A guide for athletes and families
Swimming badges recognise different achievements. This guide explains lesson stages, distance awards and club skills, so you can understand your athlete’s progress and discuss what to work on next with their teacher or coach.
Know what the badge recognises
Rainbow Distance Awards recognise continuous travel over a stated distance. They encourage stamina, but a distance badge alone does not demonstrate every stroke or deep-water safety.
Read about distance and stroke awards (opens in a new tab)Rainbow Stroke Awards recognise technique in a named stroke over 5, 10 or 25 metres. They look at how the athlete travels, as well as how far.
Read the expected standards (opens in a new tab)Stages combine swimming with skills such as floating, breathing, rotation and water safety. Completing the distance does not replace the other outcomes.
Understand Stage Awards (opens in a new tab)The numbered Swimming Club Awards develop the habits, technical control and racing skills used in coached club training.
Explore Club Awards 1–6Readiness for club swimming
Mako’s welcomes new-to-club athletes from age seven who can swim repeated 50m swims in front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke with sound basic technique. That means several 50m swims during a session, with rests between them. Butterfly, diving, tumble turns and streamlined push-offs are taught at the club and are not entry requirements. Coaches assess readiness in the pool; your athlete’s lesson provider and teacher can help explain the skills they have been learning.
Request a swimming trialLearn to Swim · Stages 1–7
Use these summaries to understand the main skills developed at each stage. An athlete needs to complete every required outcome to achieve an award; the official links give the full assessment criteria.
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Aquatic Skills · Swimming strand
These stages build the skills used in swimming training and racing. The summaries cover the Swimming strand only; diving, artistic swimming and water polo have their own criteria. Starts and underwater skills need appropriate coaching and supervision.
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Swim England Swimming Club Awards
Swimming Club Awards build on lesson skills through coached training, technique and race preparation. Ask the coaching team which awards Mako’s uses. The numbers belong to this separate award scheme and do not continue the Learn to Swim stages.
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Key end-stage goals
Other awards
Bronze, Silver, Gold and Honours Challenge Awards combine stamina and varied aquatic skills. They are different from the numbered Swimming Club Awards above.
Read about Swimming Challenge AwardsKeep learning safely
Awards do not replace appropriate supervision or a coach’s assessment. If an athlete needs more support before club training, a local lesson programme can help them work on the foundations.
Find local lessons and lifesaving coursesYour next step
Explore how Development swimming builds on lessons, or find a local lesson provider for more help with technique, stamina and water confidence. A teacher or coach can help you choose the right next step.
