Meldreth Primary School

Community

Our Staff

Pupil Leadership - Empowering our Children

Our School Governors

PTA

Lettings

NHS Children's Health

Allyance in-school counselling service

Healthy Schools Network

Our Local Community

Georgia Maggs

Interview with swimmer Georgia Maggs

Memories of Meldreth Primary School’s pool

At the age of five, Georgia Maggs swam her first swimming-aid-free strokes in the pool at Meldreth Primary School. Now, at 16, she competes at county, regional and national level for the City of Cambridge Swim Club and has qualified for the British Swimming Olympic Selection Trials.

Georgia has been swimming competitively since she was 12. At 14, she beat the under 18s Cambridgeshire county record for 50metre and 100metre breaststroke and was ranked first in the 50metre breaststroke for her age group in the UK.

It’s been a difficult year for many competitive swimmers, with training opportunities reduced by the closure of public pools during the pandemic, but Georgia remains committed and hopes to make it onto the British junior team.

We asked Georgia about her early memories of swimming at Meldreth Primary School and why she supports the campaign to save this precious resource:

Can you tell us about your memories of swimming in the school pool?

“I remember really looking forward to swim days. We all wanted to be the first group in. It was warm and very noisy. I remember my teacher shouting ‘kick your socks off’ when we were learning to kick our legs. It was a great introduction to being in the water. Being with your class friends made it all the more fun.”

What do you love about swimming?

“I love the freedom when I swim. It’s my time to think. I love competing and the challenge of bettering my times. I’m also really close to all my swim friends, as we spend so much time together.”

Since 1994, swimming and water safety has been a requirement of the national curriculum for physical education in England. Do you think it’s right that all pupils should be given the opportunity to learn how to swim?
“All children should be able to swim, not just for the health and fitness benefits but it could save your life! Not all children have the opportunity to attend swim lessons, so being taught at school gives them a chance to learn too.”

How valuable is an on-site pool like Meldreth Primary School’s?

“Swimming at Meldreth Primary School was one of the best things we did. Because it is on the school grounds we got to use it so much more than if we had to get to a leisure centre. Also, we were allowed to enjoy the pool one last time at our Year 6 leavers party, which was so much fun.”

Georgia’s mum, Lisa, who has previously worked as a Teaching Assistant at the school, said: “The children are so happy when they are swimming in the school pool. It’s beautifully warm and very safe, as the children can stand up in it. Lots of children have done their first strokes there. It saves time having the pool on site and it makes a difference that the children are taught to swim by teachers they know well and trust. It would be such a shame for the school to lose this resource.”