Fife children waiting up to two years to get swimming lessons

In some places, parents have been warned that their children will likely be wait at least 18 months to two years before getting in a pool for lessons operated by the council.

Councillor Louise Kennedy-Dalby (SNP for Tay Bridgehead) is one of those parents. Her eight-year-old son was on a waiting list for 20 months.

“Currently, when you put your name down, you get warned that there is a hefty wait list,” Cllr Kennedy-Dalby explained. “When I [signed up] in April 2022, I was told it would probably be 18 months to two years minimum, because for a small site like East Sands there were over 150 names on the waiting list and there were only very few swim classes at the time.”

She continued: “Right now this is the only remotely affordable way for most families to be able to get kids into swimming and the waiting lists are huge across Fife. It’s at the point where when you have a baby, you’re recommended to put them down before they’re even born in order to get them into the baby swim classes - and even then they might not get in the pool until they’re 8-9 months old.”

Councillor Sarah Neal (SNP for Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay) claimed that the waiting times in some places are even longer.

At the education scrutiny meeting, Cllr Neal claimed that lessons offered through the Fife Sport and Leisure Trust have a three to four year waiting list in some places. The topic was raised as councillors considered what it would take to put swimming into the primary school curriculum.

A spokesperson for the Fife Sport and Leisure Trust FSLT, which runs swimming lessons and manage facilities on behalf of the council, could not name the average length of time for children on the waiting list.

“Providing an exact wait list duration is challenging due to various factors such as the programme chosen, age group, individual availability, and progression through the pathway,” a spokesperson for FSLT said.“As the Scottish Water Learn to Swim Service Provider of the Year 2023, we've also experienced increased demand for our programmes, which naturally affects waiting times.”

However, the Trust said that Carnegie and Michael Woods swim facilities have longer wait lists than other areas of Fife - particularly for children starting school.

“This is understandable given their coverage areas, with Carnegie Leisure Centre serving the Dunfermline area and Southwest Fife,” the statement said. “The Beacon and Bowhill Swimming Pool have shorter waiting lists due to the success of their programmes and the transition of children through the levels.”

The Trust said it makes “every effort” to cater to customer preferences and provide them with an upfront estimated timeline, but acknowledged that “waiting can be frustrating.”

“We appreciate their patience as we work to minimise wait times and ensure that every child receives the best quality of instruction and support possible,” the spokesperson said. “We are committed to refining our processes to minimise wait times while ensuring the quality and effectiveness of our Learn to Swim programmes. We're exploring additional strategies such as training and increasing instructors.”