Photograph of an RGS swimmer, c.2019. ©RGS Newcastle
Swimming Partnerships
Beyond the Pool: RGS Partnerships making a lasting impact
When Newcastle’s West Denton Pool closed its doors in 2020, it left a quiet but significant gap in the lives of many local children. For schools in the Outer West Learning Trust, it meant a sudden halt to swimming lessons - lessons that are not just part of the National Curriculum, but a vital life skill.
For some pupils, especially those without access to private lessons or family trips to the pool, it meant missing out entirely.
At RGS, we saw an opportunity to help.
In 2021, the Swimming Confidence Club was launched – the brainchild of RGS Director of Sport Angela Ponton that has since grown into a cornerstone of our RGS Partnerships work.
Each year, six schools visit RGS, each for a five-week block of swimming lessons. Many arrive unable to swim, some never having set foot in a pool. By the end, they leave with new skills, new confidence, and often, a huge smile.
RGS swimming teacher Tracy Etherington has seen it all. “Some of these kids have never been in a pool before,” she says. “They come in nervous, clinging to the side. But by the end of the block, they’re swimming lengths, smiling, and asking to show you what they can do. It’s incredible.”
One boy, she recalls, arrived barely able to float. Five weeks later, he was swimming 12 lengths on his back. “He was absolutely buzzing,” she says. “It’s moments like that that stay with you.”
The sessions are supported by trainee PE teachers from the North East Partnership SCITT, who gain hands-on experience teaching swimming - something often missing from their training. “They’re thrown in at the deep end - literally,” Tracy laughs. “But they rise to the challenge, and the children really respond to them.”
Tracey Etherington, RGS Swimming Teacher.
"They come in nervous, clinging to the side. But by the end of the block, they’re swimming lengths, smiling, and asking to show you what they can do. It’s incredible.”
- Tracey Etherington, RGS Swimming teacher
For the schools involved, the impact is immediate and lasting.
Suzanne Richardson, headteacher at Milecastle Primary School, has seen the difference it makes. “Some of our children come to us having never been in a pool,” she explains. “This gives them a second chance to learn a life skill that’s so important. It’s intense, it’s effective, and the children absolutely love it.”
She also highlights the value of the experience beyond the pool. “It’s not just about swimming. It’s about confidence, independence, and being in a new environment. Our pupils meet new staff, visit another school, and build relationships. For many of them, that’s just as valuable.”
The programme concludes each summer with a joyful swimming gala - a celebration of progress, not competition.
Children from different schools swim together, teachers don Hawaiian shirts, and everyone leaves with a sense of achievement.
Thanks to generous support from the HMCK charity, and more recently the St Nicholas Education Trust, the programme remains free for partner schools, with travel and equipment costs covered.
It’s a true community effort, one that reflects the RGS spirit of service, leadership, and belonging.
For Old Novos, it’s a reminder that the values instilled at RGS continue to ripple outward - into the community, into the lives of young people, and into the future.
Photograph of the Sutherland Baths, c.1980s, the old pool at RGS. The pool facilities were often used by other schools including the Central Newcastle High School for Girls, then located opposite RGS.
Thanks to generous support from the HMCK charity, and more recently the St Nicholas Education Trust, the programme remains free for partner schools, with travel and equipment costs covered.