Aquakids

What Aquakids does

Aquakids is a privately held children's swimming school founded in 1994 and operating continuously for 30+ years across the Bromley and Kent area of England under the legal entity Aquakids Limited (Company Number 11899872). It delivers structured swim instruction to children from 4 months to 14 years at five partner school venues — Bromley High School, Bickley Park School, Green Street Green, Marjorie McClure Special School, and Midfield Primary School — organized into age cohorts and ability groups following the STA International Learn to Swim Programme and the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme, with progression through nationally recognized awards (STA Starfish/Octopus/Goldfish/Angelfish/Kingfisher and Swim England stages).

The product portfolio spans four core streams — Babies & Toddlers (4 months to 3.5 years), Children's Lessons (3.5 to 14 years across five ability groups), Advanced Swimmers, and SEND sessions — plus supplementary services including private 1:1 lessons (£29), intensive holiday courses (£80 for a 5-day course), annual swimming galas (£18 per event), Duke of Edinburgh programme support, and a 'Swimming at Home' digital resource. Aquakids differentiates on small class sizes (maximum 6 swimmers for beginners), teachers physically in the water with students, and a specialist SEND programme delivered in a warm sensory hydro pool at Marjorie McClure, led by founder and director Lorna with 30+ years of SEND experience.

The business model is a hybrid of recurring termly/half-termly lesson subscriptions (priced at £15 per lesson, VAT-inclusive) and one-time fees for courses, private lessons, and galas, distributed via direct-to-consumer bookings through the company website (aquakids.co.uk) with community support via a Facebook group ('Aquakids Pool') and iCal event feeds. The company is founder-led (Lorna as Director, Jodie as Business Manager since 2015), employs a team that includes five Swim Coordinators alongside Level 2 teachers, Level 1 assistants, and aquatic helpers, and operates exclusively within the United Kingdom with no external institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Aquakids

Legal name

Aquakids Limited

Website

https://aquakids.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aquakids is a privately held children's swimming school operating across five partner school venues in the Bromley/Kent area of England, delivering structured lessons from 4 months to 14 years under STA and Swim England curricula, with specialist SEND provision and a 30+ year operating history.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Swimming Instruction

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding) (EDALAIAF)

Keywords

• Children's swimming lessons
• Learn to swim
• Baby swimming classes
• SEND swimming
• Private swimming lessons

Headquarters

HQ city

Bromley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Children's Swimming Lessons: Weekly swimming lessons for children aged 3.5-14, charged per term or pro rata. Classes held at partner school venues with small class sizes (max 6 swimmers). Teachers in the water for instruction and safety.
2. Babies and Toddlers Swimming Classes: Parent-child swimming lessons for babies from 4 months to 3.5 years, priced per half-termly or pro rata.
3. Intensive Holiday Courses: Holiday swimming courses - half hour daily lessons for a week (5 days), priced as one-time course fee.
4. Private/One-to-One Lessons: Individual swimming instruction for older beginners, SEND swimmers, or anxious swimmers. Available during intensive weeks and occasionally during term time.
5. Swimming Galas: Annual competitive swimming events for Group 5 and 6 swimmers, priced per event.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aquakids delivers children's swimming lessons for ages 4 months to 14 years at five partner school venues across Bromley and Kent, with small class sizes (max 6 swimmers) and teachers in the water for instruction. The school follows the STA International Learn to Swim Programme and Swim England Learn to Swim Programme, and operates as a Swim England approved swim school. Additional services include private one-to-one lessons, intensive holiday courses, annual galas, and free SEND swimming sessions in a warm sensory hydro pool.

