Swim lessons are ended after drowning scare at Prince of Wales Baths

Published: 25th November, 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM

A SCHOOL has stopped sending its pupils for lessons at Prince of Wales Baths after a nine-year-old girl who couldn’t swim “nearly drowned”.

Annie Williams, headteacher at Holy Trinity and St Silas School in Camden Town, this week wrote to parents to explain her concerns about the centre, which was recently given a £23million refurbishment by the council.

The letter, seen by the New Journal, said: “I cannot trust Kentish Town Sports Centre to ensure the safety of our children.”

Swimming lessons were suspended by the school at the start of the month when it was alleged a girl nearly drowned when she was told to jump into the deep end. Nine-year-old Aurora Russell, who her father Colin says is a “non-swimmer”, had to be rescued with a pole when she went under water during a lesson. Mr Russell said he was “horrified” that his daughter was told to jump into the 1.5-metre deep end, and expressed disbelief that nobody knew she could not swim.

Camden Council and the company that manages the baths, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), have launched separate investigations into the incident.

A council source said an instructor present on the day “no longer works for GLL”.

Headteacher Ms Williams had lifted a three-week swimming ban following the incident involving Aurora, but reinstated it after a further incident surrounding safety. 

In the letter to parents she said: “Following another incident at the swimming baths today we are cancelling swimming until further notice.”

Ms Williams claimed there was just one instructor for three classes on Monday – around 30 children – and the swimming teacher was “obviously under stress”.

She added: “This is intolerable, especially as we were assured that on resuming lessons everything would run efficiently and safely.”

The Prince of Wales Baths is run by GLL on behalf of the council as part of a 15-year contract worth more than £2million. A Town Hall spokesman said: “We are very sorry for any distress that may have been caused to the pupil involved in this incident and have launched an internal investigation following these reports. This will include a rigorous examination of GLL’s delivery of school swimming lessons, staff training and safety management. We aim to ensure safety standards are of the highest level and that an incident of this nature does not happen in any of our leisure centres again.”

A number of schools have signed up to swimming lessons at the facility in Prince of Wales Road since the Baths reopened after its celebrated restoration. Under Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) guidelines there should be one instructor for every 15 children.

Mr Russell, who lives in Kentish Town, said: “You entrust these people with your children’s safety. 

“You certainly don’t expect to be told your little girl nearly drowned and had to be fished out of the pool with a pole because she was told to jump in the deep end. 

“When she swims with me, she uses armbands and I’m staggered nobody bothered to find out her ability before telling her to jump in. 

“It’s deeply worrying, and I think other parents of kids who use the school need to know how this new shiny multi-million-pound facility is being run.”