Speakers herald ‘fantastic atmosphere’ at Teaching and Education Conference

Last week saw Swim England’s largest Teaching and Education Conference yet.

For the first time, the event was aimed at both educators and swimming teachers, ensuring that more than 350 members of this highly-skilled workforce came together to exchange ideas.

The Staverton Estate in Daventry was the host for speeches from Swim England and British Swimming’s CEOs and Olympic medallist Steve Parry supported by a range of workshops from industry experts.

Here’s just a snapshot of what our keynote speakers and workshop presenters had to say about the event…

Jane Nickerson, Chief Executive, Swim England:

“Everything we do to support people to enjoy the water safely and take advantage of the many health and social benefits of swimming, is down to a highly-skilled swimming workforce. Each of them makes a truly significant difference, whether that is delivering high quality courses or delivering fun and engaging lessons. The Swim England Teaching and Education Conference was a wonderful opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, network and catch up with friends and colleagues.”

Jack Buckner, Chief Executive, British Swimming:

“We had a great day at the conference with Swim England, teachers, coaches and educators – it was a fantastic atmosphere. It’s great to see so many people who are so passionate about their sport having such a great time and sharing each other’s experiences. Thanks for coming!”

Steve Parry, Olympic bronze medallist and Chief Executive of Total Swimming:

“This year’s conference was fantastic – there was such energy in the room and it’s great to see that our industry is moving on all the time. We’re all determined to make a difference back in our swimming communities. Well done to everyone and it was brilliant to see you there!”

Adrian Bethune, Founder of Teachhappy, primary school teacher and author:

“It was really great to hear from a variety of different speakers. We came together to help swimming teachers develop their own wellbeing – but also take away some practical ideas on how they can focus on their swimmers’ wellbeing as well.”

Liz Johnson, Paralympic champion, youth mentor and CEO of The Ability People:

“I loved seeing so many different providers come together to talk through things and try to evolve people’s experiences of the swim teachers programme – so that we can reach out to those service users that aren’t getting to access the sport at the moment.”

• To find out more about becoming a swimming teacher, visit the Swim England Qualifications website.