The ‘Oxford Sharks’ meet on Tuesdays between 6 and 6.30pm at the Ormerod School, Headington, Oxford.  The group lessons for beginners and intermediates are in a private warm hydro-pool without the distractions of members of the public – plus lots free parking right outside!  Please note Sharks Swimming is now open to children with Down's Syndrome and their siblings.

The swimming club aims to:

• help children with Down's Syndrome to build confidence in the water
• help more advanced swimmers to learn new strokes, improving performance and enhancing enjoyment of the water.
• tailor a development programme around individual needs
• give support to children and their parents in an educational and fun setting
• give children a headstart and enable successful integration with mainstream swimming lessons following the National Curriculum and the confidence to do something in the school setting without a Teaching Assistant or parent support

The specialist teacher Andrea Douglas is a qualified "Halliwick" and "Shaw" method swimming teacher and also a teacher adviser, and has a vast experience of working with children with special needs. The Halliwick method follows a ten-point programme. The "Shaw" method is an ideal method to use for people with Down's syndrome concentrating on the alignment of the head, neck and back to achieve balance and co-ordination and releasing tension within the body. Instructions are both verbal and visual which is easier for the children to understand and follow in the water.

Using these two methods, individually or together, can help to improve many day-to-day skills, balance and co-ordination and also self-awareness and confidence. To the older children, it also gives a head-start with their mainstream school swimming.

What parents say… ‘these swimming lessons are professional, fun and above all teaching your child a safe way to swim at a very reasonable cost’ ‘the teacher understands how to communicate with our children, she has a wealth of experience with special needs'

The groups are partially subsidised by DSO - families taking part are contributing £7 pounds per session. Private one to one lessons are available but not funded by DSO. We can teach children from 3 months to adults, whether they are beginners or advanced swimmers, wanting to improve their technique.

For more information or if you would like to become a member of the club, please contact Andrea Douglas.