Top marks for Gate Pa School learn to swim programme

Tauranga’s Gate Pa School is dedicated to ensuring their students learn to be confident and safe in and around the water.

The school joined the Swimming New Zealand Kiwi Swim Safe programme in 2012 and have lapped up the opportunities this has given them to be able to deliver a strong learn to swim programme to their students.

Teachers at the school enjoy learning new skills and techniques through the programme and with the support of their regional Education Advisor Erin Fowler.

All of the team follow the foundational aquatic triangle and really focus on the core skills of swimming and water safety.

The school does a great job of managing their students at all ages and abilities.

The juniors at the school are grouped into ability levels with their swimming sessions including lessons about safe entries and exits, floating front and back and kicking.

The middle school also do a fantastic job of splitting the each class into ability groups with the sessions managed extremely well with lane ropes and objectives on pool side for each group.

Some ability groups pair up and give each other feedback on each other's swimming so students are not only learning to swim but teaching it too, plus critically thinking and working together.

The seniors are lucky enough to split into four ability groups and, through a great partnership, use the pool next door at Tauranga Girls College which also gives them a chance to learn in deep water.

With access to the pool a challenge for one student this year the school built a ramp so that none of their students missed out on the opportunity to be part of their swimming programme and the teachers are fantastic at including everyone in their lessons.