Pool & Spa Scene: SCHOOL POOLS
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venue with parents and children, so it is absolutely vital that the children in the area should know how to swim – it could end up being a matter of life and death.”
FUND RAISING
The pool at Sandown Primary School was built in the late 1960s from funds raised by parents and is classified as a ‘teaching pool’, measuring 10 x 5 metres, with a depth of 1.4 metres. All the children from reception to Year 6 are taught to swim during the school day, as part of the national curriculum and the pool is also used by a swimming club, Brownies, community and year groups from other schools, as well as forming part of ‘Active Hastings’, partnering with Hastings Borough Council to offer free family swimming sessions for parents and pre-school children each week during term time and also during the holidays. However, the pool is not large enough to be hired out, or put into general use for families and therefore the school cannot access community funding. The building that houses the pool is in serious need of refurbishment and there have been extensive efforts on the part of the PTA, school, staff and local community to keep the pool open and running. To date, £24,000 has been raised, £10,000 of which has already been spent on essential repairs to the leaking roof and the pool liner.
The school is very aware of the financial burden of keeping the pool maintained and functioning when there are so many other demands on its resources, but as Helen Pugh points out: “In our locality there are no facilities for swimming lessons for children or
[ “It seems a shame that in a developed country such as ours we can’t get
our children to swim when it’s such an important skill.” ]
non-swimming adults. The refurbishment of our pool would also enable us to promote its use for the wider community… to encourage a healthy lifestyle and reduce health inequalities.” In an area where the number of reception class children and
Year 6 children classified as obese is above average and rising, this would seem a valid point and one with which Helen Bilton, PGCE Primary Programme Director at Reading University agrees: “It seems a shame that in a developed country such as ours we can’t get our children to swim when it’s such an important skill. It is terribly important for their fitness and for the future health of the nation.”
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ABOVE: ROSPA believes all children should have access to a high-quality swimming pool and lessons. Pool & Spa Scene: SCHOOL POOLS 47
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