Primary school making a splash in pop up swimming pool
Erdington Hall Primary school, part of Summit Learning Trust, has been provided with a temporary pop up swimming pool and changing rooms by Aspire Education Group with Swim:ED, for this half term of the new year. As part of the National Curriculum, schools must provide swimming lessons for children, to ensure they can swim confidently by the time they leave primary education.
Learners at Erdington Hall have all been able to immerse themselves in swimming this term, in a tented, heated pool, with separate changing facilities, right outside their school building. The school no longer has to organise coaches to leave school and they get to know a regular swimming teacher, who teaches small groups of learners over 2 weeks at a time.
The would-be swimmers have been embracing the challenge and are already sharing their positive experiences with the school - one learner from Year 4 who was initially nervous, is now confident about his lessons. Another said “the swimming teachers try to get the very best from us and have very high expectations of us. I am really enjoying learning to swim”.
Taking to their lessons like ducks to water, learners are taught in small groups of up to twelve swimmers, for a daily lesson over a 2 week period to build their confidence in the water.
Jenni Downes, Principal at Erdington Hall Primary school said: “We are delighted with our pop up swimming pool, and would like to thank Aspire and their staff very much. Having a warm, accessible pool at school has made such a difference to our swimming provision, and we are able to give 120 children in Years 4 to 6 these valuable sessions.
“It is such an important life skill for our learners to have and we are confident that more of our learners will be able to swim 25 metres and know some basic rescue skills when they leave primary school. Living in an area with miles of canals and open water, it is an essential skill for everyone to learn and I am delighted we can offer lessons at our school.”
The pop up pool will be at Erdington Hall for this half of term, funded as part of the PE provision for the school.
