By Foss Swim School
Life is busy for families, especially when you think about all the scheduled and unscheduled activities kids participate in during any given week. Although we’d like to think swim school is a can’t-miss appointment, inevitably, something gets in the way for even the most regular student.
At Foss Swim School, we strive to strike a balance between the value of consistency in teaching and the flexibility to adapt when a class is missed. Through make-up opportunities where a student may be able to join a similar class for one session, it’s easier to stay on the swim path and achieve progress.
Our program is based on the belief that students are most comfortable and learn best with consistent classes featuring the same teacher and familiar faces. We also build in enough overlap and refresher exercises that most students can miss one or two lessons per quarter without falling behind their peers in advancing their skills. However, we also know that make-up classes can help keep skills fresh and let students enjoy the fun and learning of swim class even when they can’t make their regular time.
Our Make-Up Lesson Policy
We hope that classes are only missed when the student absolutely can’t attend, such as when a student is ill or has an unmissable family obligation. (We run on the honor system, so no doctor’s note or other proof is needed.) Here’s how it works:
- When a class is missed, a make-up lesson can be requested by calling or visiting the front desk after the scheduled session has passed.
- At that time, we will look for classes at the same level within the next seven days that have space for an additional student.
- A make-up class must be attended within seven days of scheduling.
- We can’t guarantee a class with the student’s regular teacher but will try to accommodate that request if possible.
- It’s also possible there won’t be any available spaces at the time a make-up class is requested. In these cases, try again in a few days – the clock doesn’t start on your make-up until it is scheduled.
We schedule make-up lessons on a first come, first served basis, and we do not schedule them proactively – only after the missed class has occurred. We also don’t offer make-up lessons for make-up lessons, allow make-up lessons to be used by anyone other than the student, nor do we issue refunds or credits for missed classes. (If you have additional questions or need clarification on our policies, talk to your school’s manager.)
We believe this approach correctly balances the need for flexibility with the need for consistency in learning. It’s true that a make-up class may not be exactly the same as the session missed – each teacher and group of students has its own cadence and level of progress – but since all teachers work from the same curriculum, the core lessons and activities will be similar.
Why We Encourage Consistency
Foss Swim School is structured like a school, teaching in quarters and defining success as passing the skills within each level. Like a school, a sick day or two doesn’t set a student back in a meaningful way, but getting some homework or sitting in on a make-up session can help.
The biggest progress, however, comes when working with the same teacher and students of similar age and ability over time. FOSS teachers work from the same curriculum, but tailor their lessons to the students and how they learn. So, while all kids take a certain level will learn the same skills over the course of a quarter, little kids will have a different experience than older kids, and even two classes at the same age may focus on skills in different ways depending how that group of students learns best.
Staying together is one aspect of consistency. Another is regular attendance. We only get so many hours with a student per quarter, so we want to make every minute together as productive as possible.
In addition to our structure, our guarantee exists to encourage regular attendance. If a student makes 80% or more of their lessons in a quarter, they are covered by our Swimmers, Guaranteed promise: If a student is attending regularly and doesn’t advance despite working hard, we offer tiers of support for each repetition at a level, and Foss will cover the cost of the fourth (or more) repeat at a level until the student passes. (Read more about the guarantee and exceptions here.)
We understand the disappointment students and families feel when they need to miss a lesson. We hope that these make-up lessons help give your student and all students the opportunity to succeed at swimming even during busy times of life!
