Water polo afternoon.

Each summer term, we host a local primary school for a fun filled festival, involving water polo based activities. All transport, lifesaving and coaching is provided by Dulwich.

Aims

To help improve the water confidence of some local primary school pupils.

To improve the swimming of those pupils.

To provide water safety training to those pupils.

To introduce a new sport to those pupils.

Background

One of our biggest assets is our outdoor swimming pools. For a number of years now we have been offering pool based sessions for local schools.

These afternoons are particulalry positive, becasue they take the impetus away from having the ability to swim well, and focus more on water confidence and introducing a sport that very few children in this country have played before.

We initially organised swimming galas or festivals for local schools but felt these did not have the desired effect. Schools brought along pupils who were confident swimmers, who already swam regularly outside school hours. Our goal was to give those less confident pupils some pool time.

Water polo in our training pool was something one of our staff members had introduced about 10 years ago. Our non-contact version of the game has a lot of similarities to the strategy required for football; a game most children have a good understanding of. It therefore provides an excellent opportunity to improve children's water confidence and awareness of water safety.

Resources

This is quite a resource heavy event. Staff are needed for transportation of the visiting children; deliverance of the sessions; refreshments and ensuring the timetable allows for use of the pool.

Our staff really enjoy these afternoons though and some years, we use some of our own pupils to help teach the various techniques that can be employed in the game.

Impact

While the visiting pupils enjoy all the events we organise at the school, this is probably their favourite. Children generally love swimming pools and the fact that we ensure this afternoon takes place on a sunny day only makes it better.

Every year there are children who are nervous to enter the pool and every year they all have a smile on their face by the end. The fact that the children are always within their depth, but swimming provides an advantage it the game, allows for support and extension dependent upon the children's ability levels.

Pupil Involvement

About 30 children attend these afternoons from a local school and are accompanied by up to 8 of our own pupils. The ages range from Year 3-6, dependent on what the local schools would like.

Frequency

This event occurs every summer term, usually towards the end of June.