Theeducatoronline iconTheeducatoronlineSep 29, 2026 ~7 min source read

How Aquastar Swim Schools turns nervous children into confident, capable swimmers

Aquastar, led by directors Peter Smith and Gareth Cope, won a 2026 5‑Star Service Provider award after nearly 20 years of school partnerships and a teaching approach focused on individual assessment, small groups, and ongoing progress tracking. Their programs aim to reach students who otherwise might miss lifesaving water‑skill instruction.

VIDEO: Turning nervous swimmers into confident, capable kids

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The school-partnership model expands access: Aquastar’s programs reach students who may lack the finances for private lessons, delivering water-safety education at scale.

Measured growth: Aquastar taught 7,500 students across 48 school programs in 2024 and is teaching about 10,000 students across roughly 70 programs in 2026.

The useful part

Turning nervous swimmers into confident, capable kids | The Educator K/12 CONTINUE TO SITE CONTINUE TO SITE TV Home TV VIDEO: 0:05 Drowning remains um a significant um and preventable risk particularly for children. 0:21 I'm Kylie Spear and joining me today are Gareth Cop and Peter Smith, directors at Aquaar Swim Schools.

How it works

  • Gareth, Aquast, 5:13 how do you ensure your school programs are both engaging and impactful for students?
  • Um yeah, everyone involved 8:48 and thank you of course to our viewers for watching the latest episode of the Educator TV.
  • So hopefully they're going to be watching 8:32 this at some stage.
  • Aqua Star Swim 0:31 Schools has been named as a winner of the Educator Service Provider Awards for 2026.

What to take from it

Australia's got such a strong connection with water 2:53 yet drowning remains um a significant um and preventable risk um particularly for children. Um we'll continue to engage 7:20 with schools through community events, fundraisers, scholarships, and other initiatives, which is what we do now, while creating employment and leadership 7:28 pathways for young people to come and teach at Aquast. 1:06 This is a tremendous honor for Aquast and most importantly, a recognition of the people in our organization.

Example or evidence

  • 1:59 Gareth Aquaar is committed to building confidence and water safety skills for swimmers of all ages.
  • We thank our families that they put the trust of the children in us and more importantly we educate the kids 1:55 uh with water safety and swimming education.
  • Um, but 2:16 when uh when I arrived over here some 25 years ago, I quickly realized that uh this wonderful country is both blessed 2:26 and hindered by u by sort of our natural landscape.
  • I mean, we're surrounded by water um rivers, lakes, which can be 2:34 perceived as fun um for various activities, but you know, can also be quite dangerous um for others.

Details worth keeping

0:40 And thank you both so much for joining us today. Well, I imagine you must be very pleased with this result. 0:56 Congratulations on being named a 2026 five-star service provider.

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More context around this story.

The Best Swimming Lessons in Grand Rapids 2026
Grkids iconGrkidsSep 24, 2026

The Best Swimming Lessons in Grand Rapids 2026

Swimming Lessons are Key for Any Michigan Kid If you live in the Great Lakes state, swim lessons are one of the most important classes for kids . In a state with water everywhere, swimming classes could be life saving. It’s inevitable that Michigan kids will either own a pool or go to the beach , or be invited to a poo

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