Quality Swim School (QSS) was launched in the Auckland Region on October 16, 2007, at a Regional Community Engagement Forum hosted by WaterSafe Auckland (WAI).
The launch focused on best practice learning to swim and water safety. As the aquatic experts we know that children need to be taught water confidence, swimming skills, water safety and allowed to experience the simulation of other aquatic environments.
QSS incorporates sweeping new standards helping to ensure kiwis can learn to swim with confidence knowing that their swim school is using best practice methods.
It is an initiative of Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) and the New Zealand Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association (NZSCAT) born of the need to set an industry benchmark for minimum national standards in all areas of swim school operation.
WAI supports this initiative and the assurance that it represents: learning to swim in a safe environment, learning swim and survival skills and the enjoyment of a quality aquatic experience that Quality Swim School represents.
The initiatives WAI is offering swim schools, by way of free resources around parental education and messaging tools, will meet one of the key drowning prevention priorities set down for the Auckland region, the vulnerability of children in the 0-4yr age group.
Special guests included Dr Carolyn Coggan (Director of the Safe Communities Foundation of New Zealand and Chair of the Stakeholder Reference Group for the New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy), Richard Greenwood (ACC Programme Manager for the Drowning Prevention Strategy), Sharon Burger (Regional Education Manager Upper NI, Swimming NZ) and Susie Fieldhouse-Flachsmann (Swim Teacher/Swim School Owner/NZSCAT Board Member).
To view presentations from the Forum click on the the links below.
QSS launch WAI presentation (pdf 1.8mb)
QSS launch Swimming NZ presentation (pdf 2.1mb)
QSS launch Safe Communities presentation (pdf 223kb)
QSS launch Greenwood presentation (pdf 626kb)
For further information on Quality Swim Schools visit www.swimmingnz.org.nz