Product overview

Aquakids is a swimming school offering a comprehensive range of swimming lessons and aquatic programmes for children. The core offering consists of structured weekly swimming lessons organized by age and ability: Babies & Toddlers (4 months to 3.5 years), Children's Lessons (3.5 to 14 years across 5 ability groups), Advanced Swimmers, and Special Needs/SEND sessions. Additional services include Private Lessons (one-to-one for beginners, SEND, or anxious swimmers), Intensive Holiday Courses (daily lessons during school holidays), Swimming Galas (competitive events), and Duke of Edinburgh programme support. Aquakids follows the STA International Learn to Swim Programme and Swim England Learn to Swim Programme, with all swimmers working towards awards and certifications including STA badges, Swim England awards, Rookie Lifeguard, and Kingfisher diving awards. The school also provides home learning resources through its Swimming at Home programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Babies & Toddlers Swimming Lessons Half-hour parent-child swimming lessons for babies from 4 months to toddlers aged 3.5 years, with the parent/adult carer in the water alongside the teacher. Sessions are themed and follow the STA International Learn to Swim Programme, with swimmers working towards STA awards. Priced at £15 per lesson, payable half-termly or pro rata. Maximum 8 swimmers per class.
• Children's Swimming Lessons Weekly swimming lessons for children aged 3.5 to 14 years, organized into 5 ability groups per venue. Classes have a maximum of 6 swimmers with teachers in the water for beginner groups (Groups 1-3), focusing on STA and Swim England awards. Priced at £15 per lesson (2026 pricing), payable termly or pro rata.
• Advanced Swimmers Lessons Swimming lessons for advanced swimmers in Groups 4-6, building on core aquatic skills and technique with focus on diving, longer distance swimming, and competitive readiness. Offered at Bromley High and other venues.
• Special Needs / SEND Swimming FREE swim sessions in a warm sensory hydro pool for pre-school children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), held at Marjorie McClure Special School. Parent/adult carer participates in the water. Run by Lorna with over 30 years of SEND experience.
• Private One-to-One Lessons Individual swimming instruction for older beginners, SEND swimmers, or anxious/nervous swimmers. The teacher is in the water with the swimmer to promote water confidence and trust. Available during intensive weeks and occasionally during term time. Priced at £29 per lesson (includes VAT), payable half-termly or pro rata.
• Intensive Holiday Courses Holiday swimming courses for ages 3-14, consisting of a half-hour lesson every day for one week (5 days), following the same structured format as weekly lessons. Maximum 6 swimmers per class. Priced at £80 for the full 5-day course (includes VAT).
• Swimming Galas Annual swimming galas held at Eric Liddell Sports Centre, open to swimmers in Group 5 and upwards. Includes individual medal races and relays, introducing swimmers to competitive swimming. Priced at £18 per event.
• Duke of Edinburgh Programme Support Support for young people in the volunteer or skills sections of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, leveraging Aquakids' swimming instruction activities.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Bromley High SchoolcoreOthersProvides swimming pool facilities for Aquakids lessons. Hosts sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with multiple time slots available.
• Bickley Park SchoolcoreOthersProvides swimming pool facilities. Hosts Saturday 9:00-12:30 and Sunday 9:30-13:00 swimming lessons.
• Green Street Green SchoolcoreOthersProvides swimming pool facilities. Hosts Tuesday 4:15-6:45 pm, Thursday 9:30-11:30 am, Saturday 1:30-3:30 pm sessions.
• Marjorie McClure Special SchoolcoreOthersProvides warm sensory hydro pool for SEND swimming classes. Wednesday 4-5 pm sessions. Hosts free sessions for preschool children with additional needs.
• Midfield Primary SchoolcoreOthersProvides swimming pool facilities. Thursday 4:00-5:30 pm sessions.
• STA (Swimming Teachers' Association)coreOthersAquakids is an STA accredited swim school following the STA International Learn to Swim Programme. Swimmers work towards STA awards including Starfish, Octopus, Goldfish, Angelfish, and Kingfisher awards.
• Swim EnglandcoreOthersAquakids is a Swim England approved Swim School linked into the Learn to Swim Programme. Teachers hold Swim England qualifications.
• RLSS UK (Royal Life Saving Society)supportingOthersTeachers hold RLSS qualifications. Swimmers participate in RLSS National Water Safety week in June. Rookie Lifeguard awards available for advanced swimmers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Puddle Ducks: UK children's swimming school (0–10 years) running small classes with in-water teaching, mirroring Aquakids' hands-on methodology and curriculum approach at a larger national scale.
• Swim!: UK premium children's swim school running small classes with certified instructors and a structured curriculum; targets the same London/South East premium family segment.
• SwimWay: UK children's swim school delivering small-group lessons with STA/Swim England-aligned curricula; directly comparable methodology and certification stack to Aquakids.
• Total Swimming: UK swimming school providing weekly children's lessons and intensive holiday courses — the same core product mix and school-holiday monetization model as Aquakids.
• Swimming Nature: Premium UK swim school offering 1:1 and small-group lessons for children and adults with qualified instructors; competes in the same premium parent segment and ability-grouping structure.
• Water Babies: UK's largest baby and toddler swimming school (0–11 years) with a nationwide franchise model and structured Learn to Swim programme; the most direct large-scale competitor for Aquakids' core age range and parent demographic.

Others

• Swim England: National governing body for swimming in England whose Learn to Swim Programme underpins Aquakids' awards pathway; ecosystem partner that confers the Swim School approval status Aquakids markets.
• STA (Swimming Teachers' Association): UK industry body whose Learn to Swim curriculum framework Aquakids follows; an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, central to Aquakids' accreditation positioning.

Emerging players

• Little Swimmers: Independent UK children's swim school offering beginner and progressive lessons with small class sizes; an emerging regional operator with comparable target audience and teaching format.
• Babies in Swimming: Smaller UK children's swim school focused on early-years baby and toddler lessons with parent-in-water classes; partial overlap with Aquakids' Babies & Toddlers segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aquakidsuk
• Xx.com/Aquakidsuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquakids

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquakids