Record numbers of children learning to swim as Council strategy shows early success
Falkirk Council’s new approach to running school swimming pools is delivering results with record numbers of local children now using it’s Learn to Swim lessons.
The strong growth is also helping to raise additional income which helps the Council to protect as many of its frontline Sport and Leisure services from budget pressures.
A report going before the Executive on 21 August 2025 outlines how a new pricing strategy and priority for the Council’s own Learn to Swim programme has helped place the service on a more sustainable footing.
Councillors will also hear that in the past year the area’s three amateur swimming clubs have merged to form a single club – the Forth Valley Tridents. This has created a stronger and more sustainable structure for competitive swimming at higher levels of the sport nationally.
The club now has charitable status and a full-time coach. Officers are very positive about the new club and are now planning to protect it from higher pool hire costs which had been originally agreed.
Boost in participation and income
The Council’s Learn to Swim programme has reached a record high, with over 3,000 children enrolled as of March 2025 - a 22% increase in just one year.
The growth has been driven by allocating more popular class times to Council-run lessons and adding over 50 new classes. Twenty new swim teachers have also been trained and recruited, many of them young people starting out in leisure careers.
The programme also delivered a year-end net surplus of £367,000 – around 12% above target - thanks to increased participation, better use of pool space, and a programme with improved focus on quality of delivery.
The surplus has helped offset costs in other parts of the Sport & Leisure Service, including inclusive access schemes such as GoCard and Active Forth.
Improving access and operations
The report confirms a standardised pricing structure is now in place across all Council-run school pools. A new booking system is also being introduced to help manage demand more effectively.
From September, Council-run activities and accredited local clubs will be given priority access to pool space, a move officers say is necessary to protect public swimming and ensure the long-term financial sustainability of Council programmes.
Malcolm Bennie, Director of Place Services, said:
Since the new swimming strategy was introduced last year, we have seen record numbers of children benefit from our Learn to Swim scheme, and vital new income brought in to protect frontline services.
"In addition, the establishment of the Forth Valley Tridents is hugely positive for elite-level swimming in Falkirk, and it is pleasing to see the Council look to support the club moving forward with a pragmatic approach to setting facility hire fees and priority access to our pools."There’s plenty more hard work to do, but the early results are very positive.
For more information on the Learn to Swim programme, and swimming across the Council area in general, visit the Falkirk Culture & Leisure website.