Question 1

How does AMES handle Learn to Swim stages?

Accepted Answer

AMES ships with structured templates for both the Swim England Learn to Swim Pathway and the STA International Learn to Swim Programme, including the core stages or awards and their associated skill checklists. You choose the framework that matches your affiliation, or run them side by side if you teach mixed cohorts. Instructors mark off individual skills during or after a session using a tablet or phone, and the system tracks cumulative progress across terms automatically. When every skill in a stage or award is complete, AMES flags the swimmer as ready for promotion and notifies you during your next batch review. You can also layer your own custom stages or colour-coded levels on top of either framework without losing the underlying data, which means you stay aligned with national standards while keeping the branding your parents already recognise. AMES is independent of either body — we provide tooling that aligns with their published standards rather than acting as an accredited reseller.

Question 2

Can AMES manage multiple pool locations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AMES supports multi-site operations from a single account. Each pool location has its own lane configuration, hire schedule, and instructor roster, but enrolments, payments, and family records are shared across all sites. This means a parent with children at two different pools sees one unified account, receives one invoice, and manages everything through a single login. Staff can be assigned to multiple locations, and the compliance dashboard tracks which site-specific inductions each instructor holds. Reporting can be filtered by location or viewed across your entire operation, giving franchise owners and multi-pool operators the oversight they need without duplicating data entry.

Question 3

How do make-up lessons work in AMES?

Accepted Answer

When a swimmer is marked absent, AMES automatically generates a make-up credit linked to that child’s profile. The system then identifies replacement sessions that match the swimmer’s current level and age group while having available capacity in the lane. Parents can browse these options through the portal and book a make-up slot themselves, or your front-desk team can assign one manually. Credits can be configured to expire after a set number of weeks or roll into the next term, depending on your school’s policy. The entire process removes the back-and-forth of phone calls and messages, and because slots are capacity-checked in real time, you never end up with an overbooked make-up session.

Question 4

What payment options do swim school parents have?

Accepted Answer

Parents can pay by Direct Debit for ongoing termly or monthly billing, by debit or credit card for one-off payments, or by bank transfer against a generated invoice. AMES handles multi-child families by consolidating all charges into a single account with automatic sibling discounts applied at checkout. Term fees can be split into weekly or monthly instalments with automated reminders sent before each collection date. If a family needs to pause lessons for a holiday or illness, the credit freeze feature suspends billing and resumes it on the agreed date without any manual intervention. Failed payment retries and dunning notifications are handled automatically, reducing your admin overhead significantly.

Question 5

How does the parent portal show swimming progress?

Accepted Answer

Each child has a dedicated progress timeline in the parent portal that displays completed skills, current stage, and the remaining criteria needed for promotion. Instructors can attach photo or video evidence to individual skill entries, so parents see real proof of their child’s development rather than just a ticked checkbox. When a swimmer earns a new badge or certificate, an automated celebration notification is sent to the family immediately. At the end of each term, a downloadable report summarises attendance, skills achieved, areas for improvement, and targets for the next stage. Parents have told us this visibility is the single biggest reason they stay enrolled, because they can see the value of every lesson.

Question 6

Does AMES help with swim teaching compliance?

Accepted Answer

AMES tracks every instructor’s teaching qualifications — whether Swim England, STA, or both — alongside NRASTC rescue awards, DBS disclosure status, first-aid certificates, and any pool-specific inductions your venues require. The compliance dashboard shows a live matrix of your entire team, with amber and red indicators for upcoming and lapsed renewals respectively. Automated email reminders go to both the instructor and the administrator 60 and 30 days before expiry. The scheduling engine will not roster an instructor for a session that requires a qualification they do not currently hold, which protects you from accidental non-compliance. When Swim England, the STA, an insurer, or a local authority inspector requests documentation, you can export a full audit trail for any date range in seconds.

Question 7

Can I migrate from my current swim school software?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AMES includes a guided migration process that imports swimmer records, family contacts, enrolment history, and payment data from spreadsheets or exports from other swim school platforms. Our onboarding team maps your existing data fields to the AMES structure and runs a validation check before anything goes live, so you can review the import and correct any discrepancies. Historical progress records and level assignments are preserved, meaning parents see continuity rather than a blank slate. Most swim schools complete their migration within one to two weeks, including staff training, and can run their old system in parallel during the transition period if they prefer a gradual switchover.

