Assessment

The Aquamark Scheme assessment is an assessment of your organisation against the scheme’s quality criteria, by selected swimming professionals, who are trained as assessors. The Assessment process is designed to:-

1. Provide an industry recognised means of measuring the progress of organisations who provide swimming programmes;

2. Provide an incentive for organisations providing swimming programmes to make improvements in the way that they operate;

3. Recognise good practice amongst organisations providing swimming programmes, and to identify role models;

4. To provide the basis for comparison and information sharing regarding practices;

5. To provide a credible 'best value' validation.

As a result of the assessment, organisations will receive:

- Scores for each 'area' in the quality criteria and an overall score.
- A summary of key strengths and key areas for improvement.
- Verbal feedback by the assessor team to explain the written findings, if required.

Organisations reaching the required scores in all four quality criteria modules are awarded recognition as:

'asa Premier Scheme for Teaching and Coaching of Swimming'

Organisations reaching the required scores in modules one and two are awarded recognition as:

'asa Approved Scheme for Teaching and Coaching of Swimming'

Organisations can apply to be assessed on Modules One and Two only, if required.

Who is eligible for assessment?

All organisations providing swimming programmes are eligible and are encouraged to apply for an assessment. This includes:

Local authorities sport and leisure departments;
Private leisure contractors;
Swimming clubs;
Private swim schools;
Local education authorities.

The assessment will cover the full range of swimming programmes that the organisation is providing. (e.g. you cannot have an assessment just for the 'beginners' part of the programme).

Organisations do not have to be providing swimming programmes covering the full range of development to apply for an assessment; e.g. from 'beginners' through to 'excellence'. An organisation which only provides 'beginners' swimming lessons could apply. The quality criteria covers the requirement to develop 'exit routes' through partnerships with other providers.

The assessment and the resulting recognition are owned by the organisation proving the swimming programme, not by the facility. Therefore, where there is more than one operator providing swimming programmes in one facility, each of these providers should apply for an assessment. Clearly, if the relationship between these providers achieves an integrated, seamless swimming development service, this will be reflected in the assessment scores of the partners.

Where one organisation is providing swimming programmes at a number of facilities (e.g. a leisure contractor), the programmes are assessed separately at each facility. Separate recognition is given for the programmes at each facility. If these programmes are assessed as part of one assessment, the assessment time might be reduced due to the corporate elements. This would lead to a discounted assessment fee.