More than 2,000 children have benefitted from a ground-breaking aquatics model by Oldham Active, which is successfully boosting childhood water safety and driving physical activity across the region.
Launched four years ago, the leisure trust’s ongoing programme provides 12 months of free swimming to children participating in its National Curriculum school swimming lessons. The initiative effectively bridges the gap between school education and fun practice, ensuring vital water confidence extends well beyond the lessons and a families’ financial circumstances.
Swimming and water safety are a mandatory part of the National Curriculum physical education programme in England. By the end of primary school all children are expected to be able to confidently swim at least 25 metres, using a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
Children participating school sessions tend to be in years three to five. The lesson programme usually runs for six months.
Steve Ferriss, Sport Development Officer at Oldham Active, the charitable leisure trust operating facilities across the Oldham borough, said: “Learning to swim is a vital, life-saving skill that every child deserves, but we know private lessons are financially out of reach for many families.
“Looking at the wider leisure trust ecosystem, we realised we had an opportunity to do something different. National Curriculum school swim blocks often aren’t enough for children to become fully water-confident. While other operators offer free pool time to children paying for private lessons, we believe we are the only provider offering free access to those participating in school swimming.”
Oldham Active currently partners with approximately 50 schools across the region to deliver these high-quality, structured swimming lessons, which are led by their expert swimming teachers.
The school swimming programme and subsequent free access passes are valid across all of Oldham Active’s sites, including Oldham Leisure Centre, Saddleworth Leisure Centre, Chadderton Wellbeing Centre, Failsworth Sports Centre, and Royton Leisure Centre.
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