Teachers warn pupils will lose out in leisure centre closure

9:11am Wednesday 29th November 2006

By Lyndsay Scanlan

IT will be school pupils who suffer if North Wiltshire District Council closes down two key sports centres, say headteachers.

They have reacted angrily to the news that they might have to cut swimming lessons and other sport activities from their timetables if the closure of the centres in Cricklade and Wootton Bassett go ahead.

As previously reported, the decision to close the leisure centres at Cricklade and Wootton Bassett - as well as one in Calne - was made by the district council last week. They are run by an independent company, North Wilts Leisure (NWL), although the council owns the buildings.

There have been concerns about the financial and operational management of the centres, which include swimming pools, gyms, tennis and squash courts, dance halls, and other fitness facilities.

Andrew Henstridge, head of Cricklade's St Sampson's Junior School, said:"We take all four year groups to the Cricklade centre, that's 231 children.

"By the end of Key Stage Two all children have to be able to swim 23 metres and we are able to walk along to the swimming pool to achieve this goal with our pupils.

"But alongside this we believe that swimming is a life long skill so we like to enrich their swimming experience.

"Because by law children have to reach the 25 metres we would have to take them to Swindon or Cirencester, but pools in both towns are very booked up so it could mean travelling as far as Malmesbury.

"This would cause problems because for one we would spend half the day travelling and secondly it would be expensive and the school would have to try to find the transport costs."

He added: "I think every community needs a leisure centre but from a school's point of view it's vital the pool remains open in the town."

Clive Westall, head at St Francis C of E Primary, in Taw Hill, said: "We are very concerned. We are a new school we couldn't get any swimming slots in Swindon, which is why we've had to go out to Cricklade.

"If the centre shut I really don't know what we would be able to do but I fear that we wouldn't be able to take our children swimming."

Len Spiers, headteacher at Bradon Forest School in Purton, said: "We don't have a sports hall at our school so some of our pupils have to travel to the Cricklade centre, particularly our GCSE PE students because we can't offer all sports here such as badminton."

He added: "I would have thought it would one of the council's priorities to provide a leisure centre, especially in a rural community."