June 2010

Dear Parents and Carers,

As you are aware, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the PTA, the pool has remained open allowing our children to swim throughout the year. There are many benefits to the children of regular swimming lessons; it is cheaper and more convenient than taking your child out of Burnham to a public pool and it gives them the opportunity to learn to swim and build on this valuable life skill, which is particularly important as we live in a riverside town.

However, over the last year there has been a serious lack of financial support from a large proportion of parents which has led to the school having to find significant funding from our budget to keep the pool running. This situation is not sustainable and if we do not find a solution to this problem then the school may have to close the pool with effect from September 2010.

In order to continue swimming lessons across the whole school we would need a contribution of £2 per child per swimming lesson. This means that the cost for the Summer Term will be a total of £24 as we will have swum for 12 weeks. Can we please ask that any monies owing are paid with immediate effect and that if at all possible, payment is made now for the remainder of the term. If we receive a contribution for every child then this will just cover the cost of the swimming teacher and pool maintenance.

We would like to ask parents and carers for your thoughts prior to us making a long term decision about the future of our pool. We would therefore ask that you use the voting buttons below or complete the tear off slip attached to the letter that is coming home today (Monday 14th June) and return it to the school by Friday 18th June. We very much hope that the children of Burnham-on-Crouch Primary School will be able to continue to benefit from this fantastic resource, but without the long term financial commitment from parents and carers this will sadly not be possible.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Nicky Tothill

Headteacher