How often should progress be reviewed and communicated to parents or swimmers?
Regular Swimming Progress Reviews should be part of every effective swimming program. Progress should be observed continuously, reviewed regularly, and communicated clearly to swimmers and parents. Good communication helps everyone understand what the swimmer can do and what they should work on next.
A progress review does not need to become a complicated testing procedure. Instead, it should help teachers recognise genuine development and identify appropriate next steps.
Most importantly, assessment should support learning rather than become a barrier to progression.
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| Regular Swimming Progress Reviews |
Observe Progress During Every Lesson
Teachers should observe their swimmers throughout every lesson. There is no need to wait for a formal assessment before recognising improvement.
A swimmer might achieve an important milestone during an ordinary lesson. For example, they may put their face underwater without assistance, float independently, or complete a stroke more effectively.
These small improvements matter. Therefore, teachers should acknowledge them and record significant developments where appropriate.
Regular observation also helps teachers identify problems early. A swimmer who suddenly loses confidence or struggles with a previously established skill may need additional support.
My article Swimming Progress Assessment: Beyond Distance and Time explains why teachers should assess the quality of performance rather than simply measure distance.
Review Progress Every Few Lessons
A more structured review can occur every four to six lessons. The exact timing will depend on the frequency and length of the swimming program.
The purpose is not necessarily to conduct a formal test. Instead, teachers can consider several questions:
- What can the swimmer do now that they could not do previously?
- Which skills are becoming more consistent?
- Which skills still require assistance?
- Has confidence improved?
- Does the swimmer have the foundations required for further progression?
This approach gives teachers useful information without turning every review into an examination.
Regular Swimming Progress Reviews should focus on meaningful development. Distance and time can provide useful information, but they should not become the only measures of progress.
Two swimmers may both swim 25 metres, yet their abilities can differ considerably. One may swim with reasonable control, while another struggles with breathing and body position.
Therefore, teachers need to look at how the swimmer completes the distance.
Communicate Progress With Parents
Parents and carers should not have to wait until the end of a term to discover how their child is progressing.
A brief conversation after a lesson can provide valuable information. For example, a teacher might explain that a swimmer has become more comfortable submerging independently.
That simple communication reassures parents while also explaining what the teacher is developing.
More detailed feedback can occur during scheduled progress reviews. The teacher can then explain achievements, current challenges, and the next learning goals.
This communication should remain constructive. Parents do not need a list of everything their child cannot yet do.
Instead, explain what the swimmer can do, what they are developing, and how the teacher intends to help.
Adult Swimmers Need Regular Feedback Too
Adult swimmers should receive the same consideration. In fact, many adults particularly appreciate knowing exactly what they are achieving.
An adult swimmer may feel that progress is slow because they are concentrating on one difficult skill. The teacher may see improvements that the swimmer has not recognised.
Consequently, teachers should point out measurable improvements.
For example, a swimmer may now float independently for ten seconds. They may also recover to standing without assistance.
Those achievements provide tangible evidence of progress.
Regular Swimming Progress Reviews can therefore increase motivation while giving adult swimmers realistic expectations about their development.
Do Not Make Promotion About Perfection
One of the most important aspects of progress assessment concerns promotion between swimming levels.
Assessors can sometimes become overzealous when deciding whether a student should move forward. This can happen in either direction.
An assessor may promote a swimmer too quickly. Alternatively, an assessor may become too picky and keep a swimmer at one level for far too long.
Neither approach serves the swimmer particularly well.
I have always maintained that swimming teachers should be sufficiently well trained to cope with a recently promoted student who has the foundations of the next level.
That swimmer may not perform every skill perfectly. However, they may possess enough ability to benefit from the next stage of instruction.
A good teacher should be able to modify activities and provide additional practice where necessary.
The answer should not automatically involve moving the swimmer back down a level.
Give Teachers Professional Discretion
Promotion supervisors can make mistakes. That possibility needs to be recognised within a healthy swimming program.
A supervisor may decide that a swimmer is ready for the next level. The teacher may then discover that some skills require additional development.
That does not necessarily mean the promotion was disastrous. It means the teacher needs sufficient flexibility to respond appropriately.
The teacher should be able to modify the program so the swimmer can participate successfully.
For example, the teacher might provide additional practice with body position before expecting full stroke development.
They might also simplify an activity temporarily while maintaining the swimmer's participation with the rest of the class.
Equally, teachers should have enough knowledge and confidence to tell a supervisor when promotion appears premature.
The teacher should be trusted to explain what they have observed and why additional support may be necessary.
This requires more than simply giving teachers responsibility. Swim schools need to train teachers properly and trust their professional judgement.
Do Not Hold Students Back Because Teachers Lack Skills
A swimming school should never use assessment standards to compensate for inadequate teacher training.
If teachers cannot cope with a recently promoted swimmer who has the necessary foundations, the solution is professional development.
Holding the swimmer back unnecessarily does not solve the underlying problem.
My article Defining Swim Levels & Skills in Common Across Programs discusses the importance of defining meaningful skills within swimming levels.
Levels should provide a useful framework for learning. They should not become rigid boxes that prevent teachers from responding to individual swimmers.
The Victorian Department of Education similarly describes swimming and water safety learning as a continuum. Its current policy states that programs should address students' individual learning needs and achievement levels. Victorian Swimming Instruction and Water Safety Education Policy
This principle supports a flexible approach to progression.
Use Assessment to Guide Teaching
A progress review should influence what happens in subsequent lessons.
