to learn such a key life skill… Your hard work and fundraising have given Noah and Nellie the chance to thrive and be happy within an inclusive environment.”
Why this matters
Learning to swim is not just a sport. It’s about safety, confidence, inclusion, physical health, and social belonging. For families of children with disabilities, the mainstream swimming world can often feel inaccessible. This sometimes comes from lack of adapted teaching, to communication barriers, to sensory or environmental issues in the pool. These programmes show what can happen when we remove those barriers.
At Level Water, we believe that:
Every child has the right to access swimming lessons in a way that suits their needs.
Specialist teaching and adapted environments inspire confidence: the difference between “I’ll never be able to” and “I’m doing this!”
Partnerships matter. Charities, leisure operators, local centres, and families all working together to make inclusive swimming truly available.
Success is about much more than swimming the distance, it’s about belonging, achievement, happiness and progression.
What’s next
We are actively working to expand this inclusive-swimming model across more venues and boroughs; building more specialist roles, training instructors in inclusive practice, raising awareness of the need, and making swimming accessible from the first splash to becoming water-confident. Some of the children learning to swim with Level Water are graduating to para-swim clubs, swimming outdoors and diving groups.
If you’re a parent looking for inclusive swimming lessons; a leisure centre wanting to introduce specialist adapted sessions; or a funder wanting to support this work, we would love to hear from you. Because every child deserves to learn to swim and fall in love with the water.
— The Level Water Team
