More than swimming — building confidence.
Our Approach
For over five years, One with Water has provided a structured, nurturing environment where children feel safe and excited to learn. Our heated pool, conveniently located in Craighall, creates the ideal setting for young swimmers to grow at their own pace.
Lessons are offered in small group classes and individual one-on-one sessions, allowing each child to learn in the format best suited to their needs, confidence level, and stage of development.
Led by Andrea — our team combines expert instruction with genuine care. Andrea understands that entrusting your child to a coach is a big step, and ensures every family feels seen, heard, and supported.
Every child progresses at their own pace, from their very first splash through to confident, capable swimming — always in a patient, encouraging atmosphere.
Social Responsibility Programme
One with Water Swimming School is committed to helping children from disadvantaged communities develop essential swimming and water-safety skills. Through our social responsibility programme we offer substantially discounted group swimming lessons, currently in partnership with Happy Hours, a charity school in Bordeaux.
Once a week children attend a two-hour mid-morning session with the school responsible for transport to and from One with Water and providing a responsible adult to supervise the group.
Our goal is to give children the opportunity to learn a vital life skill, build water confidence and become safer around water, regardless of their circumstances.
Why Swimming Matters
🌊 Swimming is far more than a life skill — it is a pathway to confidence, discipline, health, and personal growth. Our structured lessons develop water safety, full stroke proficiency, coordination, and technique, while also teaching focus, perseverance, and the discipline to practise and improve.
Swimming strengthens the body, supports brain development, and builds social confidence and independence. As children become technically proficient, we encourage progression into larger school or club environments where they can further develop stamina, advanced skills, and competitive ability.
🛡️ Our Stance on Water Safety
Why “drown-proofing” is not recommended for young toddlers
Drown-proofing young toddlers is not recommended because no swimming or survival technique can make a young child “drown-proof,” and the developmental abilities of toddlers are not sufficiently mature for these techniques to be relied upon in an emergency. The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) specifically stresses that swimming lessons are only one layer of drowning prevention and cannot replace constant, close and capable adult supervision, effective pool barriers and other safety measures.
For infants, there is no evidence that repeated submersion or reflexive back-floating reduces drowning rates, and repeated submersions may create negative aquatic experiences. For toddlers over one year, the evidence supports developmentally appropriate swimming and water-competency instruction, but the objective should be to progressively build skills, confidence, water awareness and safe behaviours—not to create the impression that the child can survive independently if they fall into water.