Active Nottingham at Harvey Hadden Sports Village
Nottingham City Council's Active Nottingham runs Learn to Swim lessons for £29.99 a month in the only 50 metre public pool in the city, at Harvey Hadden in Bilborough.
Who it suits
Families in west Nottingham with a child from three years old wanting an affordable, citywide Learn to Swim programme, though not those with a baby or toddler under three needing a warm water class.
Why it stands out
- The only 50 metre pool open to the public every day in Nottingham, with a movable floor that splits it into two 25 metre pools for lessons and lane swimming side by side
- Pre-School classes for 3 to 5 year olds run here and upwards through Stages 1 to 8, but not the warm water Adult and Child class for under threes, because the pool is not kept warm enough for it
- One £29.99 a month Direct Debit covers the whole Learn to Swim programme at any of Active Nottingham's six pools, so the price stays the same wherever your child ends up on the timetable
- Runs 52 weeks of the year bar a short break, taught to the Swim England Learn to Swim framework by DBS-checked instructors
- Lesson pool depths in the zones used for Swim School run from 0.96 to 1.24 metres
Our verdict
Twenty nine pounds ninety nine a month is genuinely cheap for lessons in a 50 metre pool, and the price does not change if your child moves centres or stages. Do not book here for a baby or toddler under three, since the warm water Adult and Child class does not run at this pool, and go in expecting a big, busy municipal pool rather than a boutique one. Google reviewers rate the venue 4.3 out of 5 from 1,604 reviews but specifically flag the children's lessons as short on interaction compared with other options.
What it is
Active Nottingham, the council’s own leisure operator, runs its Learn to Swim programme at Harvey Hadden Sports Village in Bilborough, which has the only 50 metre pool in the city open to the public every day. A movable floor splits the pool into two 25 metre halves, one used for lessons and lane swimming and the other for general sessions, with depths in the zones used for Swim School running between 0.96 and 1.24 metres. Pre-School classes for 3 to 5 year olds run here, continuing up through Stages 1 to 8 for children aged 5 and over.
Who should book
This suits a family in west Nottingham who wants an affordable, no frills route through the national Learn to Swim stages rather than a branded baby swimming franchise. Because Active Nottingham charges one Direct Debit rate across all six of its pools, the price does not change if your child needs to move centres or progress to a stage that only runs elsewhere in the city. What it will not do is take a baby or toddler under three. Harvey Hadden specifically does not offer the warm water Adult and Child class that some of Active Nottingham’s other pools run, because this pool is not kept warm enough for it.
What stands out
The facility itself is the draw. An 8 lane 50 metre pool with an adjustable floor is a serious piece of infrastructure for a suburban leisure centre, and it means lessons run alongside lane swimming rather than displacing it. Everything follows the Swim England Learn to Swim framework with DBS-checked instructors, 52 weeks a year aside from a short seasonal break, so a place here will not disappear over the summer holidays the way some private programmes do.
The verdict
For £29.99 a month this is hard to beat on price, and the pool itself outclasses most of the venues swim schools rent by the hour. Skip it if you have a child under three, since Harvey Hadden’s water is not warm enough for the Adult and Child class, and temper your expectations on the teaching itself. Google reviewers give the venue 4.3 out of 5 from 1,604 reviews overall, but specifically call out the children’s lessons as less interactive and engaging than other options in the city.