Councillor Cathy Hunt with some of the schoolchildren.
A new wave of learning will be enjoyed by County Durham pupils following an extensive refurbishment of school pools.
Durham County Council has carried out a £400,000 investment programme across its five school swimming pools.
The works include new changing rooms and bathroom facilities, with individual changing rooms and the installation of new pool liners and tiling, as well as new floors.
Cllr Cathy Hunt, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “Each week, around 600 pupils use our school pools. Not only is this time important in teaching children to learn how to swim, but it allows them to develop critical life skills including how to stay safe around water.
“Children can learn in an inclusive and welcoming environment and our swimming team also tailor the programme to best suit the needs of each school and its pupils.
“Most of our school pools are around 30 years old, so it was important to make them fit for purpose, in order to continue to deliver this important programme.”
The council’s school pools are used by over 100 schools across the county.
Across the county, 80 per cent of key stage two children can swim a minimum of 25 metres, swim a range of different strokes and be able to do a safe self-rescue in a range of water-based scenarios.
This is higher than the national average, with 72 per cent of children being able to achieve these attainment targets.
For Drowning Prevention Week, in June, the authority delivered specific swimming sessions to 8,500 children across both its school and leisure centre pools.
