SEND swimming sessions prove a real hit in Doncaster

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Swimming sessions for children and young people with special educational needs are providing a real hit in Doncaster.

The Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT) sessions have been praised by Rebecca Burns, mum of 12-year-old Ollie.

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Rebecca said: “Ollie was diagnosed with ASD when he was two. One of the things he absolutely loves is the water.

“For a child with autism it can be very hard for them to enjoy certain activities because of the volume of people there as noise can be a trigger for overstimulation and meltdowns which usually result in leaving early and having Ollie distressed for the rest of the day.

Ollie heading back from the poolOllie heading back from the pool
Ollie heading back from the pool

“Having the ability to come to Thorne leisure centre twice a week for their SEND swimming sessions has enabled Ollie to enjoy what he loves in a quieter and calming environment.

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“Having two free carers is also amazing for those children that need the extra support in the pool. The staff at Thorne have been fantastic and very supportive when we attend and take on board any constructive information we think may help for future sessions.

“We are welcomed to the centre and feel privileged to have the support from DCLT which enables our children and adults with a disability the opportunity to swim in a calmer environment- my hope for the future is for every leisure centre to offer these sessions to our SEND community.”

DCLT operates a school holiday SEND timetable with sessions (maximum of 15 people per session) at Thorne Wellbeing and Leisure Hub taking place Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10.30am-11.30am, evening sessions take place on a Monday between 6pm and 7pm and Saturdays between 4pm and 5pm and Rossington Community Swimming Pool on a Tuesday between 2.45pm and 3.45pm. Adwick Leisure Complex offers an accessible swim session (maximum of 60 people per session) on a Monday between 2.45pm and 3.45pm.

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Craig Bradford, aquatics manager at DCLT said: “It is fantastic to hear the feedback from parents like Rebecca for our SEND sessions.

“We are currently running a holiday timetable but will be reviewing this for September and hope to be able to offer more sessions at more of our pools.

“Swimming is such an important skill and feeling safe in the water is the first step to that. We are really pleased to see so many people making the most of these sessions. Our SEND sessions have a maximum of 15 people and our accessible sessions have a maximum of 60 people.

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“We are pleased that Ollie is enjoying the sessions and look forward to welcoming more families to the sessions over the coming months.”

Sessions cost £1,25 for infants, £2.75 for juniors and £5.25 for adults.

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