Concerns over pop-up pool use for swimming lessons

Pop-up pools have become more popular due to tightening school budgets

An increase in above ground pop-up pools for school swimming lessons in West Yorkshire has led to concerns about safety, said councillors.

Tightened school budgets and the threat of regular swimming pools closing down means more schools in Bradford are turning to these temporary leisure facilities.

A Yorkshire sports charity said some of the issues around pop-up pools include supervision levels, safe storage of chemicals, water temperature and security.

West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin called the trend "worrying" and said it is an issue that needed investigating.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Culture, Heritage and Sports Committee last month.

Nigel Harrison, CEO of the Yorkshire Sport Foundation, said: “Schools have less money and there is less school time to send children for lessons."

He said the threat of public pool closure would also have a significant impact.

“Schools are increasingly attracted to pop-up pools. It sounds great, but there are issues around that," he said.

Mr Harrison also said Swim England, the Swimming Teachers’ Association and Swim Wales recently put out a statement saying they did not endorse the use of pop-up pools.

'Stringent measures'

A report to the authority, said pop-up pools were not big or deep enough to meet the national curriculum swimming standards and they do not have steps to safely jump in and climb out of.

“There are stringent health and safety measures in place regarding the operation of swimming pools relating to supervision levels, storage and use of chemicals, water temperature, security, etc," the report added.

Liberal Democrat councillor Jeanette Sunderland has urged Bradford Council to ban the use of above ground and temporary pools for use by the district’s schools for swimming lessons.

She said she had concerns over water hygiene as well as arguing that the heating of such pools raises environmental issues, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Ms Sunderland said: "I fear an ongoing review of leisure facilities in Bradford, likely to lead to pool closures, could see even more schools looking to pop-up pools for school swimming lessons."

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