School pools to close for most of the year

SCHOOL swimming pools will close for the majority of the year in order to save £100,000, Education has announced.

But the department has assured parents that opening most of its 16 pools for just 12 weeks, out of a school year of 38 weeks, will not interfere with its goal for children to leave with a minimum level of competence: being able to swim 25 metres unaided.

'Learning to swim is an important skill which we aim to teach all primary school pupils. This is especially true living on an island,' said director of education Alan Brown.

'The reality is that many schools only use their swimming pools for a small amount of time during the school year, but the cost of maintaining and operating our pools costs the department almost £500,000 annually.

'We have worked with schools to identify how best to achieve a reduction in costs without undermining the department's policy that all children should have an opportunity to be taught swimming at primary school.'