Children now learning to swim thanks to pop-up swimming pools in their playground

Children now learning to swim thanks to pop-up swimming pools in their playground EXCLUSIVE: Swim:ED brings portable pools to primary schools to break down the barriers that stop kids learning to swim - and teaches vital water safety skills Splashing and screeching with joy, a group of 10-year-olds practice falling into a pool from a ladder. The youngsters then lie on their backs in a starfish position to learn the vital life-saving skill ‘Float to Live’. But this isn’t a leisure centre – we’re inside a pop-up pool facility on a school playground in Ramsgate, Kent. It’s part of an initiative called Swim:ED – a project that brings portable pools to primary schools in some of the UK's most deprived areas. In most of the spots targeted, three quarters of children are unable to swim, and up to 51% leave primary school without basic water safety skills. Many families can’t afford lessons, and a huge number of local leisure centres have shuttered, so schools can’t access them either. By bringing pools to the playground, the initiative removes this barrier and ensures no child is left out. At Newington Community Primary in Ramsgate, children in years four, five and six are being put through an intensive two-week programme. Their PE teacher, Ryan Moore, said: “Paying for swimming lessons is seen as a luxury in this area [Ramsgate] – it’s something very few have access to and is a huge barrier, whether that’s due to low family income or local pool closures. "Some children have never been swimming. Having Swim:ED here [at the school] is excellent as it’s something many of the children would not be able to access otherwise.” Most year groups are split into three classes of 10 depending on swimming ability, and classes last 45 minutes. The lessons focus on a specific technique and also incorporate water safety skills like calling for help and huddling with others to share body heat in an emergency. The programme is already making waves – with 2,200 completing it last year and half finishing able to demonstrate vital safety skills. Year 3 pupil Chicago Crawford, 7, has just completed the course. She said: “We learned that if you fall into the water and can’t see the bottom, you should just lie on your back until help comes. My favourite part of the classes was the games - the teacher would hide a fish float and we had to find it.” Fellow pupil Kobie Tange, 8, said: “I learned that when you go in the water and it’s cold, if you stay in for a couple of seconds you will get warmer again.” His pal Joie Wood, 8, added: “When it’s cold you should float on your back until you feel used to the water. I enjoyed falling off the ladder because it’s fun.” Year 6 pupil Nevaeh Moore, 10, starts the lessons next week. She said: "I can't swim yet, but learning to kick using a float I think will help a lot. I'm excited about learning to do the star fish so I'll know how to be safe if I fall into the water." The scheme is funded by schools and costs around £15,000 for two six-week terms. Andrew Johnston, Operations Manager at Swim:ED, said: “While in the past schools had to fund transport to bus youngsters to the local pool, now children can walk to the pool seconds from the classroom. It also means they’re out of lessons for just 40 minutes, whereas travel to a local pool could take up a whole morning. There is a huge barrier to children accessing swimming pools, and Swim:ED removes that barrier.” The UK recorded 202 accidental water-related deaths in 2025, with a surge of at least 35 deaths in England early this summer following five successive heatwaves. The Mirror launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign to tackle the UK's growing drowning crisis. Backed by MPs, Olympic champions, national water safety organisations and bereaved families, the campaign is calling for urgent action to make our waters safer.