Start2swim at De Montfort University QEII Leisure Centre
Start2swim runs 10-week courses at De Montfort University's public leisure centre, from parent and baby classes through to adult beginners, all year round rather than just in term time.
Who it suits
Leicester families and adults who want structured 10-week courses at a proper 25 metre leisure centre pool, and who value classes running through school holidays rather than stopping for them.
Why it stands out
- Courses run 10 weeks at a time all year, including school holidays, rather than pausing for them like many term-time-only providers
- Every class has a Level 2 qualified teacher plus a separate qualified assistant in the pool
- Adjustable platforms in the pool reduce the water depth for younger or more nervous swimmers
- All instructors are enhanced DBS checked and lifeguard trained
- One 25 metre public pool covers the whole age range, from Parent and Baby classes through to adult beginners and improvers
Our verdict
Running through school holidays instead of stopping for them is the main reason to pick Start2swim over a term-time-only alternative, and a Level 2 teacher plus assistant in every class is a solid ratio commitment even without a published headcount. Do not book expecting to check a class size in advance, since none is published, and do not expect much in the way of independent reviews either. We could not find a single parent review of this specific course anywhere online, so you are relying on Start2swim's own description of itself.
What it is
De Montfort University’s QEII Leisure Centre is a 25 metre pool open to the public, and Start2swim runs its own courses there rather than the university’s own lesson programme. Courses are sold in 10-week blocks of 25-minute sessions, and unlike a lot of swim schools, Start2swim keeps running through the school holidays instead of pausing for them. Platforms in the pool can be raised to reduce the depth, which is what makes a 25 metre competition-style pool workable for parent and baby classes.
Who should book
Families with a baby from around 20 months up to three years for the Parent and Baby course, children from three upward, and adults 16 and over wanting beginner or improver lessons. Every class, whatever the age, is taught by a Level 2 qualified instructor with a second qualified assistant also in the water, and all instructors are enhanced DBS checked and lifeguard trained.
What stands out
The year-round structure is the clearest point of difference. A lot of swim schools sell courses that line up with school terms and leave you without lessons for six weeks in summer; Start2swim’s 10-week blocks keep running regardless. The adjustable pool platforms are the other detail worth knowing, since they mean the same 25 metre pool used for adult lessons can be shallowed up for a nervous three-year-old.
The verdict
If continuity through the holidays matters more to you than anything else, this is one of the few Leicester options built around it. The gap is information. Start2swim doesn’t publish a class size, so you can’t check the ratio beyond knowing there’s a teacher and an assistant, and we couldn’t find a single independent parent review anywhere, including on the usual class-finder sites. Book here on the strength of the course structure and the venue, not on social proof, because there isn’t any to check.