On Saturday 23rd June, the school’s swimming pool is being officially opened. See below for more details, and keep an eye on this blog for more information as it becomes available.
May 8, 2012
Tuesday 8th May – The Swimming Pool Re-Opens!
After a long wait, the swimming pool at BWJS opened again today, and Year Six took took to the waters for their first session.
The pool will have its public grand re-opening soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures to illustrate the work which has been done.
March 29, 2012
Thursday 29th March 2012 – Swimming Pool Development
Is this really our school swimming pool? I ask myself this every time I walk up the steps from school to check that it is still looking as good as the last time I saw it! The new aluminium roof and cedar clad outer walls have completely transformed the look of the building and although it looks huge, it blends sympathetically into its wooded surroundings.
A new automatic glass sliding door welcomes you into the building. The changing rooms have been extended and completely refitted with light PVC walls, new showers and toilet facilities, baby changing units, new floors and suspended ceilings. A new changing room for disabled swimmers with shower and toilet facilities should help those who find some difficulty in using a regular changing room.
The pool hall itself is the same size as before but it has a new heating and ventilation system and the walls, roof and windows are now very well insulated bringing us well into the 21st century with our energy saving. The pool has a beautiful new liner with competition lane markings which help to warn swimmers that the end wall is in sight. The old slabs surrounding the pool have been covered with a non slip rubber chip finish that will let the water drain through it and be very comfortable to walk or sit on. The inside walls have been repaired and repainted and new lighting adorns the walls.
The old ‘boiler room’ has been transformed and enlarged. It now bristles with the latest swimming pool technology for heating, cleaning and circulating the water and air and it will take some time to fully understand its capabilities. This is why we will have a short commissioning period after the builders have finally left the site to make sure that all the equipment is running smoothly and efficiently before the pool is in use by our school swimmers, private hirers and our community users.
If everything continues as planned, the pool will be in use for our pupils from the beginning of May and our private swimming teacher hirers by Tuesday 8th May. The pool will be open for the public sessions organised by Bishop’s Waltham Community Swimming from Monday 11th June. All public sessions will be on a ‘Pay as you Swim’ basis until the start of the new school year in September when membership will be available which will offer substantial savings for individuals and family groups who swim regularly. (Membership forms and opening times will be available at
the pool and school from May.)
Finally, we will be having a Grand Opening day on Saturday 23rd June with an Official Opening, a famous swimmer will take the plunge and swim against some of our own elite swimmers, there will be fun and family swimming for everyone, certificates to give out, BBQ food and TRUNX the ELEPHANT will be making a guest appearance. We hope to welcome many of the original group of people who organised the fundraising and building of the original pool in the 1970’s to this event and anyone who has been involved with keeping it open since then. We will be delighted to see you.
Look out for more details … we hope to see you at our pool very soon!
Gill Cooper
Bishop’s Waltham Junior School.
January 27, 2012
Friday 27th January 2012 – Swimming Pool Progress
Photos taken this week by Mrs Cooper of the progress being made on site. Look at the new roof!
December 9, 2011
Friday 9th December 2011 – Swimming Pool Refurbishment
After months of waiting, action on the swimming pool site has really begun! Over the last few weeks, the old roof has been removed, and the workers are now busy preparing for its replacement. We’ll keep you posted as things develop!
November 9, 2011
Wednesday 9th November 2011 – Swimming Pool Refurbishment
The refurbishment of our 20m indoor swimming pool at Bishop’s Waltham Junior School is under way at last after encountering so many delays over the last two years. During the summer holidays, the ground area immediately surrounding the swimming pool building was reinforced to protect the tree roots from the heavy plant and machinery that will be needed for the project. However, there was then a frustrating pause until the building contracts were signed with the winning tender, Vales of Portsmouth.
The contractor’s cabins were brought onto site site on the 4th November and the piling work needed to prepare the foundations for the extension to the changing rooms will be the first sign that the work has started on Monday14th November. All we need now is a spell of good weather so that the construction work can continue without further delay.
The re-opening of the pool is now scheduled for just after Easter 2012; we will keep you informed with progress on the school website, on the parish notice boards and in the Parish Magazine.
