Pools To Schools™ - A winner

Students at Red Hill Primary in Papakura are used to having to bus to the local public pool for their aquatic education but now they just have to walk across the playground.



WaterSafe Auckland is pleased to announce the arrival of Pools To Schools™ which has seen a fully compliant temporary pool installed at the school enabling the students to participate in learn to swim and water safety lessons on site.



“This has been an opportunity for the students to get some swimming and water safety skills and experience that they would not otherwise have got,” says Glenn Nicholson, Red Hill’s Principal.



Schools face many challenges when it comes to the delivery of aquatic education - cost of transport and entry to public pools, lack of pool space, maintenance costs and closures of school pools are all impacting on the delivery of water safety education and learn to swim in the Auckland region.



“WaterSafe Auckland initiated Pools To Schools™, a New Zealand first, as one solution to overcoming these challenges and giving kids the best possible opportunity to learn swimming and water safety skills,” says Sandy Harrop, WaterSafe Auckland’s CEO. “The student’s in-water lessons are supported by classroom learning and WaterSafe Auckland has provided staff training, along with a Literacy and Numeracy package linking aquatic education with these learning areas.”



Pools To Schools™ will be launched on Tuesday March 30, at Red Hill, a decile one school, with a largely Maori and Pacific roll.



Pools To Schools™ is just one of the forward-thinking initiatives that the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding allows WaterSafe Auckland to implement.