Why Big Blue Swim School

Who are we?

Big Blue Swim School was set up by Lucy Barr and Calvin Brown in August 2015 with a simple philosophy - to provide children with the best experience in the pool. With over 30 years teaching experience between them, they firmly believe in delivering quality lessons and always putting the needs of the swimmers first. This includes small class sizes, instructors in the water and a full program that caters for swimmers from 3 years up to adults.

Lucy and Calvin have worked together in swimming lessons for over 15 years. After being inspired by Australian Laurie Lawrence and his revolutionary teaching style Lucy and Calvin found a whole new love for teaching swimming.  They undertook the Scottish Swimming Early Childhood Swim Teacher award, which revolutionized the way they delivered lessons to all their swimmers, not just pre-school. 

Many people only view swimming as being important as a life skill, but most are unaware of the other advantages of learning to swim early. A recent study has proven that there is a link between early swimming lessons and cognitive development. Children who learn to swim early demonstrate better developed motor skills, problem solving and hand eye co-ordination. Having a better understanding of early childhood development has allowed Lucy and Calvin to create a unique program exclusive to Big Blue.

Why choose us?

Big Blue is one of the only swim school in Edinburgh to incorporate SwimFin aids into their preschool and beginners teaching. Unlike conventional swimming aids, SwimFin works naturally with the body to give a more natural position in the water. The SwimFin allows the swimmers to move independently in the water, but fully supported with enough buoyancy to support an adult. Our preschool classes are highly successful due to a learn through play approach encouraging children to progress at their own pace. 

We believe that swimming should be accessible and that all children have the right to enjoy the class experience. At Big Blue our teachers are highly qualified with many years of experience enabling us to cater for children with additional learning needs.

We adhere to strict child:teacher ratios and when required classes receive extra assistance in the form of one of our pool assistants. This ensures that children at all levels receive maximum swimming time each lesson.