British Swim School Making Waves In Bergen County

PARAMUS, NJ – British Swim School, a franchised brand of swim schools founded in England nearly 40 years ago, has recently opened its first Bergen County locations, operating out of a hotel in Mahwah and a gym in Paramus.

On Saturday, the school’s franchisee, James Freemont, is throwing a celebration to mark both openings. The event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the pool’s Paramus location, LA Fitness, 240 Route 17 North.

“I’ve always had a passion for swimming, and I am so happy I have the opportunity to teach others, especially children, a life-saving lesson,” Freemont said. “These two openings are just the start of the British Swim School franchise system in Bergen County. My hope is to open additional locations in the years to come to teach more children water safety and survival skills.”

The Mahwah pool is located at the Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel, 920 Corporate Drive and opened in August. The school based at the Paramus LA Fitness debuted in early October.

At Saturday’s grand opening celebration, British Swim School will waive the enrollment fee, as well as offer two extra bonus classes of the student’s choice to event attendees.

Founded in 1981, the school is known for educating children – some as young as three months old - and adults about water safety and survival skills in a fun and gentle environment.

British Swim School operates in over 200 locations in 21 states across the U.S. Nearly 19,000 lessons are held each week nationally and almost 750,000 annually.

The company offers lessons out of multiple national fitness chains and hotel pools year-round, based on the premise that children progress at different rates. Each child, regardless of age, is placed in their correct skill level and will have certain achievable objectives, according to the company.

While parental supervision is always the number one safety measure, research shows that participation in formal swim programs, such as those offered by British Swim School, can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children who are most at risk for deaths caused by drowning.

According to estimates, more than 65 percent of the U.S. population doesn’t know how to swim and drowning is a leading cause of death for children ages one to nine.

For more information about British Swim School in Bergen County, click here.