Effective date - 1st September 2026

These Terms & Conditions apply to swimmers enrolled in the Winchester City Swimming Club (WCSC) Learn to Swim programme, which may also be referred to as the Penguins Learn to Swim programme in our lessons communications and materials. Winchester City Swimming Club is the organisation responsible for operating the programme.

Please read them carefully. They contain important information about the structure of our programme, payments, annual membership, attendance and cancellation arrangements.

Important terms relating to monthly fees, advance payments, cancellation and annual membership will also be highlighted during the enrolment process and in booking communications.

ONE

New enrolments

New members:

• New enquiries should be made through the Penguins Lessons Stage Finder, and the associated membership information must be completed before a booking can be confirmed.
  
• Temporary reservations may be held for a short, agreed period at the discretion of WCSC.
• A place is only confirmed once the required membership and medical information has been completed and a GoCardless Direct Debit mandate has been set up.
• New swimmers joining part-way through a month will be invoiced for the appropriate initial lesson fees before joining the normal monthly payment schedule.
• As lesson fees are paid one month in advance, depending on the swimmer's start date an initial invoice may be followed shortly afterwards by the Direct Debit payment for the following month's lessons.

Existing members:

• Current Learn to Swim members will be given priority where appropriate when alternative spaces, times or class groupings become available.
• Swimmers may be moved to a different class where their teacher believes this is appropriate for their ability, confidence and progression.
• Requests to change or cancel lessons must be made in writing via the WCSC Contact Form (select All Lessons Enquiries) or by emailing the Lessons Administrator.
• Please refer to the Cancellation Policy in Section Four before cancelling lessons.

TWO

Changes to lessons bookings

• Requests to change a swimmer's regular lesson day or time should be made through our Contact Form (select All Lessons Enquiries) or by emailing the Lessons Administrator.
• WCSC will do its best to accommodate requests, but all changes are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.
• Lessons and memberships are personal to the named swimmer and are non-transferable.
• Lessons and memberships cannot be exchanged for other WCSC products or services.
  

THREE

Programme Structure, fees and payments

48-week continuous programme:

WCSC Learn to Swim operates as a continuous 48-week annual programme. This means that lessons continue throughout the year, including school half-terms and the summer holidays.

The programme has four planned closure weeks each year:

• Two weeks at Easter
• Two weeks at Christmas

These planned closures are already taken into account when calculating the monthly lesson fee. The programme does not operate on a traditional school-term basis. Monthly payments therefore continue throughout the year, including during the summer.

Monday lessons – 45-week programme

Due to the additional Bank Holidays that fall on Mondays, Monday lessons operate as a 45-week annual programme rather than the standard 48-week programme.

Monday lesson fees are calculated on the basis of 45 weeks of lessons and are therefore adjusted to account for the additional Monday Bank Holiday closures. As these closures are already reflected in the Monday fee:

• No additional charge is made for the affected Bank Holiday sessions.
• Replacement Skills Workshops will no longer be provided for Bank Holiday closures.
• Replacement lessons or credits will not normally be provided for these scheduled Bank Holiday closures.
  

Monthly payments

• Regular lesson fees are payable by GoCardless Direct Debit. 
• Monthly fees are calculated across the applicable annual programme — 48 weeks for standard lessons and 45 weeks for Monday lessons — and divided into monthly payments.
• Lesson fees are paid one month in advance.
• Payments are normally collected on the 1st of each month and pay for the following month's lessons.

Monthly payments continue throughout the year unless the swimmer's lessons are cancelled in accordance with the Cancellation Policy in Section Four.

Cancelling a Direct Debit mandate with your bank does not cancel your child's swimming lessons or remove the requirement to pay fees that have become due. Written cancellation notice must be given to WCSC.

Annual membership An annual membership fee is payable in addition to monthly lesson fees. Current membership fees are published on the WCSC website.

