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Penguins Academy
Profile: The Harlow Penguin Swimming Academy is made up from a structured squad system where individuals will progress at their own pace and is aimed at children aged from 7 – 12 years old who want to improve and develop into competitive swimmers. It will provide youngsters with expert technique work to help them become proficient and legal in all four strokes. From the outset it is important to understand that Harlow Penguins is a competitive swimming club and in order to develop high quality competitive swimmers we have to ensure that high standards of stroke technique are taught from the start, it is very difficult for our coaches to correct bad habits/technique later in their competitive life. Emphasis is placed on coordination, breathing pattern and timing, streamlining and underwater skills. Pupils also learn competitive racing starts and turns on the four strokes, helping them to graduate to the High Performance Squads by meeting the published criteria. Academy 1 This is the entry level group into the Academy structure and to qualify for this group, Children must have passed Stage 5 of the ASA Learn to Swim Framework. Session times: 
We are able to offer a choice of either a Friday or Sunday session, cost is £63 per 12 week course. Session Structure Throughout the club, swimmers in Penguins Swim School will have followed the ASA National Plan for Teaching Swimming and within Academy this will continue. Swimmers in the Academy 1 will develop their competitive skills by looking to achieve Stage 6 swimming awards of the Learn to Swim Framework. Swimmers will focus on developing effective swimming skills including co-ordinated breathing. During their fee period, swimmers will be assessed for their Stage award in weeks 9 or 10. In addition to the Stage awards, around week 5 swimmers will have the opportunity to achieve distance badges. Time trials As a competitive club, times set by swimmers in races are really important, even Olympic Champions have to achieve qualifying times! Within each fee period, the Club will hold a “Time Trial” which we would like all Academy swimmers to enter. Information regarding entry etc is sent out by e-mail so please check your mailbox’s on a regular basis. Academy 2 squad As the name suggests, this is the second group of the Academy structure and your child will have passed Stage 6 of the ASA Learn to Swim Framework. In Academy 2, the group are given an additional session to attend which is key to their development and as a result their progression will be accelerated. Session times: 
Both of these sessions are included in the 12 week fee of £75 and the expectation is that they will attend both sessions. Session structure Academy 2 swimmers will continue to follow the ASA National Plan for Teaching Swimming and will be looking to pass Stage 7 of the scheme where swimmers will develop quality stroke technique and regularly swim distances up to 100m. During their fee period, swimmers will be assessed for their Stage award in weeks 9 or 10. In addition to the Stage awards, around week 5 swimmers will have the opportunity to achieve distance badges. In addition to Stage awards and distance badges, swimmers in Academy 2 will work towards passing the Preliminary Competitive Start Award, complementing Stages 1-7 of the LTS; this is a continuation of the ASA’s emphasis on learner safety. Shallow diving can cause serious injuries if not done properly and by securing these awards your children will show they have the competence to dive in water 0.9-1.3m deep. This is a standard demanded for competitions under ASA law. Teaching for the Preliminary Competitive Start Award starts in deep water before moving to the side of the pool and shallower water. Once this award has been secured learners work towards the Competitive Start Award to learn safe race dives from a starting block Progression Academy 2 is the last group in the Penguins “Learn to Swim” programme and from here the transition to a competitive swimming environment really begins. In order to progress to Academy 3, swimmers must achieve the following:
As stated, qualification will be dependent on passing the awards and achieving at least 2 of the qualifying times detailed below. Qualifying times are based on County Qualifying times and are calculated by averaging the 50m male and female times, dividing the average by 2 and then adding 15%. With the setting of qualification times, the emphasis really is on the developing the competitive element of the club, and moving forward, there will be a greater emphasis on coaching rather than teaching. 
