COVID – 19

We are very much looking forward to getting back to our classes and what we love doing most again from 12th April 2021. We have put measures in place to evaluate the risk to Staff, Swimmers & Spectators in respect of the Coronavirus and to eliminate/reduce the potential for infected persons entering the premises, contamination of surfaces, and to maintain social distancing practices. Control measures are largely based on Government guidance and guidance given by Swim England and other National Governing Bodies. With more information regarding COVID-19 risks being published on a regular basis, all risk assessments will be reviewed once new guidance and information is released and regularly after reopening.

Please read ALL OF THE BELOW before coming to your first lesson.

The ‘New Normal’ for now!

• The entrance will be the ‘normal’ entrance door at Brookfields School.
• Please arrive at the pool entrance no earlier than 5 mins before your lesson and queue/stand on the 2 metre distance spots on the floor.
• For all parents please come ‘beach ready’ and wait outside at the entrance (socially distanced) until you have been invited into the pool building by your teacher (which will be a few minutes before the lesson starts).
• For those children whom are not toilet trained please make sure they come in ‘easy’ clothing to change in and out of as quickly as possible.
• For all children whom are toilet trained please make sure they come ‘beach ready’, a onesie or dressing gown works well.
• If you need to feed your child please change them quickly and feed them in the car.
• As you enter please make sure you sanitise your hands which will be provided outside the entrance door.
• One adult is to attend with their child, for any additional adults we ask that they stay in their car.
• There are to be no spectators in the pool building at this time.
• If you have any symptoms you MUST NOT come swimming. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
• When you arrive we will assume that you and your swimmer are fit and healthy and do not need to be self-isolating and that you have not returned from a country which is on the quarantine list.
• Swimmers will be guided to an area in the changing rooms to unwrap and place their belongings. Please bring with you a ‘bag for life’ or similar (these are a really nice size) & make sure all your belongings are kept in this bag. Please do not leave clothes/towels on the bench.
• You will then enter the pool area via the internal doors, enter the pool using the steps and be guided to your work station on poolside which will be the same place every week to avoid any confusion.
• At your work station there will be several items of equipment which are to be used by you and your child throughout the lesson, these are not to be shared with anyone else and when you are not using them please keep them at your work station.
• Please see the bottom of this document for a visual of how the pool will be set up.
• When rotating round the pool in a clockwise circle please keep your distance from the person in front of you.
• Your teacher will teach from pool side, when we do a song your teacher will sing and you will follow the actions (Some of you may be thankful of this!)
• All equipment will be disinfected in between each lesson.
• Hand sanitiser will be available in the changing areas & poolside.
• Please help to reduce the use of the toilet by going at home before/after the lesson.
• Showers will not be available at this time.
• Teachers will teach from poolside, socially distanced.
• The lesson will last 25 mins, so classes can leave before new swimmers arrive and we can clean, sanitise and disinfect.
• At the end of the lesson, for all swimmers that are toilet trained they will need to get out of the water, go back to their belongings ‘wrap and go’.
• At the end of the lesson, for all swimmers that are NOT toilet trained they will need to get out of the water, go back to their belongings and get changed as quickly as possible and then leave via the allocated exit door.
• The exit will be the fire exit door in the pool area.
• Please sanitise your hands as you leave the pool building.
• Please make sure you keep socially distanced at all times.
• If you would like to wear a face covering in the changing areas you are welcome to do so, please keep this in with your belongings when entering the pool area.
• If you would like to wear a face shield in the pool (to make you feel relaxed/safer) you are welcome to do so BUT this is not necessary.

We want to make your classes feel as safe & comfortable as possible. We want to have some ‘normal’ back for not only us but all the children as well. It has been a long 6 months and even though some people will still feel a degree of anxiety about getting back in the pool, including myself, I can’t wait to get back in with measures in place that means we can still have fun during this time.

Our risk assessments and procedures that have been put in place are not set in stone and after the first week and as we move forward things may change if things don’t work as well as we hoped. If this is the case at any point we will of course be in contact with you.

I would like to take this opportunity to say WELCOME BACK and let’s have some FUN!