Dart Harbour funds lifesaving swimming lessons for local schools 

Dartmouth Academy, Dart Harbour and Dartmouth Indoor Pool Trust (DIPT) are "delighted to announce a transformative new partnership", ensuring that every primary pupil in Dartmouth and Stoke Fleming will receive regular high-quality swimming lessons for the next five years.

This exciting initiative follows a successful pilot programme launched in Autumn 2024 by DIPT in collaboration with Dartmouth Academy, Stoke Fleming and St John's Primary schools.

This saw outstanding progress with the majority of participating children being able to swim at least 25 metres – the national curriculum benchmark for primary school leavers.

With this secured funding from Dart Harbour, swim lessons will again be embedded in the curriculum with a focus on developing swimming proficiency and delivering essential water safety education. The aim is to ensure that all our local children are confident and competent in the water – a crucial skill for a coastal town.

This collaboration also strengthens the sustainability of the indoor pool by increasing its use as a community asset, ensuring it remains a safe and accessible space for learning and wellbeing whilst also equipping pupils with vital skills to stay safe in Dartmouth's river and in the sea.

Education South West, the trust which Dartmouth Academy and Stoke Fleming Primary School are part of, has stressed its gratitude to the Dart Harbour Authority and DIPT for their generous support, which will make a lasting difference to young people in the community.

Paul Britton, Harbour Master and CEO, said: "We are very excited by this new partnership.  As a not-for-profit trust port we manage the Dart on behalf of the community, so helping to provide swimming lessons for local children will encourage a whole new generation to learn to enjoy our beautiful river safely."

Craig Davidson, Chair of Dartmouth Indoor Pool Trust, the charity responsible for managing this valuable community asset for Dartmouth and the surrounding villages, added: "It has been an important aim of ours to see swimming classes restart after the Covid pandemic. To make it happen we funded the pilot scheme earlier this year. With huge pressure on school budgets the offer of long term funding by Dart Harbour is simply fantastic."

Chris Harrison, Headteacher at Stoke Fleming Primary, said: "The children had a fantastic time and it is great that we are able to offer them swimming lessons again. This is vital given the potential dangers of where we live. The full one-hour sessions meant that they had a really good chunk of time in the pool."

Sue Manley, Trustee of DIPT and former PE teacher, added: "Swimming is a life skill that once learnt is never forgotten. For some children it was their first experience of being in a pool and having swim lessons. It is just brilliant to see the children’s delight when they first manage to swim a width."