Swimtime

What Swimtime does

Swimtime is the largest independent swim school in the UK, operating through a franchise model under the legal entity Swimtime UK Ltd, headquartered in Shrewsbury. The company delivers structured swimming lessons to over 20,000 people weekly across hundreds of partner venues spanning England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Its customer base spans four primary segments — babies and toddlers (0–4 years), children (4+ years), adults (all ages), and swimmers with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) — and is delivered through 25+ regional franchisees operating in named territories. Lessons are structured around a 17-stage bespoke Learn to Swim Programme launched in 2019, featuring aquatic character mascots drawn by a former Disney illustrator.

The technology backbone is SwimCloud, a multi-award-winning bespoke franchise management platform co-developed with technology partner FranScape. SwimCloud automates customer booking (60-second 24/7 self-service), client communication, health and safety compliance tracking, marketing tools, and franchisee-level business KPIs including class profitability, enabling remote franchisee operation. MyPass, a contactless entry system, was added post-COVID to support touchless customer interaction. Corporate headcount sits in the 101–250 range, with the wider delivery workforce employed via franchisees rather than directly.

The business operates a franchise/licensing revenue model: Swimtime UK Ltd earns franchise fees and royalties from independent franchisees who own and operate regional Swimtime territories, while end customers pay either per-lesson or via a recurring Monthly Plan subscription (no long-term contracts) that includes a Welcome Pack (swim bag, towel, water bottle, goggles). Venue partners — including Village Hotels, Holiday Inn, and Everlast Fitness — provide pool access without Swimtime owning pool real estate. The company carries British Franchise Association (BFA) accreditation with a Workbuzz 5-Star Franchisee Satisfaction rating, Institute of Children's Activity Providers (ICAP) membership, and an advisory role at the International Swim Schools Association (ISSA). Customer acquisition runs through the website lesson finder, regional social channels, the Trustist review platform, and online discovery sessions for prospective franchisees. No revenue, funding, M&A, or executive-composition data beyond Managing Director Rachel Brooks and Director Theo Millward is publicly disclosed.

Name

Swimtime

Legal name

Swimtime UK Ltd

Website

https://swimtime.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Swimtime is the largest independent swim school in the UK, delivering structured swimming lessons to over 20,000 people weekly through a franchise network of 25+ regional operators across hundreds of hotel and leisure venue pools, serving babies, children, adults, and SEND swimmers via its proprietary SwimCloud management platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Swimming Instruction Services

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF)

Keywords

• Swimming instruction services
• Franchise swim school
• Learn to swim
• Aquatic education programs
• Children swimming lessons

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees: Swimtime earns revenue through franchise fees from independent franchisees who operate Swimtime-branded swimming lesson businesses. Franchisees pay to join the Swimtime network and receive access to SwimCloud technology, training, support, and the proven business model.
2. Monthly Lesson Plan Subscriptions: Customers pay monthly for swimming lessons under a monthly plan with no long-term contracts. Every customer on the Monthly Plan receives a Welcome Pack with swim gear.
3. Lesson Revenue (Franchisee-operated): Individual franchisees collect lesson fees from customers. Swimtime as a franchisor benefits through franchise fees and royalties derived from these lesson revenues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Swimtime delivers structured swimming lessons to babies, toddlers, children, and adults at hundreds of partner venues across the UK through a network of independent franchisees. The franchisor (Swimtime UK Ltd) licences the brand, the SwimCloud technology platform, and the proprietary Learn to Swim Programme to franchisees, while end customers purchase lessons on a monthly subscription plan that includes a branded Welcome Pack.

