Is your child on track to be water safe?
At WestSwim, we follow the Royal Life Saving Society’s National Benchmarks for Water Safety to ensure every child is developing age-appropriate water skills. These benchmarks outline what your child should be able to do by key ages—critical for safety and confidence in and around water.
Why It Matters
Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in children.
National benchmarks help identify whether a child is developing water safety skills at an appropriate pace. Knowing your child’s current level allows you to support their progress and safety.
Benchmarks at a Glance
| Age | Target Level | Key Skills | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
6yrs
|
Seal
|
Safe entries, float and recover, basic freestyle and backstroke
|
|
|
12yrs
|
Stingray
|
Swim 200m, sculling, deep water skills, basic rescue techniques
|
|
|
17yrs
|
Development Squad - Green
|
Swim 400m continuously, advanced stroke technique, endurance, rescue strokes
|
|
Is Your Child On Track?
Use our easy Level Finder Chart to identify your child’s current swimming level and see how it compares to national expectations.
What You Can Do
- Check their progress with our Level Finder Chart
- Maintain regular attendance at lessons
- Year-round enrolment to swimming lessons
- Ensure swimmers are well equipped with hair tied back, with well-fitting goggles and bathing suits
- Ask our deck support team about skill gaps and what support is available
- Encourage regular recreational swimming outside of lessons
- Enroll twice per week for a term to boost learning
- Purchase a 10 visit multi pass to boost learning with additional singular lessons on weeks that suit your family
- Enroll in the School Holiday Intensive Program
