Aibu to think this is not really a public pool

[pleasemothermay1]

In my area we have about 4 pools only 2 have baby pools tried to go swimming today told its booked up with schools everyday until 2 there would then be no point in going as I have to do school run

I asked about the other pool there booked up from 10 to 3 wtf I couldn't even go in the big pool as it had lane swimming and the othe location had swim a robics

Not very public really if no one but clubs and schools who have booked a year in advance get to use the pool

My pool timetable looks very similar. I tend to go lane swimming 9-10pm. It's a faff being so late but it works for me.

But I guess that's the point ...... It's not actually "my" pool, it is there to serve all sections of the community, so I can't really expect the facilities to be timetabled around my whims.

In the same vein my council tax pays for schools and I don't have children, so should I write to my council and ask for a reduction?

I also don't use NHS dentists, libraries, have never claimed any benefits, etc but still have to pay for them

Learning to swim and being able to do X distance (I think it is 10m) is part of the national curriculum.

I used to accompany the school swim run, 180 children divided over 3 sessions. They get 30 mins each.

They use a "baby pool" which just means a separate pool which is one depth all the way across because some children have never even been swimming. The main pool is divided into lanes, deep to shallow end for those who can swim. The baby pool is used for water confidence and because they can only have so many children in the main lane pool at once.

Re letting other people in, there is a safeguarding issue. This isn't the library, these children get naked. We even have to make sure there is no one in the toilets before we allow a child in.

They use the main communal changing rooms which are rooms and they also use cubicles depending on their year group. We have to have a male teacher who can enter the boys changing room if needed.

So, it is a huge money earner for the leisure centre. Year in year out, my son's school swims there.

I also faced the same issue wanting to swim when it was convenient for me and not when the pool dictated so I joined a private gym. As we go swimming as a family every week it worked out cheaper to do this than pay for swimming at the local leisure centre.

For what it is worth, both my local pool and the private gym have a baby session.

My local pool is dreadful for this. Nearly impossible to get in there in the evening as it's almost entirely devoted to club use. During the day - schools. The next town up the road is easier to get into - probably because it's open longer.

So over 50's not allowed to swim??? Because you want to go paddling with your sprog. Tough titty

Our pool has school swimming in half the pool and learner pool every day BUT the other half is open to the public for general swim at the same time. Have you checked lunchtimes? Schools unlikely to be swimming between 12 and 1, usually, unless they are packing them in.

Doesn't "with lanes" just mean there are some lanes sectioned off, not that the whole pool is split into lanes. That's what it always used to be like where I went.

MrsMook I live in your city! It was ludicrous to leave us with no swimming, and even now the pool (just one pool for a big city, when 12 months ago we had 3!) that is open is generally half full with lessons or club swimmers. Not that I begrudge them a swim, bring it on, I am all for it; just if they fixed the roof, lessons and clubs could be in there eh?!

While the city pool was closed I slept with the enemy and swam at the pool in a nearby town - half the price for a monthly pass!

Rather obviously, the pool will have allocated the space depending on demand and finances.

I would agree that school swimming with 30 children being taught to swim should take priority over the possibility of a parent to ending up to splash about with their baby.

Pools are extremely expensive to run. I run a swim school, the 25m x pool I hire, costs £80k per year just to keep it maintained. A few mothers and babies aren't going to cover that.

When your baby is in y3, how will you feel when the letter comes home saying 'school swimming is cancelled this year, as the council have decided to run public mother and baby sessions instead.'

When your baby is in y3, how will you feel when the letter comes home saying 'school swimming is cancelled this year, as the council have decided to run public mother and baby sessions instead

DD's school only offers limited swimming places to non or poor swimmers in Y6.

I remember this from when my DD was small. The baby pool was never open to the public!

Where I live, if you want to do mother and baby sessions, the waiting list is a year long. I never knew that it was something you had to book when pregnant!

I resent paying £7 to swim in a crampt baby pool , jammed in between two sets of classes. Lottery money is needed to help subsidise swimming if people are to get sporty and fit, post Olympics.

It's a pain but can you not see the pools have to pay their way and that means wall to wall school lessons and lane swimming that will pack the adults in.

It's simply not profitable for them to have much time available where the pools is tranquil and almost empty for you and your DC.