Product overview

Swimtime is the largest independent swim school in the UK, offering swimming lessons through a franchise model across hundreds of pools. The core offering consists of swimming lessons for babies (0-2 years), toddlers (2-4 years), children (4+ years), and adults, structured around the Swimtime Learn to Swim Programme featuring 17 progressive stages represented by aquatic character mascots. The company operates its proprietary SwimCloud franchise management platform (developed with FranScape) to automate bookings, communications, and business operations. Additional offerings include the MyPass contactless entry system and a Monthly Plan subscription with Welcome Pack for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Baby Swimming Lessons (0-4 years) Baby Swimtime classes are designed for parent and child participation from birth to 4 years, helping young children feel secure while getting accustomed to being in the water. Delivered by Swimtime franchisees at partner venues across the UK.
• Children's Swimming Lessons (4+ years) Children's swimming lessons taught in group sessions or private 1:1 lessons, teaching an important life skill in a fun environment. Delivered to children aged 4+ at Swimtime partner venues across the UK.
• Adult Swimming Lessons Adult swimming lessons for all ages and skill levels, from complete beginners learning to swim to advanced swimmers working on technique. Delivered by Swimtime franchisees at partner venues.
• Learn to Swim Programme / Award Scheme A structured 17-stage Learn to Swim programme with aquatic character mascots guiding swimmers through progressive awards from babies (Tabitha & Terry Turtles) through to advanced swimmers (Barry Barracuda). Underpins all Swimtime lessons with consistent, inclusive progression and SEND-capable adaptation.
• Swimtime Bespoke Swimming Lessons Bespoke swimming lessons tailored to specific customer requirements, offered as a premium / customised Swimtime offering at select venues.
• Swimtime Franchise Opportunity Licensed franchise opportunity that lets independent operators run a Swimtime-branded swim school in a defined UK territory. Franchisees receive the SwimCloud platform, training, marketing tools, brand standards, and ongoing support in exchange for franchise fees; British Business Bank startup loan eligibility is available.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• FranScapecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner who developed SwimCloud, Swimtime's multi award-winning franchise management software. FranScape built the platform that enables automated customer booking, client communications, health and safety tracking, marketing tools, and business KPIs for Swimtime franchisees.
• International Swim Schools Association (ISSA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwimtime is not only a member of ISSA but serves as an Advisor to the International Swim School Association, helping set global swimming teaching standards.
• British Franchise Association (BFA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwimtime is an accredited franchise operator with full BFA membership. BFA provides franchising industry standards and accreditation.
• Institute of Children's Activity Providers (ICAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwimtime is an accredited member of ICAP, the Institute of Children's Activity Providers.
• Village HotelscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner hosting Swimtime swimming lessons at their hotel pools, including Village Hotels Newcastle location.
• Holiday InncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner hosting Swimtime swimming lessons at Holiday Inn locations including Brighouse and Rotherham.
• Everlast FitnesscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner hosting Swimtime swimming lessons at Everlast Fitness Sunderland and Barnsley locations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Water Babies: Water Babies is the UK's largest dedicated baby and toddler swim school, teaching structured lessons through a network of local pools. It is the most directly comparable competitor to Swimtime, targeting the same parent-child segments with similar franchise-style local delivery and a recognised national brand.
• Puddle Ducks: Puddle Ducks operates UK-wide baby, toddler, and child swimming lessons via a network of franchisees in partner pools. Like Swimtime, it is a franchise-led swim school with a structured learn-to-swim framework, comparable demographic targeting, and similar reliance on franchisor technology and venue partnerships.
• Swimming Nature: Swimming Nature provides 1:1 and small-group swimming lessons for children and adults at health clubs across the UK. It competes directly with Swimtime in children's and adult stroke-development lessons, using similar partner-venue distribution and a structured progression programme.
• Swim!: Swim! is a private UK swim school brand offering structured lessons for children through dedicated and partner-venue pools. It is comparable to Swimtime as a multi-site private operator competing for the same family customer base with branded progression curricula.
• Dollar Ducklings / Turtle Tots: Turtle Tots is a UK franchise network delivering baby and child swimming lessons through partner pools, with a similar franchise-economics and venue-partnership model to Swimtime. Both brands run progressive award schemes targeting the under-5 and primary-school segments.

Broad incumbents

• David Lloyd Leisure: David Lloyd Leisure operates a large chain of UK health clubs with extensive pool facilities that hosts (and in some cases competes with) third-party swim schools. It is a broad incumbent whose pool estate serves as both a venue partner and a potential competitive swim-lesson provider for Swimtime.
• Better (GLL): Better is a major UK leisure-centre operator running public pools and Learn to Swim programmes as part of its broader health and community portfolio. It overlaps with Swimtime at the swim-lesson layer but on a much larger, publicly-affiliated scale.
• Everyone Active: Everyone Active operates a national network of leisure centres that host swimming lessons, including their own branded Learn to Swim pathway. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping lesson offerings that both complements and competes with Swimtime's franchise-based delivery.

Others

• Swim England (ASA): Swim England is the national governing body for swimming that publishes the Learn to Swim framework used by many providers. It is comparable to Swimtime as the standards-setter underpinning the UK learn-to-swim ecosystem, including accreditation and teacher qualifications relevant to Swimtime's operations.
• FranScape: FranScape is the technology partner that co-developed SwimCloud with Swimtime. It is an adjacent technology/infrastructure provider whose franchise-management platform underpins Swimtime's franchisee operations and could itself become a competitive SaaS offering for rival swim-school networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/swimtimegroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/SwimtimeGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swimtime-uk-ltd

Compliance4 records

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 Swimtime