• Membership is charged when a swimmer first joins WCSC.  
• Annual membership renews every January, regardless of when during the year the swimmer first joined.
• Swim England may offer a reduced membership fee for new members joining later in the year; where this applies, the reduced fee will be passed on to the swimmer/parent or carer.
• Membership will be invoiced separately from monthly lesson fees.
• Once membership has been processed, the membership fee is non-refundable.

Failed Direct Debit payments

If a Direct Debit payment fails:

• A five-day grace period will normally be provided to allow payment to be made.
• If payment remains outstanding, the swimmer may be suspended from lessons and removed from the class register.
• The swimmer will not be permitted to attend lessons while the account remains outstanding.
• Reinstatement will be subject to payment of outstanding fees and, where a place has been released, availability.

FOUR

Cancellation policy - please read carefully

WCSC operates a continuous programme and lesson fees are collected one month in advance.

Giving notice

If you wish to cancel your child's lessons, written notice must be received by WCSC no later than the 20th of the month before your child's final month of lessons. This deadline allows WCSC to process the cancellation before the Direct Debit for the subsequent month's lessons becomes due.

For example: If you want your child's final lessons to be in July and do not want to pay for August, WCSC must receive your written cancellation no later than 20 June. The payment collected on 1 July is for August's lessons.

Another example: If you want your child's final lessons to be in September, written notice must be received by 20 August. This enables WCSC to stop the 1 September payment for October.

Cancellation requests must be made:

• via the WCSC Contact Form (select Lessons Admin);
• or by email to the Lessons Administrator.

Cancelling your Direct Debit with your bank is not sufficient notice of cancellation.

Where notice is received after the relevant deadline, fees that have already become due may remain payable.

Leaving for the summer

WCSC lessons continue throughout August as part of our continuous programme. Families are free to cancel their place before the summer if they do not wish to continue swimming during August. To finish lessons at the end of July without becoming liable for August's lesson fee, written cancellation must be received no later than 20 June.

Once the place has been cancelled:

• WCSC cannot guarantee that the swimmer's previous class, day, time or teacher will remain available.
• The place may be offered to another swimmer.

Returning after cancelling

If a family cancels their place and subsequently asks to rejoin the programme, this will be treated as a new/re-enrolment request. 

Re-enrolment will:

• be subject to availability at the time of application;
• not guarantee the swimmer's previous lesson day, time, teacher or class;
• require the necessary membership/payment arrangements to be in place; and,
• incur a £20 re-enrolment administration fee to cover the additional administration involved in closing and subsequently recreating/reinstating the swimmer's booking.

FIVE

Attendance, holidays and Planned Absence

Regular lessons continue throughout school holidays, including the summer holidays, except for WCSC's scheduled closure weeks.

Monthly fees reserve the swimmer's regular place within the programme and are not calculated according to individual attendance.

Holiday allowance

Each swimmer may request up to two replacement holiday sessions per calendar year (1 January to 31 December) for planned family holidays or similar planned absences.

• A minimum of 14 days notice must be provided.
• Requests should be made by email to the Lessons Administrator.
• Replacement sessions are subject to suitable space and availability and cannot be guaranteed.
• Replacement sessions have no cash value.
• They cannot be exchanged for a refund or deducted from monthly fees.
• If WCSC cannot accommodate a suitable replacement session, the normal monthly fee remains payable.

Sickness and significant injury

WCSC may, at its discretion, provide a credit for up to four consecutive weeks per calendar year.

Appropriate medical evidence may be requested and should be supplied as soon as reasonably possible.

Any credit is subject to approval by WCSC and will normally be applied against a future payment rather than issued as a cash refund.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions affects a consumer's statutory rights.

SIX

Missed sessions and refunds

Sessions missed by the swimmer

Monthly fees reserve the swimmer's place in their regular class. Refunds or credits will therefore not normally be provided where a swimmer chooses or is unable to attend an individual lesson, including because of:

• Holidays beyond the holiday allowance
• School commitments
• Exams
• Parties or other activities
• Family commitments
• Half-term or school holiday arrangements
• Other personal scheduling conflicts

Sessions cancelled by WCSC

WCSC will make reasonable efforts to deliver the programme as advertised. Occasionally, a lesson may need to be cancelled because of circumstances outside WCSC's reasonable control, such as:

• unexpected pool or facility closure;
• adverse weather;
• emergency evacuation;
• utility failure; or,
• another unforeseen safety or facility issue.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions is intended to limit any statutory rights a consumer may have where WCSC does not provide a service as agreed.