Time trials In order to give swimmers the chance to set qualifying times, within each fee period, the Club will hold a “Time Trial” which we would like all Academy swimmers to enter. Information regarding entry etc is sent out by e-mail so please check your mailbox’s on a regular basis. As a competitive club, times set by swimmers in races are really important, even Olympic Champions have to achieve qualifying times! Academy 3 squad Academy 3 is the first competitive squad for Harlow Penguins, in order to qualify for this group; swimmers will have had to achieve qualifying times. As the group is designated a “squad” within the Club structure the emphasis will change from a teaching to a coaching format. From the age of 9, swimmers will be expected to start competing in galas and Open Meets and their “training” will prepare them for that. As part of their training regime they will start to use the clock, they will swim sets of work and the distances they complete in training will be a considerable step up on what they have previously achieved. Session Times 
As part of their programme, there are 3 sessions available to Academy 3 and they will be expected to attend all of them, swimmers need to do this simply to compete with other local clubs. The current training fee for Academy 3 is £28.00 per month. In addition to this fee, swimmers will be expected to upgrade their ASA registration on their 9th birthday to CAT2 which will enable them to compete in galas and open meets. Session structure The emphasis in Academy 3 switches from a teaching environment to coaching, swimmers will generally swim a lot further and regularly swim distances up to 100m. They will be expected to be able to:
Progression Academy 3 is the first group within the “competitive” environment of the club and progression is based around the swimmers ability to achieve both training and competitive elements. To progress to Academy 4, swimmers must achieve the following:
As stated, part of qualification for Academy 4 will be dependent on achieving at least 2 of the qualifying times detailed below. Qualifying times are based on County Qualifying times and are calculated in a similar manner to the times for Academy 3, the percentage over County is reduced to10%. 
Time trials In order to give swimmers the chance to set qualifying times, within each fee period, the Club will hold a “Time Trial” which we would like all Academy swimmers to enter. Information regarding entry etc is sent out by e-mail so please check your mailbox’s on a regular basis. As a competitive club, times set by swimmers in races are really important, even Olympic Champions have to achieve qualifying times! Academy 4 squad The Penguins Academy 4 Squad is the entry level competitive squad for all swimmers aged 11 and under. Swimmers will have either come through the Penguins Swim School or will have been assessed by coaches as being able to effectively train within the squad.
Galas - Penguins is a competitive swimming club and we swim as a team in galas as part of the various leagues the Club enters, M11 Junior Swimming League, Arena National Swimming League, Essex League. Teams for these galas are selected by the Head Coach and the races each swimmer can swim are dictated by the age groups and the rules of the leagues. Open Meets - galas open for all squad swimmers from Academy 4 upwards and are the stepping stone to competing in County Championships and if your really good, the Olympic Games! Open meets are “Licensed” and all times are recorded on the ASA national database. Swimmers in squads need to be competing in these on a regular basis and ideally should look to do a minimum of one a month. You don’t need to be selected, you are able to enter whenever you like but it’s best to take advice from teachers and Head Coach on which ones are best for you. A full list of galas is available on the "gala dates" page. Angela Dee is our Team Manager and Jason Hills is the co-ordinator for all open meet entries, both are available on a Friday night to help with any queries and to receive entries. Squad Training Sessions: Penguins Academy 4 Squad currently have 3 evening sessions a week available to them. In addition squad members will also be able to attend the morning sessions. Details are as follows: 
Academy 4 is a competitive squad and places are offered on the basis that swimmers will need to attend at least 2 of the 3 evening sessions offered. Attendance is monitored and if the minimum attendance requirement is not met on a regular basis then consideration will be given to withdrawing the place. Academy 4 Squad progression: Squads will be regrouped on a quarterly basis, i.e. 1st Jan, 1st April, 1st July, and 1st October. On these dates there are 2 main squads that Academy 4 Squad members can progress to:
Throughout the club, swimmers in Penguins Swim School will have followed the ASA National Plan for Teaching Swimming and within Academy 4 Squad this will continue. Swimmers in the Academy 4 Squad will develop their competitive skills by looking to achieve Stage 8 and Stage 9 Competitive Swimming awards of the Learn to Swim Framework; this will be complemented with the Competitive Start Award. Details of these awards are below: NPTS Stage 8:
By the end of Stage 9 (Competitive Swimming) of the Learn to Swim Framework, powered by British Gas, your pupils should have reached 8 outcomes relating to starts:
The ASA, ISRM, RoSPA, RLSS UK and other bodies, believe that swimmers should demonstrate shallow racing dive competence before being permitted to dive into shallow water i.e. water depth between 0.9m and 1.3m. The ASA’s guidance is that competence should be demonstrated by achieving the standard of the Competitive Start Award. These standards are a requirement for competitions under ASA Law. Teaching begins in deep water before progressing to diving from the side of the pool and starting blocks into shallow water. The Competitive Start Award teaches safe racing starts into shallow water from a starting block and a variety of starting techniques. |
How to join
For further details on how to join Harlow Penguins or information about the club, please go to the About the Club page. Squad Contacts Head Coach: Martin Stringer Squad Coach: Darren Tucker Team Manager: Angela Dee Squad Coordinator: Jason Hills Penguins on Facebook If you're a Facebook user, please join our Group "Harlow Penguins" to receive fast notices to your phone. |
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