Leventhorpe School head ‘hopeful’ that bid for ‘exceptional circumstances’ funding by Hertfordshire County Council will save Sawbridgeworth’s swimming pool

The headteacher of Leventhorpe School has revealed Hertfordshire County Council is processing an application for “exceptional circumstances” funding which could give the town’s swimming pool a 12-month lifeline.

But in a statement to the Indie yesterday (Tues), Malcolm White said that although the school was hopeful of a positive outcome, “as things stand, the pool is still scheduled for closure on December 23”.

News that the pool and gym, which are owned by the Cambridge Road secondary, would close just before Christmas due to the withdrawal of Government funding sparked a furious reaction from residents and local councillors.

Two petitions have been launched and Sawbridgeworth Town Council has written to a Government minister calling for a funding lifeline.

A meeting last week between Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean and education minister Stephen Morgan at the Department for Education (DfE) revealed the county could apply for ‘exceptional use’ funding under the National Funding Formula for schools.

Mr White said: “I spoke with Josh Dean on Monday to clarify the contents of his message and to understand what Hertfordshire County Council needs to do to apply for funding. I have subsequently been in contact with the county council and they are processing an application.”

Mr White responded to claims on social media that school inaction had led to the closure threat to the pool.

“I need to be clear that the ‘exceptional use’ funding has been previously explored and we have previously had a letter from the county council to state the DfE would not consider future applications for exceptional use funding for swimming pools,” he said.

“It is good news that they are now willing to receive a request. However, this will only cover the issues related to running costs if the application is successful. There are still the ongoing issues associated with capital costs to maintain the fabric of the building that are outside the scope of this application.”

Mr White further warned: “As things currently stand, the pool is still scheduled for closure on December 23. There is still a possibility of funding through the exceptional use application, but this is only a possibility.”

He was concerned that some residents had assumed that the funding had been secured.

“I have spoken with Josh Dean to highlight the problem that members of the community are making an assumption that funding is now in place following his posts last week,” he said. “He confirms that this is not the case and that we need to wait for the outcome of the application.”

Mr White outlined the process should it shut on December 23.

“In terms of managing the building after the closure date, we are exploring options and looking at costs associated with decommissioning the pool and the potential alternative uses for the footprint of the building.

“This is so that we can provide information to our governing board so that they can make an informed decision about the future of the building and the footprint.”

But he stressed: “No decisions have been made by governors at this stage and the situation is still uncertain given the application for exceptional use funding.”

He added: “The school has been working with local councillors and with Josh Dean to attempt to find funding options to secure the financial viability of the pool.”

Stressing that the school cannot divert funding for students’ education to subsidise a community leisure facility, he added: “We are still hopeful that a positive outcome can be found, but time is very short.”

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said yesterday: “As part of the budget setting process for 2025-26, we will be asking the DfE to ‘disapply’ the normal school funding regulations and provide an extra year of funding for the pool at Leventhorpe School.”