Question 8

How does AMES handle lane capacity and ratios?

Accepted Answer

Every lane in AMES has configurable capacity limits based on swimmer age and ability level. You set the maximum number of swimmers per lane and the required instructor-to-swimmer ratio, and the system enforces these limits at the point of booking. If a parent tries to enrol into a session that would exceed the ratio, the booking is blocked and the child is offered the waitlist or alternative sessions with availability. The visual lane planner shows real-time occupancy across every session, making it straightforward to spot underutilised slots and redistribute demand. These safeguards ensure you never compromise safety standards or teaching quality, even during your busiest terms.

Question 9

What happens when a swimming instructor calls in sick?

Accepted Answer

AMES flags every session assigned to the absent instructor and cross-references your available staff to find qualified replacements. The system checks each potential cover instructor’s qualifications, existing schedule, and site-specific inductions to ensure they are eligible for the affected sessions. You can reassign with a single click and, if enabled, an automated notification goes to affected families confirming the cover arrangement. If no qualified cover is available, AMES helps you cancel the session and triggers make-up credit generation for every enrolled swimmer automatically. The entire process takes minutes rather than the frantic phone-around that most swim schools rely on, and every change is logged for your records.

Question 10

How quickly can I get my swim school set up on AMES?

Accepted Answer

Most swim schools are fully operational on AMES within five to ten working days. The setup process begins with configuring your pool locations, lane layouts, and term dates, which typically takes a single session with our onboarding team. Instructor profiles, qualification records, and class structures are imported next, followed by your swimmer and family data. We run a parallel period where you can verify everything against your existing system before going live. Staff training is delivered in short, role-specific sessions—front-desk booking workflows, instructor-side progress tracking, and owner-level reporting—so nobody is overwhelmed. Schools with straightforward setups and clean data have gone live in as few as three days.

Question 11

What software do swim schools use?

Accepted Answer

Swim schools typically use management software that combines online class booking, digital registers and attendance, payments and Direct Debit, level and badge progress tracking, and a parent app in one place. AMES brings all of these together as an all-in-one platform built for UK swim schools, replacing the spreadsheets, separate booking tools, and payment providers most schools cobble together. Instructors take registers and tick off skills on the Teach staff app, while parents book, pay, and follow their child’s progress through the Connect parent app. A built-in AI assistant and digital records mean far less manual admin.

Question 12

How much does swim school software cost?

Accepted Answer

AMES is free to use — there is no monthly fee and no per-student charge. Instead of a subscription, AMES earns a small revenue-share on payments processed through AMES Pay, so your costs scale with your income rather than being a fixed overhead. This contrasts with most swim school software, which charges a recurring monthly fee or a price per active swimmer regardless of how your term is going. For small or seasonal schools especially, that means you only pay when you are taking money.

Question 13

How do I take registers for a swimming class?

Accepted Answer

With AMES, instructors take the register poolside on the Teach staff app by tapping each swimmer present, late, or absent — no printed PDF sheets required. Attendance syncs instantly to the swimmer’s record, so absences can trigger make-up credits automatically and your reporting stays accurate. The same app lets teachers tick off skills and add notes during the lesson, keeping registers and progress tracking in one workflow. Office staff and owners see live attendance across every class without chasing paper.

Question 14

How do I set up direct debit for swimming lessons?

Accepted Answer

AMES sets up recurring Direct Debit through GoCardless directly inside the platform, so you can collect termly or monthly fees automatically. Parents authorise the mandate once during sign-up, then payments are taken on schedule with sibling discounts applied and failed payments retried automatically. You can also accept card payments plus Apple Pay and Google Pay for one-off charges through AMES Pay. Because billing is built in, there is no separate payments provider to integrate or reconcile by hand.

Question 15

What software do self-employed swimming teachers use?

