NEW STANDARDS SET FOR UK SWIM SCHOOLS
19.09.2005
UK Swim Schools are now able to operate more efficiently and safely thanks to the development of a new industry standard, the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) announced today.
The Publicly Available Specification (PAS 81) contains the minimum safety and operational requirements that should be considered by operators of Swim Schools and providers of swimming tuition.
PAS 81 has been developed by the STA in collaboration with the British Standards Institution (BSI) after significant consultation with a large number of major sport and leisure organisations, government departments, professional bodies and associations, and swimming tuition providers.
Roger Millward, Chief Executive of the STA said: “We were eager to engage BSI to develop this Publicly Available Specification as we felt that it was imperative to address the current lack of guidance for independent Swim Schools. Although there is currently no national register, we estimate that there are between 2000 and 3000 independent Swim Schools operating in the UK with this figure expected to grow even further.”
“Before the development of this PAS, there were no national guidelines or government regulations in place to determine or control either the establishment or the operation of any of these Swim Schools, and as the leading organisation in this field we saw it as our responsibility to help establish industry best practice as a benchmark.”
The STA has an existing successful quality assurance programme, the STAmark, which already has the backing of the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM), and which was set up to assist swimming schools who wanted to improve their management and standards of service delivery.
BSI worked with the STA to convert the requirements in the STAmark Resources Manual, as well as other sources gathered by the research, into guidelines for the industry.
The specification then went through a rigorous development process, starting with a steering group made up of key stakeholders across the industry. After this point a group of 67 organisations and individuals were asked to participate in a review panel to comment on the draft, then these comments were assessed and the document amended accordingly ensuring a high level of stakeholder buy in. Finally the document was prepared for publication.
For further information or to order a copy of PAS 81 Specification for the Management and Operation of Swimming Schools please contact the STA on 01922 645097, or email sta@sta.co.uk; or contact BSI on 0208 996 9001 or email orders@bsi-global.com.
