Little Fishes Swim School

What Little Fishes Swim School does

Little Fishes Swim School is a private, family-owned boutique learn-to-swim provider founded in 2010 and headquartered at 8 Florence Street, Oakhurst, NSW, Australia, in the Western Sydney region. The company delivers structured swimming instruction to children from 3 months of age through to adults, organised into a colour-coded fish-level progression (Baby Fish, Red Fish, Orange Fish, Junior Green Fish, White Fish, Yellow Fish, Green Fish, Blue Fish, Purple Fish, and Rainbow/Squad). Core programs include Baby Classes (3-18 months), Pre-School Fishes (ages 3-6), School Fishes (school-aged 4:1 ratio), Advanced & Pre-Squad, Special Needs (Make a Difference Program), Adult Lessons, and Local School Programs delivered during school terms. The technical backbone comprises a custom-built, ozone-filtered indoor pool heated to 32 degrees Celsius year-round, with bookings, progress tracking, and direct-debit payments managed through the third-party iClass Pro SaaS platform.

The company operates on a recurring-membership revenue model: customers pay $84 every four weeks in advance ($21 per lesson) via direct debit, with a 15% discount applied to the third family member and a $15 late fee on failed payments. A secondary revenue stream is birthday-party venue hire on weekends, with four tiers ranging from $550 (Mini, up to 15 children) to $750 (Gold, up to 40 children). The school is an accredited provider for the NSW Government Active Kids and First Lap vouchers ($100 each), which subsidise acquisition for eligible families. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a self-serve website portal, phone reception, and channel partnerships with local schools, daycare facilities, and charitable organisations; marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter), content marketing through a blog/news section, and word-of-mouth referrals within the Western Sydney community.

Operational scale stands at 32+ certified instructors holding AUSTSWIM and Royal Life Saving Society accreditations, 12,000+ children taught cumulatively since 2010, and eight distinct programs. The business is co-owned and operated by Director Renee Gobbo and her husband Matthew Gobbo (IT, Digital Marketing, Growth). The school holds industry accreditations from AUSTSWIM, the Royal Life Saving Society Australia, and Swim Australia, and has received the AUSTSWIM Award for exceptional teaching practices and curriculum design. There is no external investment, parent company, or public listing disclosed, and the website does not offer any public API or AI-driven functionality, making this a self-funded, single-site service business anchored in community partnerships and credentialed human instruction.

Name

Little Fishes Swim School

Legal name

Little Fishes Swim School

Website

https://littlefishes.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Little Fishes Swim School is a private, family-owned boutique learn-to-swim provider in Western Sydney (Oakhurst, NSW, Australia) offering age-tiered swimming lessons — from babies to adults — plus birthday party hire and special-needs aquatics, operated by a team of 32+ AUSTSWIM-certified instructors at a single custom indoor facility with an ozone-filtered, 32-degree pool.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Swimming Instruction

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF)

Keywords

• Swimming lessons
• Learn to swim
• Aquatic education
• Water safety training
• Children's swim school

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Recurring Membership Fees: Monthly membership fees charged at $84 every 4 weeks ($21 per student per lesson). Members pay in advance via direct debit. Position in class is secured through advance payment.
2. Birthday Party Hire: Pool party venue hire with four package tiers: Mini ($550 for 15 children), Bronze ($600 for 20 children), Silver ($650 for 30 children), Gold ($750 for 40 children). Includes 2.5-hour hire on Saturdays and Sundays.
3. Government Voucher Redemption: Accredited provider accepting NSW Active Kids and First Lap vouchers worth $100 each for eligible children aged 4.5-18 years enrolled in school.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Little Fishes Swim School delivers weekly group swimming lessons for babies, preschoolers, school-age children and adults, plus a dedicated special-needs program, with a 32-plus certified instructor team. The school also hires out its indoor heated pool for children's birthday pool parties. All instruction is delivered on-site at its Oakhurst, Western Sydney facility using an ozone-treated pool and the iClass Pro management system.

