Latest news with #FortiusPE
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
School takes matters into its own hands to get its children swimming
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. Recommended reading Students do 24-hour cycling challenge in heatwave Teen crowned national champion after winning double gold at Jiu Jitsu tournament School attack 'not as described' as new info sparks further investigation 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."
BBC News
08-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Swindon pupils 'absolutely buzzing' in pop-up pool lessons
A primary school has said a pop-up pool in its playground has been an enormous hit with pupils, who are "buzzing" in swimming Primary School in Swindon, Wiltshire, installed the temporary pool due to a shortage of swimming facilities in the area. Giving all pupils the opportunity to learn how to swim is a curriculum pupils' mothers are also being given free lessons at the school. This particularly suits those who find public pools inaccessible due to cultural and religious reasons. The pool was installed by the company Fortius PE, which began offering pools in April 2024 and has so far been used by more than 15 schools across Swindon, reaching more than 2,000 Oasis Leisure Centre has been closed since November 2020 and isn't set to open until 2026. Other pool closures in the area mean schools in Swindon are struggling to find a place for their pupils to learn how to swim. Swimming instructor for Fortius, Sarah Hyde, said: "It's not accessible for a lot of children to go swimming in Swindon. "This gives them the opportunity to be able to do that. They don't need to get on the bus and get overwhelmed by that journey and they won't miss as much school."Kelly Reynolds, PE teacher at Drove Primary School, said the pool had been a huge success."There's over 600 children a week coming through our swimming lessons, and they're absolutely buzzing," she said."They love it, and the progress they're making is absolutely brilliant. So it's been really worth the effort of getting it up and running." Repi Begum is one of the mothers attending the women-only free classes."I think this has been a phenomenal idea," she said. Ms Begum continued: "The timing's perfect because you drop your children off and straight away you're able to swim for half an hour."We've got people from all backgrounds and it just allows them to be themselves. "Body shaming is unfortunately part of society and even without the body shaming, I think women feel uncomfortable about their bodies, especially after having children." Bryony Bardwell, principal of Drove Primary School, said: "This is 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."
