Friendly Otter Swim School supports and follows Singapore’s national swimming syllabus of SwimSafer 2.0, overseen by Sport Singapore and Singapore Aquatics. This has a focus of swimming, water safety, and survival skills.
All primary school children in Singapore are called to go through the SwimSafer programme, typically between Primary Three and Primary Five. This 12 hour programme happens during school hours, with the primary school organising and transporting the students to an available ActiveSG swimming complex. Classes are typically in groups of 10. The swimming complex used may not be the one closest to the school, as it depends on availability.
Friendly Otter Swim School provides a leg up for our students, by providing early training and testing. Without any prior training, students would find it more difficult to attain basic swimming skills and to pass the SwimSafer test held by their primary school.
By having a SwimSafer certificate first, primary schools can better recognise and place students in a suitable swimming class at the school. There is a huge difference being in a class with other swim-capable students, and with those who have never entered a swimming pool before.
Without a SwimSafer certificate, it is difficult to recognise a student’s prior time and efforts in the water. In addition, having a SwimSafer certificate may allow a student to skip their primary school swimming lessons, again saving time and effort. Individual schools may have different policies regarding this, do check directly with your child’s school.
It is a common practice that some swimming coaches or schools do not send their students for SwimSafer tests, even after years of lessons.
We do not follow this practice.
We are committed to send every primary school student for testing as soon as they can meet the SwimSafer standards. By doing so, we ensure that the students’ time and efforts are recognised and not wasted. That goes double for the parents.
Most swim coaches in Singapore do not have SwimSafer certifications, hence they are not allowed to send their students for national testing under their own name. They also would not have undergone the numerous training and briefings conducted by Sport Singapore to ensure standards and safety.
There are less than 800 swim coaches certified to teach the SwimSafer curriculum. Of those 800, only about 300 are also Assessors, meaning that besides teaching, they can conduct SwimSafer assessments. Coach Andrew is one of the 300.
SwimSafer Test Fees and Conditions
Each test is $60 per participant. This includes the time and effort to:
- Find a suitable date and time that matches the students and the approved Assessor’s availability
- Collect and submit consent forms
- Register participant details with Sport Singapore
- Instruct and conduct the test
- Ensure all certificates are received and in order
The $60 includes SwimSafer registration fees paid to Sport Singapore ($10).
Once registered, we are unable to return the booking fee of $10 paid to Sport Singapore if the child is unable to come on the test date for any reason. However, we can return the balance of $50.
If the pool is closed due to lightning or rain on the actual test date and time, we will absorb the $10 fee and reschedule another date.
These terms are far above the norm as compared to other swim schools.
SwimSafer testing can occur all year round, as long as there is a minimum number of five students for the test.