Abracadabra Swim School - Dartford

Cassy P.

Massive positive coming from a negative (out of Bens control I may add!)…..Unfortunately due to our personal commitments we’ve had to change swimming teachers and my oh my has this really highlighted just how truly amazing Ben was and what he taught our daughter at such a young age. She has learnt such important life skills around the water whilst having fun. Credit to Ben for the way he taught my daughter through play to begin with - from 30 months she was been able to swim unaided under our supervision and from 36 months she is swimming back stroke! People actually jump up (and in!) when she jumps in the water but we have every confidence in what Ben has taught her and her ability that she would be able to save herself if she fell into a pool or got into difficulty. We can not recommend Ben enough. Hopefully we can get back to Ben again soon!

Галина ?.

Can't recommend this school highly enough! Our daughter absolutely loves it and is always excited for the next session. After 6-7 months of lessons at other well-known school where she still couldn't swim, we switched to Abracadabra (with its very warm, shallow pool) and she finally started swimming on her own after just 3 lessons! She's no longer scared of the water and doesn't come out freezing, which is very important to us. Ben and Tasha are fantastic with children, providing tailored tasks for each lesson, as they understand that every child learns differently.
We couldn’t be happier parents of a little girl who now loves swimming!

Temi O.

My daughter has developed so much in confidence thanks to Ben, Becca and the rest of the team. They have been extremely patient with her, more than I could have been and for this I am eternally grateful!
As well as this, class sizes are so small that you feel like you're getting a bespoke service each week. 100000% recommend!

mystic A.

Legit the best thing since they put mayonnaise in a jar ! Second lesson and my 4 year old went backwards across the pool TWICE with only a pool noodle. Ben is very vigilant to the whole class (5/6 children at one time with assistant who is lovely too) really understanding and has a calm presence , all the children wanted to join is straight away. Nice and clean pool which is lovely and warm and parking avaliable on site too.
I really recommend! Do dive right in and do it !

Laura L.

My daughter has been having swimming lessons from Emma and Ben since she was just a few months old. She’s now one and a half and is super confident in the water, she has made so much progress and most of all she has the best time. Both Ben and Emma have been wonderful and everyone who attends the classes are lovely and welcoming. It’s also super reasonably priced compared to other companies. Couldn’t recommend enough!

Ana G.

It is truly magical to experience swimming lessons with Ben. My son, who has ASD with a PDA profile and ADHD, struggles to follow instructions, making it challenging to manage him and help him understand what is expected of him while keeping him engaged. However, Ben surprised us with his impressive expertise—not only as a swimming instructor who knows how to engage children in a fun way and actually teach them to swim but also as a highly skilled SEN professional.

I’ve attended specific SEN swimming sessions before, on a one-to-one, as is the case now with Ben, but I have never seen anyone work with my son in such a 'magical' way. My son was mirroring Ben’s actions, following instructions most of the time, and genuinely enjoying the experience. It’s incredible how this swimming teacher adapts each class to my son’s specific needs. Ben seems to truly understand what works best for my child and learns from him to improve the sessions further.

On the second day of lessons, the swimming teacher surprised my son with a handmade, laminated visual board that included all the exercises and positions to learn that session. As a visual thinker, my son was able to understand the content better and actively engage with it. I was amazed at how well-prepared that session was. Despite being a more structured lesson—which could be challenging for a child with PDA and ADHD—my son was able to follow Ben most of the time, thanks to the visual aids and Ben’s expertise.

The third session was even more surprising. Ben, trusting his instincts, shifted to a less structured and PDA-friendly approach. The session seemed to follow an “engaged model,” adapting to my son’s interests and using them as a foundation to teach swimming techniques through play. The flexibility and patience Ben demonstrated allowed my son to enjoy what felt like playtime throughout the session, without realizing he was actually following all the instructions.

Well done and bravo to professionals like Ben who go above and beyond, giving their absolute best. He is truly exceptional!

Ed C.

I’ve really enjoyed watching my children’s swimming improve - and the improvement has been amazing! The teaching is great quality and my children really enjoy the lessons. I would fully recommend.

Michelle K.

I would highly recommend Abracadabra Swim School. Ben has taught all my children to swim and I would credit him with getting them to a stage where they were swimming happily in the water, without aids, before many of their peers. He explains the technique in a clear, age appropriate manner and is so patient with the children. Ben also focusses on safety in the water, which is so important. I feel really lucky to have found Ben and that my children have so much enjoyment in the water because he has made them such confident swimmers.