A lesson can be technically well planned and still leave important questions unanswered. Was the child engaged? Did the teacher notice their effort?
How much of the available time became an opportunity to practise? At SPARK, Daniel Fulton described how his swim school uses observation to bring those questions into its understanding of quality.
His contribution to The Numbers That Actually Matter connected operational measurement with the experience of the child. The examples came from his own business; their value for other operators is as questions to explore in their own setting.
Notice the small wins
Fulton described supervisors looking for warmth as well as technique. A smile, encouragement or recognition of a small achievement could help reveal how a lesson felt to the swimmer. His team had developed its own observation target for celebrations. The broader idea was to make this aspect of teaching visible and discussable. Counting alone would not capture the quality of an interaction; the emphasis in his description was on genuine recognition and children enjoying their time in the water.
Understand how lesson time is used
Another observation concerned time spent actively swimming. Fulton described finding room for improvement within the existing lesson duration, then working on professional development, peer review, transitions and teacher awareness. He was describing changes within his program, rather than setting a universal target for every age or ability. The useful starting point is curiosity about the lesson as it actually happens: where time goes, what supports learning and which transitions deserve closer attention.
Make quality repeatable
As the business grew, Fulton explained that personally telling everyone how to do things was no longer practical. He described a shared operations guide, common observation standards and operational audits across sites. In his account, these systems helped protect the experience families expected. The principle connects staff development with consistency: teachers need a common understanding of what the organisation values, alongside the judgement and warmth they bring to individual lessons.
Connect the measures to the purpose
Fulton brought his measures back to the limited time a family spends with the swim school each week. That placed every role around the same experience, from the teacher to the people supporting delivery. His argument was that enjoyment and learning belong in the same conversation. For an operator reviewing its dashboard, this creates a useful distinction between knowing that a lesson took place and understanding something meaningful about the experience delivered within it.
Fulton’s examples invite a closer look at everyday delivery. They offer a way to discuss improvement with teachers using something the team has observed, rather than relying only on impressions or a summary number.
A question to take back to your team
Our editorial reflection:
Which part of the lesson experience matters to your families but is least visible in your current observations?
Explore the full conversation
Drawn from The Numbers That Actually Matter at SPARK 2026.
Session credit: Daniel Fulton.
These ideas are paraphrased from the session.
Watch back and learn more by viewing through the SPARK App on you phone.
Media contact: Luke Daly
Chief Executive Officer, ASSA
Mob: +61 414 086 858
About the Australian Swim Schools Association
The Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA) is the national body representing swim schools across Australia and New Zealand. Through professional development, industry events and its BOSS (Business of Swim Schools) community, ASSA backs the SwimSchoolers who run, manage and teach in the nation’s swim schools. It champions an industry that teaches people to swim and saves lives.
