Puddle Ducks

Puddle Ducks at Everlast Liverpool Rose Lane

Puddle Ducks runs its 0 to 4 baby and pre-school programme in a warm gym pool at Everlast Rose Lane in Mossley Hill, with a parent in the water for every class.

Who it suits

Parents in south Liverpool who want a warm, well organised baby and pre-school swim programme and don't mind getting in the pool themselves.

Why it stands out

  • Pool runs at 29 to 30 degrees and is 1.2 metres deep throughout, so adults can stand up end to end
  • Free parking down the side and to the rear of the gym
  • The joining payment covers a run of lessons up to the first monthly billing date, then settles to four lesson fees a month
  • Only the 0 to 4 baby and pre-school programme runs here; there is no school age Swim Academy at this venue
  • Dippers, the top stage reserved for existing customers, and one Sunday Little Dippers class currently show a wait list rather than open booking

Our verdict

Seventeen fifty a lesson buys a warm, shallow gym pool in Mossley Hill that you can stand up in from end to end, which is the main thing most parents check before signing up. This is the baby and pre-school programme only, so plan on moving elsewhere once your child turns four. Do not book expecting the gym itself to be pristine, since general reviews of the Everlast site flag tired changing rooms, and check the wait list for Dippers and the Sunday 10am Little Dippers slot before you build a routine around a specific time.

What it is

Puddle Ducks teaches its Floaties, Splashers, Kickers and Little Dippers classes in a private gym pool at Everlast on Rose Lane, in Mossley Hill. Every class covers the 0 to 4 age range in stages, and a parent or carer gets in the water for each one, so twins need two adults or two separate bookings. Dippers, the stage for children who have already worked through the earlier levels, is open to existing Puddle Ducks customers only.

Who should book

This suits parents in south Liverpool, from Mossley Hill to Allerton and Woolton, who want a structured half hour rather than a general splash session. The pool sits at 29 to 30 degrees and stays 1.2 metres deep throughout, so there is no deep end to worry about and no need to hover near the edge. Free parking at the side and rear of the building makes the school run version of this easier than most city centre pools manage.

What stands out

The billing is spelled out on the booking page rather than hidden behind an enquiry form. Your joining payment covers however many lessons fall between signing up and the next monthly billing date, plus two more, and after that it settles into four lesson fees a month. That is the same structure Puddle Ducks runs everywhere, so it is worth knowing in advance rather than working it out from a first invoice. Booking itself is mostly straightforward, with most Sunday slots open, though Dippers and one Little Dippers session are wait list only right now.

The verdict

For the money, you get a genuinely warm, shallow teaching pool and a teacher rather than a lifeguard watching from the side, which is what most parents are actually paying for at this price point. The catch is the programme’s ceiling: once your child turns four, Puddle Ducks has no follow on class at this venue, so treat it as a two to three year arrangement rather than something you grow into. It is also worth checking recent reviews of the gym itself before committing to a block of lessons, since feedback on the wider Everlast site has been mixed on general upkeep, even where the swimming lessons themselves are praised.

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