About GUST Swim School
GUST has been teaching children to swim for more than 20 years, and we’re still as passionate about getting children into the water as we were when we started.
We’re a family-run swim school based at The Swim Cave in Stone, Staffordshire. We teach around 750 children every week, in small groups of no more than six, with a strong focus on good teaching, individual progress and building skills properly.
More than 20 years of GUST
GUST has grown a lot over the years, but the things that matter to us haven’t changed.
We believe children learn best when they are taught well, given time to develop and encouraged to believe in what they can do.
Our swimming programme has been developed in-house by our own team. We’ve spent years refining how we teach, what we teach and how we recognise progress, always with the child at the centre.
Today, around 750 children attend GUST each week, and with the wider Swim Cave we welcome around 1,200 swimmers. We’re proud of how much we’ve grown, but we’re even prouder of the standards we’ve maintained along the way.
It’s about how we teach
This is where I’d really differentiate GUST.
We don’t believe in rushing children through swimming levels.
A child doesn’t become a better swimmer simply because they’ve attended a certain number of lessons.
Our teachers look at what each child can actually do, where they need to improve and what they are ready to learn next. Our programme and award scheme are built around that progress.
We want children to develop strong foundations, learn skills properly and become confident swimmers who understand what they are doing in the water.
That takes good teaching, small groups and time.
The GUST Team
Our teachers are at the heart of GUST.
Every member of our teaching team is employed by us and trained to the high standards we expect. Some of our teachers have more than 20 years of experience, while others have developed their careers with us.
We know that choosing swimming lessons is also about choosing the people who will teach your child.
That’s why we put so much into our team.
They know their stuff. They know the children they teach. And they care about getting it right.
Our home, The Swim Cave
GUST is based at The Swim Cave, our purpose-built swimming facility in Stone.
The pool is kept at 31°C and we have only one class in the main pool at a time. We also have The Cove, our dedicated pool for our youngest swimmers.
It’s been designed around learning, rather than trying to fit swimming lessons into a busy public pool.
That makes a difference.
Come and meet us
The best way to understand GUST is to come and see us.
Whether your child is completely new to swimming, feeling nervous about getting in the water or already loves swimming and wants to develop their skills, we’ll help you find the right place to start.