'I wanted to jump in it'- Poulton St Chad's Primary School installs pop up swimming pool in playground
Pupils at a Fylde Coast primary school have been making quite the splash this term thanks to the installation of a new swimming pool!
A temporary swimming pool has been installed directly on the school playground at Poulton St Chad's Primary School and the headteacher says ithas transformed how children experience their swimming lessons.
Headteacher Nicole Bitsakaki said the two-week pop-up pool project has allowed pupils to complete their swimming curriculum in a more efficient and engaging way while creating a memorable experience for the whole school community.
She explained: “The pool’s here for two weeks, and the rationale behind it was that for a 30-minute swimming lesson we used to spend a whole morning or afternoon walking to and from the local swimming baths. That meant a lot of curriculum time was lost for just half an hour in the water.”
“They’re still getting 30-minute sessions but instead of spreading them over many weeks, they’re doing them intensively over two weeks, which we’re finding is really working. It gets them back into class quickly so other lessons aren’t affected.”
The novelty of having a swimming pool on the playground has added to the excitement. “For the first time ever we can smell chlorine and hear splashing when we’re standing on the school playground,” Ms Bitsakaki said. “That’s never happened before.”
According to the school, it is the first in the area to host such an initiative.
The pool has been supplied and staffed by Rossendale-based sports provider Pro Sport Coaching Ltd whose team includes swimming teacher Henry Reynard and lifeguard Morgan Gilmore.
Ms Bitsakaki said: “They’ve told us how much they’ve enjoyed working with us. They’ve said our children have been very well behaved and that our staff have been extremely well organised. They’d like to come back next year, and we’d love to have them back.”
The project aims to ensure pupils meet the national swimming target of independently swimming 25 metres by the end of primary school.
While the core programme is aimed at Years 4 and 5, the school has also provided extra sessions for Year 6 pupils, who completed their statutory swimming lessons last year.
“They can already swim, but we didn’t want them to miss out on the experience,” Mrs Bitsakaki said.
The initiative has also been designed to be inclusive, with sessions catering to swimmers of all abilities.
“We do have different categories of swimmers, but this gives every single child the opportunity to swim,” she explained. “We’re finding that it’s doing a lot for their self-esteem. The well-being and personal development side of it is really important to us.”
The scheme has involved cooperation from staff, volunteers, governors and parents.
“Our staff have worked together to plan it carefully,” the headteacher said. “Parents have been very supportive, and our governors have helped on a voluntary basis to get it up and running.”
Although the pool will only remain on site for two weeks, the school plans to gather feedback from parents through a survey and hopes the project could return in the future.
The project also fulfils a promise Nicole made years earlier to pupils. “When I first became headteacher five years ago, I met with the school council and asked what could improve the school,” she said. “One of the things they said was that they’d like a swimming pool.”
“I told them that if the children of St Chad’s wanted something and we could make it happen, then we would. So I’m really pleased that I’ve been able to deliver on that pledge.”
With the water heated to around 34 degrees, the attraction of the bright blue pool has proved tempting not only for pupils but for staff as well. “I wanted to jump in it when I saw it on Monday morning,” Mrs Bitsakaki joked. “If it comes back next year, we might have to find a way for staff to have a swim too—maybe a staff meeting in the pool!”
“For me as a headteacher, this sums up what we do well at St Chad’s,” she said. “Curriculum is always our priority, but we also want children to have fun and enjoy learning—and we’re happy to do that in innovative ways.”