We commend Swim England, Swim Wales, and the STA for publishing this vital guidance on upholding the highest safety, hygiene, and quality standards in temporary ‘pop-up’ swimming pools. This milestone raises the bar across the sector and ensures that all temporary pop-up pool operators meet the highest safety, water quality, and operational excellence standards.
Temporary pools play a crucial role in expanding access to aquatic education, particularly for schools and communities facing barriers to traditional swimming lessons. This guidance is a significant step toward protecting and empowering children with access to safe and effective swimming education.
Swim:ED ensures safe, high-quality aquatic experiences while reducing barriers that schools face with traditional swimming and water safety education. Our programme stands out through rigorous safety protocols, effective planning, and quality instruction, resulting in zero incidents. The demand for Swim:ED is unprecedented, with over 200 schools on our waiting list. This reflects a growing nationwide need for accessible swimming education that meets the highest standards.
We are happy to say that Swim:ED is a sector-leading programme that aligns with the vast majority of this guidance and exceeds expectations in other areas. We remain committed to setting the benchmark for safe, accessible, high-quality swim teaching and water safety. Through rigorous safety measures and collaboration with key stakeholders, schools, and industry experts, we’ve developed a good practice model that reflects the principles outlined in this briefing note.
Bringing pools to schools—when done safely and to the highest standards—can transform access to life-saving swimming and water safety skills, benefiting thousands of children nationwide. Swim:ED will continue working tirelessly to innovate, enhance standards, strengthen safety measures, and deliver outstanding aquatic education to communities that face barriers to accessing preexisting water space and learn to swim lessons.
As we celebrate the release of this new guidance, we’re also proud to share our impact report for the 2023/24 academic year, highlighting the difference our approach is making in schools nationwide. This year alone:
- 7,589 children accessed high-quality, accessible swim education
- 83.2% of participants made measurable progress in at least one critical swimming skill, like swimming unaided or performing self-rescue
These achievements underscore the transformative impact Swim:ED is making in schools, providing accessible solutions for communities with limited access to traditional swim spaces.
As demand for temporary pop-up pools grows, we remain committed to expanding access to high- quality, life-saving swimming and water safety education while meeting the published guidelines. By bringing swimming pools directly to schools, Swim:ED is transforming school challenges into opportunities, making swimming safer, more accessible, and more impactful than ever before.
Click here to explore the full report and learn how Swim:ED delivers safe and impactful swimming education.
