An independent SEN swim school which offers lessons to children with additional needs has opened its second location in south-east London this month.
Kasha’s Teach Yourself Swimming holds lessons on Saturdays in St Joseph’s College, Croydon, and has now launched its second location at The Garden Pool in Southwark.
Katarzyna ‘Kasha’ Musial established the SEN swim school in 2020, after she had worked as a swimming teacher in local leisure centres.
Kasha said: “I realised that I attracted a very diverse clientele, including people who traditionally would not seek to learn how to swim, and they felt drawn to me.”
Two years before she set up the school, Kasha published a swimming teaching book to encourage people to learn to swim.
From there, she received countless inquiries, and so decided to set up her own swim school.
Since then, the school teaches over one hundred swimmers and is frequently contacted by disability organisations and local schools.
Kasha said: “I’m trying to create something slightly more upgraded for the disability community so they can access nicer pools and groups where they will be really well looked after.”
Kasha said the pool in Southwark is perfect for her teaching, as the layout is very accessible and the pool is especially warm at 32 degrees.
The SEN swim school prides itself on its personal touch, with each child having access to the people who run the school, and they even receive a goodie bag after their lessons.
Liana James-Wenham’s son Isiah, who is autistic, has lessons with Kasha, and she is incredibly proud of his progress.
She said: “I was very emotional by the end of Isiah’s swimming lesson.
“There are so many challenges that he has and many things he just can’t access, but Kasha has made swimming fun and enjoyable for him.
“To see him swim was such a great moment.”
Kasha offers group lessons of varying sizes, but also one-to-one sessions for those who have more complex needs.
Parents are also welcome to join the sessions.
Kasha said: “Disability swimming is becoming much more popular.
“I know there are at least two hundred disabled people in London who have nowhere to go for swimming lessons.”
Kasha has taught Claire’s two sons swimming since they were very young, and one of them had previously developed a fear of swimming.
Claire said: “Kasha was the only teacher that helped him overcome his fear, to the point where he can now swim to a professional standard and has assisted teaching younger children to swim.”
Kasha said swimming offers both physical and mental health benefits to SEN children.
As many have a sensitivity to noise, she found that in teaching them to submerge themselves underwater they found the silence therapeutic.
Dannielle McAleer’s son Jacob has lessons at Kasha’s swim school.
She said: “He was unable to handle swimming in other lessons, but here he’s flourishing.”
But Kasha doesn’t just teach these children to swim for the benefit on their health.
She said: “Even if they aren’t able to perform all of the strokes, they can learn to be water smart for their own survival.
“Parents take their kids on holidays, and it just takes a second for a child to wander off.
“Kids should at least know what to do in case they find themselves in the water if they fall in.”
Alongside the sessions on Saturdays in St Joseph’s College, Kasha will offer lessons at The Garden Pool every Tuesday.
Join the discussion