WYVERN Academy say it will do all they can to ensure existing users of the hydrotherapy pool on the school site can continue to use it after its management changes in April.

Public users of the pool, many of them for health reasons, have been concerned about their future use when it was announced that there would be changes.

Neptune Aquatics, a social enterprise, will be handing the management of the pool back to the Academy from Wednesday 10th April.

It has written to existing users saying that sessions they have paid for in advance must be used before Tuesday 9th April and that refunds cannot be issued on any credits purchased before Monday 22nd January 2024.

Said statement from the Academy: “We are currently getting in touch with all the users and finding out how they use and access the pool.  We are working towards a plan to keep the pool running and allow the community to continue to use it.  We know how important it is to the community as it is very important to our pupils too.”

Neptune say its decision to hand the pool back to the Academy has not been taken lightly and “has been made in the best interest of the pool and its users” and is working with the Academy to achieve a smooth handover.

“Our team is working hard to provide as many of our excellent sessions and classes during this time of handover however, some sessions may be disrupted so please ensure you check the booking system often and remember to book your session in advance online,” said a statement.

“Neptune Aquatics is committed to providing quality Hydrotherapy pool services to local communities and we have been able to do that in Weymouth since 2016 and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us through many ups and downs over the years.”

Managing director David Westbrook said the school had decided it wished to manage the pool itself and issued a notice to terminate the Neptune contract.

“The staff currently working at the pool will be transferred to the school under TUPE. We hope that the school will keep the Hydrotherapy Pool open to the public, but this is ultimately a decision for Wyvern Academy to make.

“I would like to stress that this was a decision made by Wyvern Academy and doesn't impact our other Hydrotherapy Pool in Sturminster Newton,” he said.