Kimbolton School swimming pool

We have a pool hoist to assist swimmers entering the water if they have limited mobility, This is available for any swimming session. Please ask for this when you arrive and a member of pool staff will assist you.

There are marked disabled parking bays for blue badge holders.

Please refer to our Swimming pool contact page for details of our address and how to find us.

Access to the Swimming Pool is controlled by an Intercom system. Please approach the black iron gates and press button 4 to call the Swimming Pool. The gates will then be released for you to enter..

Kimbolton Swimming Pool shares car parking facilities with Kimbolton School. If the car park to the side of the pool is full, please park in the bays located outside the Donaldson building

Alternatively, you can use any other available parking space on your approach to the pool. Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.

There are marked disabled parking bays for blue badge holders. 

We recommend that you use a locker. Our lockers only accept old style pound coins or trolley tokens. Locker tokens can be purchased or hired at the pool reception. The cost of a reusable token is £1.00.

No, unfortuately, Kimbolton Swimming Pool is not available to hire by companies or individuals running swimming lesson schemes.

The pool water at Kimbolton is always maintained at 29 degrees centigrade. However, following certain essential procedures the water temperature may sometimes be slightly reduced.

The swimming pool is the only building on the school campus that operates at high temperatures and humidity every day throughout the year.  Heating the air and water is the major source of energy consumption and a costly business. The building and the water are heated using a biomass boiler system that runs on wood chip fuel. Previously the building was heated using oil this is now a secondary source of heat for emergencies when the biomass boiler has broken down or cannot supply enough heat to the building. 

 In order to conserve energy a cover is used to across the pool when the building is not in use, this allows the ventilation/heating system to operate at a reduced level not only saving money but also helping to protect the environment. 

Further energy saving is carried out by a building management system that shuts down non-essential systems when the pool is not in use. The pool also has an inverter circulation pump system which is designed to save energy/costs when the pool is closed for swimming. 

• The lifeguards are responsible for the Health & Safety of everyone in the building – please adhere to their instructions at all times and observe the pool rules displayed in the building.
• Please shower before entering the water to help maintain our water quality and for all bathers to enjoy a pleasant and hygenic swim. 
• During the school term, members of the public are requested not to enter the changing rooms without permission from the pool staff.
• Please vacate the pool by the end of the timetabled session. Your co-operation with this is appreciated as it allows our pool schedule to run on time. 
• We want all our customers to enjoy their swimming at Kimbolton – please respect the other swimmers in the pool! 
• For safety reasons, all children under 8 years old must be accompanied by an adult into the water. One adult may accompany up to two under 8’s in the pool at any one time. 
• Children over the age of 8 must use the correct changing room for their gender; alternatively, a family changing room is available should families wish to change together. 
• Please ensure swimwear is left on when showering in the communal facilities. Private showers are available in the changing rooms. 
• Lockers are provided for you to secure your clothes or valuables – Kimbolton School cannot be held responsible for any items left in the changing rooms unattended. Please collect a locker token from reception when you pay for your swim. 
• Last entry to the pool is 30 minutes before the end of the session. 
• Kimbolton School Swimming Pool reserves the right to refuse admission.

• Non-swimmers and swimmers wearing buoyancy aids are not allowed in the deep end. 
• Diving is from the deep end only and strictly not in any swimming lanes.
• Running dives are not allowed.
• No jumping backwards into the pool.
• Bombing into the pool is not allowed.
• Running is not allowed on poolside or around any part of the building.
• No handstands/Acrobatics in the water. 
• Somersaults into the pool are prohibited at all times.
• Balls, snorkels, full face masks and fins are prohibited from all sessions – please ask at reception if you are unsure.
• During ‘Float Fun’ the pool is divided in half and the floats are prohibited from the deep end.
• Standing on floats is not allowed.
• Jumping onto the floats from poolside is not allowed.
• Swimming under the floats is not allowed.
• Diving from the floats is prohibited.
• Stacking of floats is forbidden.
• When entering the changing rooms or poolside, please use the overshoes provided. 
• Photography or filming is prohibited except for private hire bookings.
• Mobile phones/iPads must not be used on poolside.
• There rules are not exhaustive, please follow the lifeguard’s instruction at all times.