SEVEN

Hygiene and safety

To help maintain a safe and hygienic swimming environment:

• Children who are not toilet trained must wear tight-fitting waterproof pants and an approved swim nappy.
• Swimmers from Beginner level upwards should wear a swim cap and goggles where appropriate.
• Children should not attend lessons if they are unwell or recovering from a stomach illness.
• Spectators must comply with the rules of the individual swimming facility, including requirements relating to changing rooms, mobile devices, seating, collection and parking.

• Use the toilet
• Blow their nose where necessary
• Tie back long hair
• Shower before entering the pool
• Bring any necessary medication, such as an asthma inhaler

EIGHT

Teachers, classes and timetable Changes

WCSC aims to provide a consistent and high-quality Learn to Swim programme. From time to time, reasonable operational changes may be necessary. These may include:

• Providing a cover teacher
• Changing a swimmer's teacher
• Moving a swimmer to an appropriate class as their ability develops
• Making reasonable changes to lesson times or the timetable  
• Changing pool space or facility where necessary

NINE

Behaviour and respect

Swimmers, parents, carers and spectators are expected to treat WCSC staff, volunteers, facility staff and other users with courtesy and respect. Abusive, threatening, intimidating or otherwise inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated.

WCSC reserves the right to require an individual to leave poolside or the facility where necessary for the safety or wellbeing of swimmers, staff or other users. In serious or repeated cases, WCSC may suspend or terminate a swimmer's place in the Lessons Programme following appropriate consideration by Club management.

TEN

Mobile devices, photography and recording

Photography, video recording or audio recording of lessons or other pool users is not permitted without prior permission from Winchester City Swimming Club.

• Mobile-device use on poolside is also subject to the rules of the individual swimming facility.
• Facility or WCSC staff may ask a spectator to stop using a device where there is a safeguarding, privacy or safety concern.
• Spectators must comply with reasonable instructions given by facility or WCSC staff.  WCSC follows Swim England Wavepower safeguarding guidance.
• Any member or spectator acting contrary to safeguarding requirements may be asked to leave poolside.  Please refer to WCSC's safeguarding and photography policies for further information.

ELEVEN

Changes to these terms and conditions

WCSC may occasionally need to make reasonable changes to these Terms & Conditions, for example:

• to comply with changes in law, regulation or Swim England requirements;
• for safeguarding or safety reasons;
• to reflect necessary changes to pool/facility arrangements;
• to make minor administrative or technical changes; or,  
• where reasonable operational changes to the Learn to Swim programme are necessary.

This section does not affect a member's statutory rights.

TWELVE

Acceptance and important information

Before accepting a place, parents/carers should read these Terms & Conditions in full. In particular, please make sure you understand that:

• Standard WCSC lessons operate for 48 weeks of the year.   
• Monday lessons operate for 45 weeks of the year because additional Monday Bank Holiday closures are reflected in the fee.
• Lessons continue throughout the summer holidays.
• There are two planned closure weeks at Easter and two at Christmas.
• Lesson fees are collected one month in advance.
• The payment collected on the 1st of a month normally pays for the following month's lessons.
• Written cancellation must be received by the 20th of the month before the swimmer's final month.
• To leave at the end of July without paying for August, cancellation must be received by 20 June.
• Cancelling a Direct Debit does not cancel the lessons contract.   
• If a swimmer cancels and subsequently wishes to return, their previous place cannot be guaranteed and a £20 re-enrolment administration fee applies.
• Annual membership renews every January, regardless of when during the year the swimmer first joined. Current membership fees are published on the WCSC website. Any applicable Swim England reduction for new members joining later in the year will be passed on where appropriate.