Keith Arnold
The Owner
Keith Arnold has swum competitively and coached at Birkenhead Swimming Club. He has also coached at Wirral Metro Swimming Club the borough performance squads.
Keith was Wirral Disability Swimming Team manager at the Merseyside
Youth Games 2002 to2005, securing three first places and a second for the Wirral team. Wirral consistently swam with a full team and performed to an unprecedented level of ability thanks to the work of the local Wirral Disability Swimming Development Group. (WDSDG).
As secretary of the WDSDG and with his co – committee members Nigel Crowe and Katharine Hoolahan, the team played a significant part in the development of disability swimming on the Wirral and the North West. This provided a route through local swimming clubs to “Disability Swimming North West”, the regional performance club. Children who have been through the program in the past, have achieved gold, silver and bronze medals at national competition. Kathy Hoolahan now works as a teacher for the swimming school.
Within the framework of WDSDG, funds were regularly made available for training of volunteer swimming teachers both for mainstream and disability specific disciplines. Many of the teachers who work for the swimming school have been selected because of their experience and rounded ability working as volunteers with children who have special needs. This experience gives them a considerable advantage and high success rate.
Brief History
Keith is sole director of Keith Arnold Swim Schools Limited. The school began in 2001as a hobby on a Saturday morning at Mostyn Mostyn House School in Parkgate. The sessions grew to three evenings a week and all day Saturday, with a total of 350 children on the books.
With the unfortunate loss of the facilities at Mostyn House School when the school went into administration, the swimming school was forced to relocate and expand to different venues. These now include Chester, Hoylake, West Kirby, Bromborough and Stanley School. The school now employs eight additional teachers.
A testimonial about Keith Arnold
Our children, both attended swimming lessons with Keith Arnold, originally at Mostyn House Pool and have done so for the last 9 years. Although my eldest daughter has now left, she has become an accomplished and confident swimmer.
Keith’s tuition is outstanding, engendering a love of swimming and confidence in the water. Both children now swim to a high standard with a fabulous style.
Keith’s lessons are planned carefully and the learning is clearly personalised so that all children’s needs are met. His sensitivity and use of assessment for learning, with even the most nervous of children gives outstanding results.
The students and co-coaches who work alongside Keith are fully briefed about individual children’s needs and are always fully aware of the learning focus, lesson planning and the child’s ‘next steps’.
The swimming lessons with Keith Arnold have shown some of the best teaching and learning I have seen. Our children have been given skills which will stay with them for life and have been, and Nick still is, extremely happy learner in the process.
I have recommended Keith Arnold Swim Schools to very many friends and family who have been delighted with the teaching and success for their own children.
Deborah Johnson Learning and Achievement Consultant (Early Language and Literacy)
Cheshire West and Chester Council
