Lack of Falmouth swimming lessons will 'end in something tragic'
Children unable to swim confidently because schools in part of Cornwall have difficulty providing swimming lessons could be at risk on the beach this summer, a headteacher has warned. Falmouth has been left without a public pool since 2022 when the one at the former Ships & Castles Leisure Centre did not reopen after the temporary closure of the site.Headteacher Abi Squibb warned the fact some children would not be "confident enough to go into the water" at the beach was "going to end in an accident - something tragic."Cornwall Council said it would work with others to support a new pool - while the government insisted it was committed to supporting the leisure sector.
At the town's Marlborough Primary School, only Year Six children currently learn to swim - with lessons having been held as far away as Truro.The school said the number of children leaving primary school after Year Six who can swim 25m (82ft) unaided had dropped from 97% to 85% since the loss of the pool at Ships & Castles.Ms Squibb explained it was an issue for schools s to find nearby pools for lessons and there were increased costs of putting on transport to facilities further away."Swimming in schools has always been a really straightforward thing. Now the logistics of it all is a nightmare," she said.She was concerned about the lack of teaching-time for pupils: "Our children use the beach as their playground after school and at the weekends. "The fact so many of them won't be confident enough to go into the water is really unsafe."It's going to end in an accident - something tragic - because we're going to have teenagers at the beach who can't swim," she warned.
Leisure facilities are a discretionary spend for local authorities - which have to prioritise funding for statutory duties including adult social care and children's services. A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: "Although Cornwall Council is not currently funding a new facility, we continue to work with Falmouth Town Council and Pendennis Leisure, and we remain committed to supporting community-led projects that match our wider leisure strategy."
Pendennis Leisure has since reopened Ships & Castles as a community centre and is trying to source about £20m to build a new pool there. Gemma Adams, from the charity, said it would be applying for government grants to create a more energy-efficient replacement."We're hopeful there's going to be some money coming for community and leisure facilities such as this - along with some private funding that we're seeking."Essentially, people can't learn a life skill and as a society we are failing our children when we're not providing that," she added.
Speaking in a debate at Westminster about the threats facing swimming pools, Falmouth Labour MP Jayne Kirkham said figures showing the decline in children unable to swim in the town since the pool's closure was "not coincidental."She backed calls for a new pool, adding: "Collaboration with the private sector will be essential, but we also need help from the government."In response, Sport Minister Stephanie Peacock said: "The government are taking immediate action to begin addressing those challenges by ensuring that funding in the latest local government finance settlement goes to the places that need it most."
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