23/05/2026
You may occasionally notice a relief teacher stepping into your child’s lesson - and we wanted to share why this is actually such an important and positive part of running a strong swim program 💙
At Shellharbour Swim Academy, keeping lessons running consistently for our swimmers is always a priority.
Whilst cancellations are sometimes unavoidable, they are truly our very last resort and never something we enjoy having to do..
Relief teachers help ensure your child’s swimming journey continues with as little interruption as possible 🏊
Some of the benefits of relief teachers include:
✨ Whilst our program itself remains the same, every instructor brings their own unique personality, experience, and teaching style. This helps children become more well-rounded, adaptable, and resilient swimmers. Sometimes, families may even discover that a different teaching approach really clicks with their child!
✨ Relief teachers help lessons continue through the inevitable sick days, family commitments, and leave that all instructors experience from time to time - meaning your child’s skills, confidence, and progress can continue consistently without long breaks.
✨ Relief teachers also support our regular instructors by allowing them time to attend training, and continue developing professionally.
✨ Children learn to listen to and respond confidently to different voices, teaching cues, and communication styles - an important water safety skill in itself.
Exposure to different instructors can help reinforce skills in new ways, which often improves understanding and retention.
✨ It helps swimmers build confidence in unfamiliar situations, supporting independence both in and out of the water.
🏊♂️ In our Seal level and below, you may occasionally notice a relief instructor place a swim safety device on your child. (even if they don’t usually wear one with their regular teacher)
A relief instructor has the challenging job of quickly assessing the abilities, confidence levels, and safety needs of an entire class of children who may be unfamiliar to them.
For this reason, safety will always come first!
To safely manage the class, they may choose to utilise safety devices or different teaching strategies where needed - This does not hinder progression or “set a child back.”
In fact, it helps reinforce already known skills, confidence, and water safety behaviours while children navigate an unfamiliar situation - including learning to build trust with a new instructor.
All of our instructors work from the same structured program, progression goals, and lesson outcomes, and our team communicates closely to ensure continuity across every class.
We truly appreciate your understanding and support when relief teachers are needed!
It takes a whole team to keep our swimmers learning, progressing, and staying safe in the water 🩵
