Springfield School Pool in Portsmouth, Hampshire has served the 1100 pupils of Springfield Secondary School plus the surrounding junior schools in the north of Portsmouth for swimming lessons for 45 years. It is also hired by swim schools every day of the week with over 700 children a week outside of school hours learning to swim in the pool.

It has been decided by Portsmouth City Council and Springfield Governing body the pool is to be shut, concreted over and turned into a gym with the overall purpose of being able to increase intake at the school by 65 pupils.

We petition Portsmouth City Council and Springfield School Governors to reconsider this decision and consider the loss the pool will have to pupils and the wider community. There is no school in the north of Portsmouth which has a pool as large as Springfield. There is only one other school pool in the north of the city and three others in the south which have pools.

Swimming is part of the National Curriculum and not only is one of the best sports to learn for health and fitness but is also a valuable life skill and the pool at Springfield and the lessons held at Springfield School have saved countless lives. Swimmers who learnt to swim at Springfield have also gone on to swim competitively at county and national levels.

It has been estimated that Springfield Swim Club, who have hired the pool for lessons since it opened in 1971 and are the largest swim school to use the pool, have taught at least 9000 children to swim at the pool. Teachers, Swimming Teachers and lifeguards have also been trained at the pool in aquatics.