The staff at Kimbolton School take a great pride in the quality of the pool water. The water is filtered 24 hours a day to ensure that the pool is clean and safe for everyone to use. The treatment of the water is achieved using a dual disinfection process incorporating UV and Sodium Hypochlorite.

The UV system means that Kimbolton School Swimming Pool can safely operate using substantially lower levels of chlorine which greatly improves the swimming experience. The UV not only kills all micro-organisms but eradicates all the products of chlorination used to disinfect the water. UV eradicates the odour usually associated with swimming pools and reduces the chemicals which cause eye and skin irritation.

Pollution and hygiene

Sadly it is the swimmers themselves who are responsible for introducing pollutants into the pool water. A full (hair and body washed) pre-swim shower significantly reduces the level of pollutants and greatly decreases the amount of chemicals in the water.

Therefore, in order to reduce pollutants it is compulsory that people must a take a full shower before they swim. Available showers are sited en route to the pool. Swimmers not taking a full shower will not be allowed into the pool by the staff on duty.   

All outside footwear is prohibited from the poolside. Overshoes are available at the spectator entrances to the poolside. 

Preventing Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium presents difficulties because, unlike most other microorganisms, it is resistant to chlorine disinfection at the levels normally used to treat swimming pool water. Therefore, if you are experiencing diarrhoea, or have had symptoms within 48 hours, please refrain from visiting the pool. If you have had a diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis, please do not swim for a fortnight after your symptoms have stopped. Below are a few key points to help stop the spread of infection.

• Visit the toilet before joining a swimming session and offer children frequent toilet breaks during their time at the pool.
• Ensure you wash your hands after visiting the toilet and, if required, please use the nappy disposal facilities on site.
• For our smaller swimmers, please make sure swim nappies are worn. 

Maintaining water quality

The pool plant equipment is regularly serviced and maintained to ensure the plant is keeping the water at the safe and most efficient level. Every day before swimmers use the pool the water is tested to ensure that it is safe to swim. Furthermore, staff maintain and test the water at least five times a day. The plant is adjusted by trained staff to ensure the water remains safe for swimmers. All the managers operating the swimming pool are fully trained Pool Plant Operators (PPO) who update their qualifications on a regular basis.

The pool pumps circulate the water 24 hours a day through high speed filters and the pool holds 300.00 m³ (65.9907gallons). It takes between three – fours hours for the entire volume of water to pass through the filters, disinfection plant and return to the pool. 

Is the water warm?

The ‘Pool Water Treatment Group’ recommends that water for conventional pool temperature should be no less than 28 degrees centigrade. The pool water at Kimbolton is always maintained at 29 degrees centigrade. However, following certain essential procedures the water temperature may sometimes be slightly reduced. The poolside air is maintained at 30 degrees centigrade, a degree above the water temperature as recommended by PWTAG. This ensures that swimmers are comfortable outside of the water.

Saving energy

The swimming pool is the only building on the school campus that operates at high temperatures and humidity every day throughout the year.  Heating the air and water is the major source of energy consumption and a costly business. The building and the water are heated using a biomass boiler system that runs on wood chip fuel. Previously the building was heated using oil this is now a secondary source of heat for emergencies when the biomass boiler has broken down or cannot supply enough heat to the building. 

 In order to conserve energy a cover is used to across the pool when the building is not in use, this allows the ventilation/heating system to operate at a reduced level not only saving money but also helping to protect the environment. 

Further energy saving is carried out by a building management system that shuts down non-essential systems when the pool is not in use. The pool also has an inverter circulation pump system which is designed to save energy/costs when the pool is closed for swimming.