Eight Decades of Teaching

Shapland Swim School was started in in 1947 in Toowoomba by Thomas “Pop” Shapland who had a deep passion for teaching swimming to the members of his local community. This joy for education and the water was passed onto his children Bernard “Bernie” Shapland and Dorothy “Tuppy” Shapland. They in turn, were dedicated swim teachers who in 1973 developed the small swim class model that the Shapland 5 program is based off today. Bernie and Tuppy shared this knowledge with their son Chris Shapland, who after starting to teach swimming at the age of 9, knew that he wanted to dedicate his life to supporting others in learning to swim and educating his community on how to be safe around water. This vision saw Chris expand Shapland Swim Schools in 1991, with the desire to provide a community focused swim school that was financially accessible to all. Since then, his son Lucas Shapland has also contributed to the Shapland swim family, ensuring swim safety and fun is accessible to all.

With 8 decades of swim experience and 31 years of input from our talented and committed staff and franchisees, Chris has evolved the Shapland swim program into the industry leading swim school that it is today. From baby programs through to school age and advanced stroke correction classes, Chris and the team have developed a Shapland’s simple, yet tried and tested 5 step method of teaching swimming. Not only has he created a legacy, but a program that sets new world-wide standards. Check out our or swim programs to explore which class might be right for you and your family.

Whilst we have a gold class program, we understand that it’s not just the program, but how we teach it that matters. This is where our passionate, skilled, and committed swim team take centre stage. Each of our teachers are industry qualified and certified. The cherry on the top is that they each value developing rapport with their students and prioritise building a relationship with each and every one of them. It’s through this that we are able to deliver a personalised service based on genuine connection and care. And, because we are committed to constantly evolving our program to deliver our students the best possible experience, each and every one of our teachers undergo extensive ongoing training.