Swim schools you will be relieved to hear that following on from the Prime Ministerās announcement earlier today, we have received a positive update this evening that swimming lessons will not be classified as āindoor team sportsā at this present time.
Therefore, learners can continue to take part in organised swimming lessons (including baby and pre-school and adult swimming) and aquatic fitness classes at indoor venues that adhere to COVID secure guidelines.
To clarify ā swimming lessons and aquatic fitness sessions:
- Continue to fall into the āorganised sportā category, so are exempt from the ārule of 6ā
- Are not classified as āteamā sports.
Additionally, the Prime Minister did also confirm today that leisure organisations will now have a legal obligation to follow government guidance ā and the good news here is that weāve already done all the hard work for our members by amalgamating all the government guidance relating to swimming pool / lesson management into one easy-to-read living document.
I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief today, and whilst I appreciate some swim schools are still struggling, this really is welcome news for our part of the sector.
Should further information arise, we will keep you updated.
Dave Candler FCIMSPA (Ch)
Dave has been involved in teaching swimming and leisure management for over 25 years. Prior to becoming CEO of STA in 2016, he worked for ten years as the Operations, Swimming and Training Manager at one of the largest publicly run swim schools in the country, where he gained valuable, insightful front-line experience of the leisure industry. Dave also worked as an STA tutor, training many hundreds (if not thousands) of teachers, and gained multiple qualifications that support his role today at STA.
In 2021, Dave was named one of the "Top 20 Dynamic CEOs" in the UK because of the work he did to support the aquatics industry through the pandemic. This leadership also led to STA being awarded āEducation Provider of the Yearā by ukactive in 2022 and receiving āInnovation of the Yearā at the 2023 Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards.
Professionally and personally, swimming is Daveās lifelong passion. In his spare time, he is a keen open water swimmer and successfully completed a Channel swim relay with Team STA. Dave has also recently been granted Chartered Manager Fellow status by CIMSPA, the professional development body for the UKās sport and physical activity sector. Chartered status is the pinnacle of professional recognition awarded by CIMSPA and is a nationally recognised hallmark of a qualified professional who has demonstrated excellence and impact in their field, backed by their qualifications, experience, and expertise.
