MORE Swim School at Valley Leisure Centre
Antrim and Newtownabbey council teaches children from five and adult beginners at Valley Leisure Centre for £7.25 a lesson, with adult classes on Wednesday evenings only.
Who it suits
Families in Newtownabbey who want a cheap, no-frills local lesson and are comfortable with a class of up to twelve, plus adults who can only free up one evening a week.
Why it stands out
- £7.25 a lesson, or £6.21 for MORE members, the same rate at all three MORE Swim School venues, paid in blocks of ten weeks
- No waiting list. The council says spaces come up quickly enough that one is not needed
- Adult beginners and improvers run back to back on Wednesday evenings only, 7pm to 8pm, with no other evening on offer at this venue
- Free car parking and a 25 metre main pool that Tripadvisor reviewers call clean, though several also describe the water and changing rooms as cold
Our verdict
Worth booking on price alone if you are near Newtownabbey and do not need flexibility: one evening a week, one set of levels, no extra drop-in slot like Sixmile runs. Do not book if cold water bothers you, since enough Tripadvisor reviewers raise it that it reads as a pattern rather than one bad visit. Do not book expecting small classes either, twelve children is standard council sizing here, not the four or five a private school charging three times the price would offer.
What it is
MORE Swim School is the swimming programme Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council runs across three centres: Valley, Antrim Forum and Sixmile Leisure Centre. At Valley, children from five upward learn in half hour group classes through five ability levels, and adults get a beginners class followed immediately by an improvers class, both on Wednesday evening. It runs on the same council price list and booking system as the other two sites, just a different pool and a different night.
Who should book
Families in Newtownabbey who want a cheap lesson close to home and are fine with a class of up to twelve. Adults who can commit to one evening should find Wednesday between 7pm and 8pm workable, but anyone whose week only frees up on a Tuesday needs to look at Sixmile instead, since Valley does not run a second night.
What stands out
The lesson price is £7.25 a session, or £6.21 with MORE membership, paid in blocks of at least ten weeks. There is no waiting list; the council says spaces turn over fast enough that one is not needed. Car parking is free, which Tripadvisor reviewers mention favourably. The same reviewers are less complimentary about temperature: several describe the pool and changing rooms as cold, even as they praise how clean the building is kept.
The verdict
Valley is worth booking on price alone if you are near Newtownabbey and do not need flexibility: one evening a week, one set of levels, no drop-in extra like Sixmile offers. Do not book if cold water bothers you, since enough Tripadvisor reviewers raise it that it looks like a real pattern rather than one bad visit. Do not book expecting small classes either, twelve children is standard council sizing here, not the four or five you would get from a private school charging three times the price.
More MORE Swim School venues
All MORE Swim School venuesAntrim and Newtownabbey council teaches children from five and adult beginners at Antrim Forum for £7.25 a lesson, in a pool refurbished with new village changing.