We are thrilled to be able to finally announce that our lessons will restart from the 1st September 2020. After the long-awaited Government announcement today, indoor pools are allowed to reopen, in England, from the 25th July. The reason for the delay between pools opening and lessons restarting is simple, we need time to risk assess all of our pool environments based on the official guidance from our governing body, the STA, to ensure lessons are as safe as they can be for you, our wonderful customers and of course our Puddle Ducks team members. Your local team will let you know the date of your first lesson back in due course. We will update our customers in Wales and Scotland as soon as we have information regarding pools reopening there but for now, the Government guidance only applies to pools in England.
We have been planning, behind the scenes for the last couple of months but now, with the official guidance, the last piece in the puzzle, we can finally make concrete plans.
You will all hear from your local teams soon with details of your first lesson back but please be assured, we know how long it has been since you child has been in a lesson, maybe even in the water and therefore we will be focusing on a reintroduction to the water for the first few lessons, assessing each individual’s levels of confidence. In some cases, your child will be old enough to move to the next class level now and your local team will discuss this with you in detail.
Our plan is to restart lessons in as many pools as we can from the 1st September but we know we won’t be able to use some of our pools from this date and conversely, there may be one or two pools that we are able to run lessons from sooner. Your local team will be in touch with all the details on this.
We want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to you, our customers, who have stuck with us during what has been a uniquely difficult time for all of us. We are truly overwhelmed by the support and loyalty shown to Puddle Ducks and we will never forget it. It goes without saying that we cannot wait to see you all again, your teachers are so excited to see how all your little ones have grown.
We also want to assure you that we will be employing the highest standards to make sure you and you child are as safe as possible at our lessons. We will be publishing some documents in the next week detailing all the steps we have taken to ensure your safety, but these are the main points that will be covered:
- Each pool environment will have been risk assessed from the car parking, to reception areas, to the changing rooms to the pool area and all adjoining areas and how we are going to keep areas and equipment clean and we will publish the procedures we have gone through to keep you safe. We will also produce a specific document for each pool which will be emailed and put on the pool information page on our website to detail any new ways of doing things
- New, temporary lesson plans are being written for two reasons:
- We will run at least two weeks of ‘reintroduction to swimming’ lesson plans as it will have been almost 6 months since some of our swimmers will have been in a pool. We want to take the opportunity to get to know our teachers and classmates again and to regain any lost water confidence. The first couple of lessons will concentrate on having fun and remembering everything we love about our Puddle Ducks lessons and our time in the water
- We have had to rethink the way we use our equipment and the way you all interact with your teachers and each other. All of this will be explained in detail before you attend your lesson but please be assured it will still be the Puddle Ducks lesson you know and love
- We have written a brief addendum to our terms and conditions explaining what we expect from our customers when attending our lessons – nothing that you won’t have heard from other activity providers such as not attending lessons if you have symptoms etc. but vital to ensure the safety of our teachers, poolside assistants and all of our customers.
For the last few months, swimming has been ‘on hold’, and with good reason but now we can come back, better and stronger than ever, thanks to you, our amazing customers, and the whole of the Puddle Ducks family. We can’t wait to get back to doing what we do best; teaching our babies and children to love and respect the water and to swim beautifully – all while having lots of fun!