Introduction
Notice is given that the Governing Body of Etwall Primary School proposes to close the school swimming pool with a view to re-purposing the building if funds allow.
Context
Etwall Primary School is a well-established and successful local authority school for children aged 4 to 11. We are proud to serve and be part of the local community. We are especially grateful for the community’s support in raising funds to improve the school’s swimming pool between 2002 and 2006. We fully recognise the significance of this contribution to our school’s site and history, and we are committed to ensuring that the building continues to benefit the same community, in appreciation of their efforts and generosity.
Unfortunately, the cost of operating the swimming pool has become unsustainable, with annual expenses averaging around £45,000. The school is no longer in a position to cover these costs. In addition, the existing plant requires significant repairs, and we’ve been advised that a new boiler cannot be installed within the current plant room. Instead, a new plant room would need to be built outside the main building, with adaptations to the system and further repairs and replacements. Derbyshire Local Authority has estimated the cost of this work to be in excess of £100,000.
Alongside these capital costs, the ongoing running costs of the pool can no longer be supported by the school budget. As a result, we have explored alternative arrangements for swimming lessons. Etwall Leisure Centre opened in 2009 and is just a five-minute walk from the school. Weekly swimming lessons for Years 3 and 4, following our current model, would cost approximately £16,000 per year at the leisure centre which is considerably less than the running costs of our own pool.
We have held discussions with an interested party regarding the possibility of the pool being operated by the community. However, the high cost of repairs, the limited number of users it can accommodate, and restricted access during the extended school day mean that this is not a viable option.
Proposal
The school is proposing to close down the swimming pool with immediate effect. The pool is not currently in use as the existing system has been condemned and repairs are unaffordable.
The local leisure centre is able to offer us weekly sessions at a more affordable price, so we propose to move our swimming lessons to the local full-size swimming pool. Sessions will be limited this academic year but do still allow us to fulfil the KS2 curriculum swimming requirements and additional sessions will be available next academic year.
After discussions with the local authority, we have been informed that we are eligible to apply for government funding to turn the swimming pool building into a childcare provision for 3 and 4 year olds.
This proposal would seek to extend the provision to include both Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2 children (from the age of 3 instead of 4) by adapting the building and opening a governor-run nursery. This means that, if the proposal is implemented, the school will be able to offer families a seamless and comprehensive education programme for children from the age of 3 years with wraparound care from 7:30am until 5:30 or 6pm.
The school anticipates that, working with the existing premises and staff, the school would be able to offer the full government entitlement of 30 hours of free early years education and the option of allowing additional fee-paid hours to suit individual family circumstances and preferences, including before and after-school care in line with our current provision, supporting both working families and disadvantaged children.
If the proposal is implemented, it is anticipated that the school will be able to accommodate at least 26 three to four year olds in addition to the 45 four to five year olds that we currently teach in EYFS. The number will fluctuate yearly in-line with places taken for school age children within the setting.
Staff
If the proposal is implemented, the school will utilise our existing foundation stage lead, and recruit additional highly qualified additional Teaching and Learning Support Assistants. The school will ensure that the correct ratios of 1:13 are always implemented and that all statutory guidance is adhered to.
Closing the swimming pool will make some posts in our school staffing structure redundant and those staff have been informed of this. We are working with those staff affected and will follow the formal process in due course.
Funding
Our next steps are to progress with the application for government funding whilst also consulting with School Finance to model the anticipated funding and build it into our budget monitoring spreadsheet.
Consultation
We are fully aware of other childcare providers in the area and the local authority will only allow us to proceed if there is sufficient additional demand for childcare without being at detriment to other businesses.
The local authority is carrying out a childcare sufficiency survey on our behalf in order to assess the demand. Should the interest be high and the proposal progresses, a meeting will be arranged with all interested parties to further explain the proposal and respond to questions. A further consultation may be required at this stage.
The consultation on this proposal will run from Friday 26th September 2025 until 9am Monday 13th October 2025.
This consultation document will be available on request from the Clerk to the Governing Body at the address below, and is available on the school’s website and on Class Dojo. Any comments, observations or objections should be recorded on the Google form.