Product overview

Little Fishes Swim School is a boutique, family-owned learn-to-swim provider offering a unified suite of aquatic education programs. The core offering consists of age-and skill-differentiated swim lesson programs spanning Baby Classes (3-18 months), Pre-School Fishes (ages 3-6), School Fishes (school-aged children with four progressive levels), Advanced & Pre-Squad Fishes, and Adult Lessons. Specialized offerings include the Make a Difference Program for children with special needs and Mobile Swim Programs (in development). The company also operates a Pool Party events business with tiered packages (Mini, Bronze, Silver, Gold) for children's birthday celebrations. All programs are built around a 'Prepare, Instruct, Praise' teaching philosophy and utilize a colour-coded fish-level progression system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Baby swimming lessons Group water-familiarisation and early learn-to-swim classes for infants and toddlers, delivered weekly in low-ratio sessions with certified instructors at the Oakhurst heated indoor pool.
• Pre-school swimming lessons Weekly group learn-to-swim classes for pre-school-aged children focusing on water confidence, basic stroke introduction and independent movement in the pool.
• School-age swimming lessons Weekly group stroke-development classes for primary-school-aged children, covering freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly progression in low-ratio sessions.
• Adult swimming lessons Group learn-to-swim classes for adolescents and adults, from beginner water confidence through to stroke refinement, taught by certified instructors.
• Special-needs swimming lessons Adapted, low-ratio swimming instruction for children and adults with disabilities, learning differences or sensory needs, delivered by instructors trained for inclusive aquatic education.
• Squad swimming program Pre-competitive squad training for advanced school-age swimmers focusing on endurance, technique refinement and race preparation beyond standard lesson levels.
• Birthday pool party hire Hourly venue hire of the indoor heated pool for children's birthday parties, offered outside lesson hours with package options for hosting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 12,000 children have been taught to swim
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Life Saving SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited partner providing instructor certification and licensing. Instructors are Royal Life Saving Society qualified. School holds accreditation and adheres to highest industry standards and guidelines set by the society.
• AUSTSWIMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited training organisation for swim teachers. Instructors hold AUSTSWIM accreditation. School has received the prestigious Austswim Award for exceptional teaching practices and curriculum design.
• Swim AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational swimming organisation providing accreditation and standards for learn-to-swim schools in Australia.
• VorgeeminorOthersSwim gear brand listed as a partner, providing swimming equipment and accessories for the swim school.
• Local Schools and Daycare FacilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnerships with various local private and public schools offering swimming programs during school terms. School also collaborates with daycare facilities for early childhood swimming education.
• Selected Charitable OrganisationsminorOthersCharitable partnerships aligned with values of water safety and aquatic education. School provides free swimming lessons to disadvantaged children through these partnerships.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carlile Swimming: One of Australia's largest and most established swim school chains with multiple locations including Western Sydney; offers learn-to-swim programs across similar age groups with comparable AUSTSWIM accreditation, making it the closest scaled competitor to Little Fishes.
• Jump! Swim Schools: Australian swim school chain offering baby, pre-school, school-age, and adult lessons with accredited instructors; directly comparable learn-to-swim product and pricing structure.
• Kingswim: Established Australian learn-to-swim school chain with indoor heated pools and age-structured curriculum from babies to squad level; competes for the same Western Sydney families with a multi-location footprint.
• Paul Sadler Swim Schools: National multi-site learn-to-swim franchise operating across NSW and other states with similar age-tiered programs (babies to adults) and accredited instructors; directly comparable as a competing swim school brand.
• Nido Swim Schools: Sydney-based boutique-to-mid-sized swim school with age-tiered programs, small class ratios, and accredited instructors; competes in the same Greater Sydney market with a similar community/school partnership model.
• BlueFit Swim Schools: Operates learn-to-swim programs at multiple aquatic and leisure centres across NSW, offering similar infant-to-school-age swim lessons; comparable as a multi-site swim school operator with government-voucher acceptance.
• Aquatic Achievers: Multi-site Australian learn-to-swim provider running age-tiered programs with small class ratios and AUSTSWIM-trained instructors; comparable swim school offering and customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre: Large public aquatic centre offering learn-to-swim programs among a wider portfolio of pool, fitness, and recreation services; competes for the same swim lesson demand in Greater Sydney at scale.

Others

• AUSTSWIM: National industry body for swim teacher accreditation in Australia; not a competitor but the accreditation framework whose standards underpin Little Fishes' curriculum and certifications.
• Royal Life Saving Society Australia: National water safety and drowning prevention organization that accredits swim schools and certifies instructors; comparable only as an industry standards-setter, not a commercial peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/littlefishesau
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5vYxaCUmyWPgT54gQ5_bEQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Little.Fishes.Swim.School.Oakhurst
• Instagraminstagram.com/little_fishes_swim_school

Compliance3 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 Little Fishes Swim School