Aquatic development with Calderdale Council: A conversation with Pam Bentley

In an ongoing effort to enhance swimming programmes across the Calderdale Council sites, James from Swim England sat down with Pam Bentley, Swim Development Manager for Calderdale Council, to discuss the progress made over the past few years and the future of swimming in the area. They touch on everything from increased participation in swimming lessons to new ways of optimising pool space. 

Q: What has the project been focused on so far? 

Pam: “We started with a full aquatic review about 12 to 18 months ago, focusing on things like out-of-school swimming lessons at our three sites, as well as addressing latent demand. We’ve really worked hard to get more children through our doors.” 

Pam highlighted some impressive numbers: “At Brighouse, we’ve increased from just under 700 to about 900 children in the programme since we started the review, and it’s still growing. At Todmorden, we’ve gone from 395 to over 500. Sowerby Bridge hasn’t seen a big impact yet, but that’s mainly due to space constraints, so we’re now focusing on different pool layouts to help optimise the space.” 

Q: It sounds like there’s been a lot of growth. Have there been other notable areas of expansion? 

Pam: “Absolutely. We haven’t just focused on children’s swimming lessons. We’ve expanded into adult lessons, one-to-one sessions, and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) swimming lessons. We’re also working towards achieving Water Wellbeing Accreditation across all three of our sites.” 

Q: Any specific improvements that stand out to you? 

Pam: “One of the key changes was transitioning from our local Calderdale swimming awards to Swim England’s complementary awards, which allow children to achieve a minimum of three awards per year. That doesn’t necessarily mean jumping from Stage 1 to Stage 3; they could earn Stage 1, a complementary award, and a Puffin award all in one year, for example. It’s something the teachers have really embraced, and we’ve seen a lot of success with it.” 

Q: How are things progressing with your school swimming programme? 

Pam: “We’ve been driving the school swimming programme, looking at ways to get more schools involved by improving pool layouts and offering more flexibility. We’re also trying to get schools to sign up to the School Swimming and Water Safety Charter.” 

Q: What role has Swim England played in supporting these initiatives? 

Pam: “The support from Swim England has been tremendous. We’ve held a lot of staff training sessions and even had early morning meetings, sometimes as early as 6:30 am! But it’s all been worth it. We’ve built a strong relationship with Swim England, and without James, and the whole team, none of this would have been possible.” 

Q: What’s next for the programme? 

Pam: “We’re not slowing down. Our next focus is on Todmorden’s lesson programme, and we’re working on creating standardised schemes of work and lesson plans. We’re really on a development journey, and there’s much more to come. Watch this space!” 

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