Elite Swimming Academy at Everlast Fitness Club
Elite Swimming Academy teaches children from age 3 and adults of any level in small groups or privately at the Everlast pool on Coldhams Lane.
Who it suits
Parents who want their child taught in a class of three rather than eight, and adults who would rather pay for a private lesson than join a beginner group.
Why it stands out
- Children's lessons are capped at three per class, well below the group sizes typical of council learn to swim schemes
- Adult lessons are private only; there is no adult group option at this school
- The pool is 19 metres by 9 metres, kept at 28 to 29 degrees and 1.25 metres deep
- Five-day intensive courses run in every school holiday for £135, on top of the term-time weekly classes
- Puddle Ducks also runs baby and pre-school classes in this same Everlast pool, on different days, so it is a shared venue rather than an Elite-only site
Our verdict
This suits families who have tried a crowded council class and want faster, closer attention, and it suits adults who would rather pay more for undivided coaching than sit in a beginner group. Twenty seven pounds a week works out well above what a leisure centre charges for the same half hour, so it is not for anyone on a tight budget, and there is nothing here for babies or toddlers under three. No independent rating for this venue was available at the time of writing, so ask to watch a session before you commit.
What it is
Elite Swimming Academy is an independent Cambridge swim school that teaches out of the pool inside the Everlast Fitness Club on Coldhams Lane, the same building where Puddle Ducks runs its baby classes on other days. Children’s lessons start at age 3 and run in small groups of up to three, in half hour sessions after school and at weekends during term time. There is also a Junior Advanced Programme, a longer weekly session for swimmers aged 10 and up who already have the basics, and five-day intensive courses in every school holiday.
Who should book
Children who need more attention than a class of six or eight can give them are the obvious fit, since three is the most Elite will put in a group. Adults are catered for too, but only through private lessons: there is no adult group class here at all, so if you want to learn to swim or fix your stroke without sharing the instructor, this is built for exactly that. It is not the right choice for babies or toddlers under three, since Elite does not run a parent-and-child programme.
What stands out
The pool itself is a decent size for a gym pool, 19 by 9 metres, kept around 28 to 29 degrees and just over a metre deep. What makes Elite different from the franchises that also use Cambridge hotel and gym pools is the ratio: three children per class is tight compared with the class sizes most parents are used to, and it is reflected in the price. The school also runs its own progression route for stronger young swimmers through the Junior Advanced Programme, rather than sending them elsewhere once they outgrow beginner lessons.
The verdict
Twenty seven pounds a week for a thirty minute group lesson, or fifty nine pounds a lesson for 1-to-1 coaching with a child or an adult, is a premium price, and you are paying for the small class size and the fact that adults never have to share an instructor. It will not suit a family comparing prices against a council leisure centre, and it offers nothing at all for children under three. No Google or Trustpilot rating for this specific venue turned up in research, which is worth knowing before you book, so it is fair to ask the school directly for references or to watch a session first.