Child Admissions Policy

Swimming Pools

The following policy covers all Council run Swimming Pools;

• Kingsley Sports Centre
• Hewell Road Swimming Pool

Policy Statement

The following policy is in line with the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) revised admission policy for children using swimming pools.

The purpose of the policy is to help safeguard children who historically are most at risk of drowning in swimming pools.

It is not intended to prevent children from having fun and enjoying the exercise and social aspects of swimming and its benefits in health terms. Nor is it intended to make life difficult for parents/carer’s. By following the guidelines herein we believe that, with the help of parents/carer’s we can provide the opportunities for children to learn to swim, develop swimming skill, and have fun in the safest possible environment.

Policy

• All children under the age of eight should be accompanied into the water of the swimming pool by a responsible adult aged at least 16 years. They must go into the water with the children they are accompanying. Whilst in the pool the responsible person should maintain a constant watch over the children for whom they are responsible and be in close contact with those of their children who are weak or non-swimmers
• Children under the age of four should be accompanied on a one to one basis, regardless of swimming ability. This ratio may be relaxed if the pool’s are being used exclusively for parent and toddler session’s, allowing parents to supervise one extra child per adult on the basis that only parents and toddlers are present
• Children aged between four to seven should be accompanied by a responsible person on a maximum two to one basis
• Person’s responsible for children have a duty to ensure children remain in full eye contact and within reach at all times during their visit to the pool
• Weak and non-swimmers must not go out of their depth, with the exception of children under the age of four supervised on a one to one basis, who by virtue of their age/height are likely to be out of their depth even in the shallowest areas of the pool. In this instance the wearing of swimming aids under supervision may be considered sensible. Weak and non-swimmers are defined as swimmers who are not able to:
  • -jump from side of the pool into water 1.5m or more
  • -tread water for 1 minute
  • swim 50 m in under 2 minutes

Children’s Use of Changing Rooms

Responsible persons accompanying children under 8 years old to swimming pools will be able to take them into an ‘opposite sex’ changing room if there is no other responsible person with them to take them into a ‘same sex’ changing room. This is because it is reasonable to assume that a child too young to swim unaccompanied is too young to fend for him or herself in a changing room

We hope your experience with us is safe and enjoyable, in the hope you re-visit our facilities in the future.

Redditch Borough Council operates a policy endeavoring at all times to provide services to people regardless of disability, age, race and religion