School takes matters into its own hands to get its children swimming

Yahoo

12-07-2025

A school in Swindon has taken the unusual step of installing its own swimming pool in its playground.
Drove Primary School in Swindon has added the feature so that it can deliver vital lessons to children and members of the school community.
The lessons, delivered in partnership with Fortius PE, aim to help pupils meet national curriculum requirements and develop water confidence, while also reaching out to parents who may not have had the chance to learn to swim.
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Repi Begum, councillor for Lydiard and Freshbrook and also parent at the school, said: "It's an amazing opportunity, especially for people (like me) who need to stay covered for religious reasons.
"Other places don't offer female lifeguards or women-only sessions like this.
"It's also well timed, as we can drop the children at school, join the session, get a bit of exercise, get fit, make new friends and gain confidence in the water.
"I'm really grateful to the school for organising this for us and our children."
The temporary pool is 1.2 metres deep, 10 metres long and six metres wide, and was installed to address the shortage of swimming facilities in the area.
Sarah Hyde, a swimming instructor involved in the programme, said: "It's a great initiative, the closure of swimming pools across the town meant there weren't the available hours to get the children the swimming lessons they needed to meet the national curriculum requirements.
"Previously, the number of pupils meeting the targets was below 30 per cent.
"With this approach, every child has the chance to learn, and we can dramatically improve that figure."
The programme is also reaching beyond the classroom.
Kelly Reynolds, PE teacher at Drove Primary School, said: "Opportunities for families to swim are becoming very limited, and if they can find somewhere local, it can be too expensive to go.
"Culturally and traditionally, swimming for our school mums isn't accessible.
"With the help of Fortius PE and with public funding, we were excited to be able to offer free swimming lessons for mums who often feel they are unable to go swimming or even learn to swim."
Headteacher Bryony Bardwell praised the wider impact of the scheme.
Ms Bardwell said: "This initiative isn't just about meeting targets—it's about equipping our children and mums with a vital life skill that could one day save their life.
"I'm incredibly proud of our staff and students and extremely grateful to Fortius PE for helping make it happen."