Saving a School Pool. Securing Its Future.
Commercial partnership, repairs and a five-year swimming agreement.
When Walton High School’s ageing pool closed in February 2025, Wagtail developed a commercial solution that protected Swimwell’s access and restored the facility.
A threatened facility
The school pool was around 40 years old and suffered mechanical failure in February 2025. Swimwell had operated there for years, and closure placed substantial pressure on its business while the Kingsmead development was underway.
The school could not fund the necessary repairs and the pool faced possible mothballing or permanent closure.
An investment-backed partnership
Wagtail proposed that Swimwell underwrite the necessary plant and pool repairs in exchange for approximately double its existing weekly pool hours and a five-year hire agreement rather than term-by-term bookings.
Wagtail developed the proposal, met the school, negotiated the hire agreement, planned the work and coordinated contractors. The pool reopened by the end of May, with swimming resuming in June 2025.
Before, during and after
A visual record of the pool recovery.
Plant room repairs and renewals
The works also addressed the mechanical systems behind the pool, not just the visible swimming environment.
What this project demonstrates
The school regained access without immediate capital expenditure. Swimwell gained secure, expanded access for approximately 400 weekly swimmers. The success was as much about creating the right commercial agreement as repairing the pool.
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