distance from a suitable pool in which their child could learn being 3.6 miles from home. Additionally, one in six parents admitted to never taking their child swimming and 12 per cent of these said it was because they were unable to swim themselves. More than one in five of the non-swimming parents have children who can’t swim either, which could become self perpetuating, unless swimming lessons are placed firmly back into the curriculum and taken seriously.
POOLING RESOURCES
An on-site facility remains the ideal for many schools, although, in the present economic climate a school pool could be viewed as a demanding and expensive asset to maintain. Kimbolton Independent School in Bedfordshire built its on-site, 25 x 10 metre indoor pool 13 years ago at a cost of more than a £1 million and all pupils, ranging from 4 to 18 years old, take swimming lessons. Prior to the building of the ‘new’ pool the school had an outdoor pool which was used from May to July only, but the indoor pool, managed by Dave Pickett, is open all year round and used by children from other schools and the local community.
“One school came to us after they had been unable to keep their own pool open,” says Dave. “The upkeep and running of any pool is expensive and many schools installed tank-style pools, which are not large enough to hire out, or be used by the wider community, but are still
[ “Children should have access to a high-quality swimming pool and lessons.” ]
costly in terms of replacing liners and such like. And the costs don’t stop there – training courses for teachers can also add up to hundreds of pounds.”
A school that has been confronted with these issues and more besides is Sandown Primary School in Hastings. Helen Pugh, the school’s Business Manager stresses the importance of the pupils and children within the school’s local community learning to swim. “This is a seaside town,” says Helen. “The beach is a popular
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Pool & Spa Scene: SCHOOL POOLS
ABOVE: One in five of parents say they can no longer afford to take their children swimming and 24 per cent said they could not afford pool admission prices or private lessons for their children.
Pool & Spa Scene: SCHOOL POOLS 45
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