If a swimmer has mastered one skill, the teacher can introduce an appropriate challenge.
If another swimmer needs more practice, the teacher can provide that practice without making the swimmer feel unsuccessful.
For example, consider a swimmer developing freestyle breathing.
The teacher might observe that the swimmer can swim effectively but struggles when turning to breathe. The next lessons can therefore include appropriate breathing practice.
The assessment has then served a practical purpose. It has identified what the swimmer needs next.
Regular Swimming Progress Reviews should always lead towards teaching decisions rather than simply producing a result.
Keep Progress Records Simple
Progress records do not need to become excessive paperwork.
A simple record can provide enough information to support consistent teaching.
For example:
- Submerging — competent
- Front float — competent
- Back float — developing
- Freestyle — developing
- Breathing — developing
- Independent recovery — competent
- Deep-water confidence — developing
Such records provide much more useful information than simply recording that a swimmer completed 25 metres.
They also help another teacher understand the swimmer's current abilities.
This becomes particularly valuable when teachers change classes or when a swimmer moves to another level.
Consistency Matters, But Avoid Rigidity
A swimmer performing a skill once does not necessarily demonstrate consistent competence.
Therefore, teachers should look for reasonable consistency across several attempts.
However, consistency should not become an excuse for demanding perfection.
Swimming performance naturally varies with fatigue, concentration, confidence, and the demands of the lesson.
A swimmer who performs a skill successfully most of the time may have enough foundation to continue developing.
The teacher should therefore consider the whole swimmer rather than one unsuccessful attempt.
Communication Creates a Positive Learning Environment
Good communication benefits everyone involved in swimming lessons.
Students understand what they are achieving. Teachers understand what they should teach next. Supervisors receive useful information about their decisions.
Parents and carers also gain a clearer understanding of their child's development.
This creates a positive atmosphere where everyone can contribute constructively.
Parents can encourage practice without placing unnecessary pressure on the swimmer. Teachers can explain difficulties without making them seem like failures.
Supervisors can also receive honest feedback about whether their assessment decisions are working in practice.
Regular Swimming Progress Reviews therefore become much more than an assessment process. They become an important communication process.
Progress Reviews Should Support Water Safety
Swimming progress also needs to be considered alongside water safety.
A swimmer's ability to complete a particular stroke does not automatically mean they can safely manage every aquatic environment.
The Royal Life Saving Society Australia continues to emphasise swimming skills alongside active supervision and broader water safety practices. Its guidance reminds parents that swimming ability does not remove the need for appropriate supervision around water. Royal Life Saving Australia: Keep Watch Actions
Therefore, progress reviews can also consider relevant safety skills.
Teachers might observe safe water entry, floating, recovery, orientation, and the swimmer's ability to respond appropriately to instructions.
These skills can be particularly important when assessing younger or less confident swimmers.
Put Regular Reviews Into Practice
A practical swimming school could use the following simple approach:
- Every lesson: Observe skills and recognise meaningful improvements.
- Every four to six lessons: Review current skills and identify the next learning priorities.
- Every eight to twelve lessons: Provide a broader progress discussion with parents or adult swimmers.
- Whenever necessary: Communicate significant achievements, difficulties, concerns, or changes immediately.
These timeframes should remain flexible. Some swimmers will progress quickly, while others will need considerably more time.
The important point is that assessment should be continuous rather than something that happens only when promotion is being considered.
Make Progress Communication Constructive
Teachers should avoid communicating progress only when something has gone wrong.
Positive communication matters just as much as communicating concerns.
A parent who hears that their child successfully achieved something new can reinforce that achievement outside the lesson.
Likewise, an adult swimmer who understands a recent improvement is more likely to recognise the value of continued practice.
When concerns arise, teachers should communicate them honestly but constructively.
Rather than saying, "She isn't ready," explain what she can currently do and what still needs development.
For example:
Your swimmer is now floating independently and recovering confidently. We are working on maintaining body position during freestyle before adding the next breathing skill.
That statement provides useful information without creating unnecessary anxiety.
Give Swimmers Room to Develop
The purpose of assessment is not to prove that a swimmer has reached perfection.
The purpose is to understand where the swimmer is now and determine what should happen next.
Sometimes the appropriate next step will involve promotion. Sometimes it will involve more practice at the current level.
On other occasions, the swimmer may move forward while continuing to develop foundational skills.
That flexibility requires competent teachers and sensible supervision.
A good swimming program recognises that learning does not always fit neatly into predetermined levels.
Turn Assessment Into Better Teaching
Regular Swimming Progress Reviews work best when teachers use the information they gather.
Observe the swimmer carefully. Record meaningful achievements. Communicate clearly with parents and swimmers.
Then use those observations to adjust the teaching program.
Most importantly, avoid allowing assessment to become a barrier to learning.
Teachers should be trained well enough to support swimmers who have recently progressed. They should also be trusted enough to raise concerns when progression appears premature.
Supervisors should recognise that assessment decisions can sometimes need adjustment.
Parents and carers should receive clear information rather than simply being told that their child has passed or failed.
When everyone communicates constructively, students receive better support and teachers can teach more effectively.
Regular Swimming Progress Reviews should therefore become a normal part of swimming instruction, not an occasional administrative exercise.
Assess regularly, communicate honestly, and give teachers the skills and discretion to respond to individual swimmers.
When assessment guides teaching rather than restricts it, swimmers can continue developing with greater confidence, consistency, and enjoyment.
Enjoy
Richard
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