Accepted Answer

Self-employed and independent swimming teachers use AMES because it is free to run with no monthly fee and no per-student charge — you only pay a small revenue-share on payments taken through AMES Pay. It handles parent bookings, Direct Debit and card payments, digital registers, and level or badge tracking from a phone or tablet, so a solo teacher gets the same tools as a large school without the overhead. The Connect parent app lets families book and pay themselves, cutting the admin you would otherwise do by hand. There is no minimum number of swimmers required to get started.

Question 16

How do parents book swimming lessons online?

Accepted Answer

Parents book swimming lessons through the AMES Connect app, where they can browse available classes by level, day, and location, then enrol and pay in a few taps. Once booked, they manage everything in one place — viewing the timetable, paying by Direct Debit, card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, requesting make-up lessons, and following their child’s badge progress. Payment options and capacity are checked in real time, so families only see classes that are genuinely available. This removes the phone calls and email back-and-forth that booking usually involves.

Question 17

Is there free swim school software?

Accepted Answer

Yes — AMES is genuinely free swim school software with no monthly subscription and no per-student fee. Rather than charging upfront, AMES takes a small revenue-share on payments processed through AMES Pay, which keeps the platform free to adopt while remaining fully featured. Unlike limited or ad-supported free tiers from some providers, AMES gives you the full toolkit: bookings, Direct Debit, registers, progress tracking, a parent app, and a staff app. There is no catch tied to swimmer numbers or feature gates.

Question 18

Does swim school software support Swim England and STA awards?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AMES ships with built-in templates for both the Swim England Learn to Swim Pathway and the STA International Learn to Swim Programme, including their stages, awards, and skill checklists. Instructors assess swimmers against the published criteria poolside, and AMES generates badges and certificates automatically when a stage is complete. You can run either framework on its own, side by side for mixed cohorts, or layer your own colour-coded levels on top. AMES is independent of both bodies and provides tooling that aligns with their standards rather than acting as an accredited reseller.

Question 19

How do I run a swim school without spreadsheets?

Accepted Answer

You run a swim school without spreadsheets by consolidating scheduling, registers, payments, and parent communication into one platform — which is exactly what AMES does. Instead of separate spreadsheets for the timetable, attendance, and fees plus a WhatsApp group for parents, everything lives in a single system with a staff app for teachers and a parent app for families. Bookings, Direct Debit collection, make-up lessons, and badge tracking all update automatically, so there is no manual re-keying between tools. Guided free migration moves your existing data across from spreadsheets or another platform such as CoursePro.

Swim School Management Software for UK Swim Schools

A live operating layer for every swimming workflow.

Running a swimming business is hard enough

Lane allocation headaches

Lost track of swimmer levels

Make-up lesson chaos

Instructor certification tracking

Everything your swimming business needs

Swim lesson booking & scheduling

Swim level & badge progress tracking

Direct Debit & online payments

Parent app & communication

Waiting list & make-up automation

Attendance, registers & instructor compliance

We help untangle the admin. You keep running classes.

We migrate your data

We configure it with you

We stay with you after launch

One platform. Four powerful interfaces.

Your command centre

Parents manage everything

Your branded booking page

Teachers in control

Your command centre

Parents manage everything

Your branded booking page

Teachers in control

Trusted by swimming schools across the UK

The swimming industry at a glance

Recognised Qualifications

Age Groups Breakdown

Aligned with industry standards

What you pay today vs what AMES charges.

Built to protect, designed to be transparent.

Your data is protected by design

Payments handled by Stripe, not spreadsheets

Transparent data handling, full user control

Always available when operations depend on it

Leave whenever you want, with everything

Every action logged, nothing hidden

Works with the tools you already rely on.

AMES Pay

Google Calendar

Xero

QuickBooks

Gmail

Outlook

Facebook

Instagram

Google Reviews

AMES works for every activity type

Guides & resources for swimming providers

Waitlist and Make-Up Session Management for Swim Schools

Smart Lane Scheduling: Optimising Your Pool Timetable

Building an Effective Parent Communication Portal for Swim Schools

Managing Make-Up Lessons in Your Swim School

How to Track Swimmer Level Progression Effectively

Building a Swimmer Level Progression Framework

Managing Lane Allocation for Swim Schools: A Complete Guide

Setting Up an Instructor Compliance Dashboard for Swim Schools

Tracking Instructor Certifications for Swim Schools

Common questions about AMES for swimming