To ask if your child’s secondary school has a pool?

[Mickmick123]

My local private school has an indoor swimming pool. Other than that no local secondaries do. One nearby used to but it was shut down due to heating being unaffordable. Recently, I was visiting my sister who lives miles away and her DS15 is currently doing a swimming unit in PE as his (state) school has a pool. I would assume most primary’s would be too small to have one. Aibu to ask if 1) your child’s school has a pool and 2) do you think your dc benefit from their school having one

There must have been a certain period when it was fashionable (and affordable??) to build schools with pools going by this.

I can't find any evidence of the school that I thought I remembered having a pool (I seem to think it was on a map which we saw when we looked at it in ca. 1997, but there was never any pool when we attended which was from 1998-2003). But I have found that the school was built and opened in 1961 as part of a large local expansion of schools probably to deal with the baby boom.

60s and 70s perhaps - just having a look on google it seems like in these decades it was very fashionable and popular to build pools so perhaps they were routinely included with schools at this time.

This is said to be one of the major reasons that so many pools have closed down over the last 10 years, because the lifespan of a swimming pool is about 40 years before they need expensive maintenance. The cost being prohibitive, many have simply closed down.

No pool.
No swimming offered by the school.

I work in a state secobdary school in a deprived area, we have a pool. The nearby primaries come to use it too.

• secondary

Ds is in y7 at local state school. Has a pool. Se london. Swimming is part of the pe rotation. Quite a small pool, but still useful.

Yes large town in the North West, prominent C of E school, has a large pool

Our catchment secondary (state) has a pool. As do all the others nearby. Not aware of any primary schools that do but many of the secondary school pools are open for lessons at weekends - that’s where my kids go to learn. We are near the sea and there are also a lot of reservoirs and a river close by so I think it’s vital that kids learn to swim and continue to develop the skill beyond primary age.

No.

Only one school in our town had a pool and it will close next year.

There are about 6 state secondaries in my town and only one has a pool.

My state primary had a small outdoor pool, only really suitable for infants, in juniors we went to the local pool. I know of three other state primaries in the same large town that also had small training pools.

We also did swimming lessons for a term every year throughout primary, I assume this was because because we lived in a costal region and were therefore more likely to be around water? This was in the 90s, I have no idea if it's still the same.

I now live in a large city and can think of one state secondary with a pool.

And in answer to your second question, I definitely benefited from going to a school with a pool and from having lessons every year because I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn to swim otherwise.

My kids’ school has one but they don’t get to use it in PE lesson time and never had. They’re allowed to use it when it’s free as they’re 6th formers, but it seems to be mainly used by a SEND school and for private bookings.

None of the local schools have pools here and the local primary school had a temporary pop up pool erected in March! It wasn't a hit with the parents and a complete waste of resource.

the town I live in have a small public pool, it’s gorgeous. None of the local schools, primary or secondary schools have their own pool but all schools are within an easy walking distance of the pool so all schools have lessons where they walk to the pool and do swimming lessons.
my dc all learnt to swim during primary school.

My DD is starting secondary school in September that has an indoor pool. Outside of school hours the pool is used for swimming lessons, pool parties and public swimming

This is a bog standard, run of the mill state school

Nope.

My old primary school had and still has a pool. The primary school was built at the end of the Victorian era. The two buildings say on the door when they were built, and have boys and girls entrances. The indoor pool was built in the 70s and suitable for children up until about 8.

My secondary school was built in 1960s and has an indoor pool. The actual school buildings were rebuilt in 00s.

Both schools are in inner London. It is well known the money for building both pools was raised by the PTA.

I am aware that some of my secondary school facilities at the time I was at school were paid by the PTA but in reality probably a handful of wealthy parents. For example I met the few parents who sorted out our computer labs.

There was another state primary school in the area with a pool but the only other secondaries with pools are private ones.

None of the local schools have a pool, the private school has a small 15m pool.

All the private schools do, none of the state primaries
Or secondaries.

Both my infant and secondary schools had indoor pools when I attended in the 1970s and 80's.
I've just googled and both pools still up and running. This is in Norwich.

I should add the pools are used daily for PE and after school classes

My dc grammar school has one. They have a well regarded swimming team and waterpolo club. The kids can do swimming before and after (if in the clubs). They also do blocks of swimming each year. The school rents it out for lessons in the evening and weekends so probably makes quite a bit of money back.

I finished high school around 15 years ago, while I was there (a very poor area) we did have a swimming pool.
It was closed permanently after I left school and since has been torn down. My younger siblings now attend the school and it seems a lot of the budget has went towards STEM subjects and the technology that comes with that.
Running a heated pool on a school budget must be almost impossible these days.