A day with Durham County Council: What's the latest progress?

When collaborating with an operator, we (Swim England) visit the operator sites and engage directly with the key deliverers. This allows for hands-on collaboration and a direct impact on shared goals.

We start with a consultative approach to determine the optimal strategy for the operator.

From there we will perform a desktop digital analysis to help inform the next steps.

Then we progress to visiting each venue to review both the environment and pool specifics, at which point we can begin to perform teacher observations and meet with key stakeholders.

We caught up with Anna Patrick-Lord from Durham County Council (DCC), at Spennymoor Leisure Centre to discuss their reasons behind starting the Full Aquatic Review process with us and their progress so far…

What were your motivations for starting this Full Aquatic Review project with Swim England?

We wanted to get the best from our Learn to Swim Programme and started a conversation with our Swim England Manager, we have a long-standing partnership with them and they have supported us in the past. We discussed all aspects of the programme from training plans, systems, Learn to Swim Awards and demand. It quickly became apparent that we would benefit from a Full Aquatic Review of the programme.

What did Swim England report on and what did the report show you?

Swim England conducted a thorough and comprehensive review of the programme starting from the customer journey through to training and staff needs. The findings highlighted a number of opportunities to improve the programme such as improving the customer journey and workforce shortages.

What has been your experience doing the Full Aquatic Review with Swim England?

This experience has been exceedingly positive, shedding light on our strengths while also highlighting areas for improvement.

What did the project timeline look like throughout?

The project timeline was ideal; the review hadn’t been rushed nor excessively prolonged.

Is there a particular aspect of the review that you particularly benefitted from?

We are currently in the process of implementing changes based on the report findings. However, from the report, it is clear there will be many benefits in the long term. We are looking to implement some changes across our programme, by improving the customer journey and developing recruitment.

To find out more about the Full Aquatic Review, please contact us below.