Leisure - School Swimming
All schools and academies
Swimming is the only sport to be included within the national curriculum physical education programme of study, below are the 3 key outcomes primary pupils are expected to achieve by year 6.
- Perform safe self-rescue in different water based situations
- Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
- Use a range of strokes effectively, for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke.
School swimming service
- School swimming is delivered in-line with government and swim England guidance
- All schools booking school swimming are offered a pre-site visit for representatives to understand all processes relating to school swimming with the assistant manager for swimming.
Derby City Council work in partnership with Swim England to ensure that every child has the opportunity to participate in high quality school swimming provision.
School swimming will be delivered by appropriately qualified staff in a safe environment with suitable links to community programmes.
The school swimming service provides:
- Two swimming teachers qualified to level two standards
- Qualified lifeguards
- Arrangements made for meeting the requirements of pupils with additional needs
- Pool and equipment hire
- All staff are Disclosure and Barring Service checked.
Swim England recommends schools allocate a minimum of 25 hours of curriculum swimming per child. As such it is advised that where possible schools commit to swimming for the whole year in order to ensure continuity and progression for all learners.
The Swim England School Swimming Charter
The Swim England school swimming syllabus is based on the Swim England learn to swim framework and provides a learn to swim and water safety programme dedicated to primary schools.
Once your school has signed up for school swimming you can then sign up to the Swim England school swimming charter. This will allow Swim England to create a working relationship with your school to ensure you have the necessary support and training required to deliver a quality and effective school swimming programme.
Benefits of signing up to the school swimming charter
Once your school has signed up to the Swim England school swimming charter you will receive your own resource pack which includes:
- National curriculum resource pack and storage bag
- Poolside tracking aids
- Full range of awards.
As well as resources surrounding delivery of aquatics in the national curriculum you can also expect from us:
- Qualified level two swimming teachers who are trained in the curriculum requirements
- An appropriate number of qualified lifeguards
- All staff are disclosure and barring service checked
- Arrangements made for meeting the requirements of pupils with special needs
- Pool and equipment hire.
Swimming groups and numbers
Derby City Council can accommodate up to 48 pupils at one session, schools need to consider the following when making their decision about group sizes.
The swim England ratio guidance:
| Group | Maximum | Best delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Beginners and under 7s | 12:1 | 8:1 |
| Improvers | 20:1 | 12:1 |
| Competent | 20:1 | 15:1 |
- The gala pool will be used as the primary swimming area for all schools
- Teaching groups of beginners consist of no more than 12 pupils per swimming instructor; therefore, if schools send more than 24 beginners, the school must provide additional staff who can teach swimming in order to cater for all of the children
- Teaching groups of improvers or above consist of no more than 20 pupils per swimming instructor, therefore if the school sends more than 32 children (12 beginners and 20 improvers) then the school must provide additional staff who can teach swimming in order to cater for all of the children - a school teacher is appropriately qualified to teach swimming with assistance from our instructors
- Please visit the Swim England website for further information on training for teachers, TAs and spotters.
Swimming lesson information
The venue for school swimming is Queens Leisure Centre.
A swimming session lasts for 30 minutes and schools/academies are bookable from September to July in line with the academic year.
Additional sessions can be purchased on the same basis, eg schools can buy two sessions back to back on an additional order form.
Available swimming dates for academic year 2022-23:
| Term | Swim Term Start | Swim Term End | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Monday 5 September | Friday 21 October | 7 |
| Monday 31 October | Friday 16 December | 7 | |
| Spring | Monday 16 January | Friday 17 February | 5 |
| Monday 27 February | Friday 31 March | 5 | |
| Summer | Monday 17 April | Friday 26 May | 6 |
| Monday 5 June | Monday 17 July | 6 | |
| Total weeks | N/A | N/A | 30 |
Transport
Transport is to be arranged by each school themselves. Queens leisure centre cannot provide transport to and from site.
Costs
School swimming service costs
Price is based on one 30 minute session in our pool, which includes two swimming instructors for 36 weeks of the school year as well as facility, staffing, tuition and equipment.
Prices displayed are subject to change on cabinet approval and will be updated in January 2022. Prices given can be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
| Band | No of KS2 pupils | Annual price |
|---|---|---|
| A | 175 or less | £3760 |
| B | 176 or more | £3990 |
Booking procedure
TO BOOK: Please fully complete the School swimming booking form 2022-23 and return it to sold services soldservices@derby.gov.uk.
Please note: our school swimming sessions are very popular and most schools re-book the same slot each year. As such there is little opportunity to change your session time, however our bookings team will try their best to accommodate your request wherever possible.
All booking forms must be returned by 31 May 2022 for lessons starting academic year September 2022.
Please note
The Council is currently consulting on the proposal to cease the leisure operation at Queen’s Leisure Centre when Moorways Sports Village opens in spring 2022.
As the decision on the proposal will not be made until later in the year, please ensure you complete the application form and return it to us.
We will let you know the decision on Queen’s Leisure Centre. We will also let you know what you need to do to book your lessons at Moorways Village.
If you have any questions, please email Stuart Tate.
Cancellations
Please notify the swimming service of any cancellations.
Only cancellations made by the swimming service will be refunded or rescheduled.
Contacts
Swimming Service
Stuart Tate, Queens Leisure Centre
Tel: 01332 641444
Email: stuart.tate@derby.gov.uk
How to order
Now you have selected the services you require, please visit the How to order services section to find out how you can place your order.