It's a pain but I agree you'll have to pay gym membership for this

The only time I can take a small child swimming in the learner pool is between 9.30 - 11 on a Friday morning or on a Saturday afternoon when I have to queue and may not make it in (1 in/1 out system and you can't ring ahead or book online).

As an adult I can swim lanes only 6-8am, 12-1 (weekdays only) or 9-10.30 on Mondays and Wednesday only. The whole pool is a free for all on Saturday and Sunday afternoon 1-4pm, but with queueing (1 in/1 out). The wait for learner pool is much longer than the main pool. The rest of the time the pool is booked with schools, clubs and group lessons.

School swimming is so booked up that at DCs primary school, swimming lessons are a compulsory after school club (back to school at 5pm) as they can't get a slot within the school day. Private group lessons have a massive waiting list and involve ringing up and queueing by telephone from 7am and hoping there is space in the stage you want at ANY time or day.

The only other swimming pool within 45 minutes drive is a volunteer-run outdoor pool for three months a year which is not reliably open due to weather and staffing. We are not in a remote rural area! No private gym here with a pool. There is an inland beach 20 mins away with seasonal lake swimming but dog mess everywhere.

Before we moved here I swam every day, now I manage maybe once a week. There is clearly demand.

Soup - national curriculum for swimming is that all pupils should be able to swim 25m front and back by the end of ks2. I'm not sure how the funding works but I guess waiting till y6 and then only taking non swimmers is the cheapest way to do it. In our area, they all go for a year in y3, then if there's any still not swimming in y4, they go again.

Round here you can hire private pools ( so in someones house) for an hour. Is it worth seeing if that is an option? Yes more expensive but if you group together with friends it might work?

Our local pool is actually three pools: lane swimming, training pool and leisure (flumes, rapids, shallow areas, splashy things). So there are toddler sessions every week day from 10-12 in the leisure pool and lane swimming and lessons in the other two. I go lane swimming every Tuesday, I could go every day if I wanted in the early morning or around lunchtime. There are issues but the pool seems good at meeting them - for example they booked school lessons at the same time as one of two women only hour-long lane sessions, meaning there were fewer lanes for what is a very popular women-only session and it was very crowded, but after a lot of women got cross, that didn't happen again.

How different it is in different areas! I knew I loved my local pool.

Could you go in with baby during the "09:30 - 15:15Leisure Swim with Lanes (32m)" sess?

Our most packed sessions are the family fun ones (includes a shallow pool). 3-4 hrs each day on weekends only in termtime, plus 3-4 hours week days in school holidays. We live in a low birthrate/mostly old people county, btw.

The women-only sessions are brand new at ours, just 2 hrs/wk.

Lane swim sessions are mostly busy too, we've scrounged around to find the quietest lane sessions (late weekend afternoons).

my local council is generally piss-poor
HOWEVER about the only thing it gets right is that you can pretty much always get in the pool for a swim.

Even during school lessons, afterschool lessons and club sessions they section off the pool so that a minimum of 1/3 of it (generally 2/3rds) is available to the public. This applies to both the teaching pool and the main pool.

For example, when DC1's class went for lessons last term, they had the 10 non swimmers using half of the teaching pool, and the rest of the kids in 3 lanes of the main pool.

My council tax is paying for somthing I can't really get any use from
oh please!

I wanted to go swimming on my last mat leave and make use of the creche - sadly the creche is only open 9-12:30 and the swimming pools are shut during this time for schools!

Was trying to do some exercise I like for me, without taking out another evening but was not possible. Did speak to the leisure centre but they weren't interested. On our local FB page it is moaned about a lot!

Our local council/public pool is only open two evenings a week from 6 - 7 and Sundays for children swimming. The rest of the time it is schools and swimming lessons and after 7 adults only ( on the only 3 nights it's open at all to the public.) I pay for private gym membership and as I take my children twice a week it actually works out cheaper plus it has a spa for when I go on my own.

May be a bit far for you but there is a pool in east London called Britannia leisure centre... It's just off hoxton market... It's wonderful and just for children... They have waves too that they turn on every now and then... Highly recommend... Also lots of lovely cafes around for a little refreshment after... Even by the canal which is wonderful on a sunny day =].