Pools 4 Schools

Pools 4 Schools is Total Swimming's innovative and groundbreaking signature programme that takes mobile swimming pools to schools across England. The concept was first trialed in 2007, and since then has been rolled out at numerous locations in every region of England.

The aim of Pools 4 Schools is to address the shocking statistic that 1 in 5 children leave primary school unable to swim. This may be for a number of reasons, such as local pool closures; lack of facilities; or prohibitive costs of transport and leisure centre hire. By constructing temporary pools in school buildings (e.g. gyms, sports halls), we are able to bring swimming right where it is needed and tackle this problem head on. After school hours the pools are used for activities at the wider community so that as many people as possible in the local area can benefit from it.

Working in partnership the the ASA, the National Governing Body for swimming, it is a highly credible and effective solution for getting more people, especially in disadvantaged areas, into a pool and enjoying the nation's most popular participation sport.

To learn more about programme had how it works, have a look at the video below:

Brtish Gas Pools 4 Schools

Working in partnership with the principal sponsor of British Swimming, since 2009 Total Swimming has delivered the British Gas Pools 4 Schools programme. In this time the pool has visited locations in  Ashington, Birmingham, Bristol, Colchester, Coventry, Gosport, Luton, Plymouth, Preston, Redcar, St. Helens and Salford.

One partcular highlight was teaching our 10,000th child to swim just over a year after the programme began. This was commemorated with a special event delivered by British swimming legend Mark Foster, which was captured in the video below:

British Gas Pool 4 Schools 2011 - 2012

For 2011 - 2012, the programme continues, with each slot lasting for 12 weeks.

Most of the slots are already confirmed, but there are still some opportunities available for getting a pool into your school.

The Pool

Our pool is a steel tank which measures 12 metres by 6 metres and is 1 metre deep. This is the optimum size for teaching a primary school class to swim. Total Swimming experts deliver all health and safety provisions, maintenance and we even have a 24hr emergency line to provide complete peace of mind for the hosts. All you need to do is provide us with a suitable site and we’ll do the rest!

The Programme

The aim of the programme is to teach as many primary school children as possible in each area we visit to swim, as well as reaching out to the wider community by making the pool available for other sessions out of school hours. Each pool is typically in situ for 12 weeks. To ensure high quality tuition, lessons are delivered using three ASA Level 2 qualified teachers per class. Sessions typically provided include adult learn to swim; aqua fitness classes; multi aquatics; lifeguard training.

For each project, we also host a celebration event at the pool, with one of our champion swimming ambassadors delivering a special assembly and session in the pool with a group of school children.

British Gas Pools 4 Schools is delivered in 7 of the 8 ASA regions across England – the exception being London, where our Make a Splash programme operates instead.

We would like the legacy of all our programmes to be a lifetime of enjoyment in swimming, in particular learning a vital skill that can save lives. Our pools have been used to introduce whole communities to swimming, ensuring people of all ages get active and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

One area that has particularly benefitted from our mobile pool is Aston, Birmingham, where King Edward Playing Fields has hosted the programme on multiple occasions. The video below celebrates the project we did with King Edward VI Aston in 2010 - 2011.

In December 2011, British Gas Pools 4 Schools at King Edward VI Aston hosted the unique Flip Flop Flip online competition. Olympic legend Duncan Goodhew attended this event, which involved filling our pool with 1,000 flip flops. See what happened in the video below!

Would you like a pool in your school?

Total Swimming is always looking for partners to deliver this exciting programme.

If you are a Head Teacher, School Games Organiser, PE teacher or from a local authority interested in hosting the programme, please enter your details into the drop down form at the top of the page and get in touch!

We will send you an information pack with more details, including the costs involved.