Swim England and Institute of Swimming reach new agreement with Places Leisure

Swim England and the Institute of Swimming have reached a new multi-year agreement with Places Leisure which will see them continue to support more than 115,000 children learning to swim across the country.

The new five-year partnership builds on the existing relationship the national governing body and Institute of Swimming have enjoyed with the social enterprise which runs more than 100 leisure centres nationwide.

The new partnership agreement will see the Institute of Swimming deliver an aquatic workforce development plan with the aim of further increasing the number of swimming teachers and ensuring they are all trained to the highest standards.

The partnership will also look to support Places Leisure’s existing teachers, continuing to drive standards whilst also providing support to all their staff involved in delivering their aquatic provision, including swimming coordinators and managers.

The provision of school swimming will be another key element of the extended partnership agreement, with a commitment to work together to ensure children have access to the best provision to learn important water safety skills.

Shared vision

Rebecca Cox, managing director of the Institute for Swimming, said: “We already have a long-standing relationship with Places Leisure, and we are delighted to have extended our partnership for at least another five years.

“With Swim England research showing that more and more children and young people are missing out on the opportunity to have swimming lessons due to a lack of teachers, there has never been more urgency to develop highly skilled teachers.

“Places Leisure share our vision of addressing that imbalance and we are looking forward to helping them develop a new generation of swim teachers through our Recruitment Academy and working with them to increase the provision of school swimming opportunities.”

Mark Haslam, head of swimming and sports at Places Leisure, said: “The development of our learn to swim team is the most important part in supporting children and adults within our communities to learn this vital life skill, which they can take into the rest of their lives, whether swimming to be active, for competition, or participating in other water-based activities.

“With our experienced and dedicated workforce, we are best placed to work with Swim England and the Institute of Swimming so all children and adults across our communities have the opportunities they deserve.”