The impact on schools which use the NSC pools in Douglas has been kept to a minimum while refurbishment works take place.

The Department of Education, Sport and Culture is ensuring that swimming lessons for school children continue during different term times and at other pools.

On August 4 the pools were closed to the public for the £4.2million upgrade, which will see the refurbishment of the leisure and competition pools, as well as the two flume rides being replaced.

The department confirmed the works on the facilities are ’progressing on programme, and on schedule for completion and pools re-opening prior to TT 2019’.

A department spokesman said: ’Key stage two children (aged seven to 11) from the eastern primary schools have not had their school swimming provision affected by the closure.

’Children in KS2 swim for two of the three terms over the course of a school year - September to Christmas and January to Easter - and this was a driver for the closure during August 2018.

’This allowed children from the eastern primary schools to bring forward their first term of swimming, which they would normally have from September to Christmas 2018 to swimming from Easter to the summer term 2018. They will get their second term of swimming once the pool re-opens around May 2019 from then until the end of the summer term.’

Schools based outside of Douglas have followed their normal swimming timetable at pools in Ramsey, Castletown and Peel.

’All pupils have received the same level of school swimming provision even with the closure,’ the spokesman said.

’The only compromise is the gap between the two terms whilst the NSC pool is closed for the refurbishment.’