Swimming in Sunderland: Pools and Lessons for Families

Learning to swim matters in a city with a coastline and a river running through it, and Sunderland has a reasonable choice of pools for families. The main public pools are run by Everyone Active on behalf of Sunderland City Council, ranging from the 50m pool at the Aquatic Centre to smaller community pools in Hetton and Silksworth. Alongside them, two private swim schools hire school and gym pools to run children's lessons in the evenings and at weekends. This guide covers each option, what it has for children and how to book. Prices and timetables change through the year, so check the operator's website before you go.

Sunderland Aquatic Centre

Sunderland Aquatic Centre sits beside the Stadium of Light on the north bank of the Wear. Its main pool is 50m long and can be split into sections, so lane swimming, club training and public sessions can run side by side, and there is a separate diving pool. For families, the centre also has a two-tier soft play open daily, which makes it easy to pair a swim with an hour of play. The Everyone Active timetable shows which sessions are open to the public each day, as the pool is shared between lessons, clubs and public swimming. If you are visiting on a match day, allow extra time for traffic and parking; our Stadium of Light match day guide explains the restrictions.

Best for: Confident swimmers wanting a long pool, and families combining a swim with soft play.

Washington Leisure Centre

Washington Leisure Centre is a good choice for younger swimmers. Alongside its six-lane 25m pool there is a learner pool with sensory hydro features and two flumes, and the centre runs a children's swimming lesson programme. The building also has the Play World soft play for under-eights and a cafe. The centre is open Monday to Friday from 6.30am to 9pm and at weekends from 8am to 5pm, with pool sessions set within those hours.

Best for: Families with younger children who want flumes, a learner pool and soft play under one roof.

Hetton Community Pool & Wellness Centre

Hetton Community Pool & Wellness Centre in Bernard Park, Hetton-le-Hole, is one of the newer pools in the city. It has a 25m main pool and a learner pool, and runs swimming lessons for children and adults as well as pool parties. Opening hours are 7am to 9pm on weekdays and 8am to 4pm at weekends. For an outdoor add-on, Hetton Lyons Country Park is a short drive away; see our guide to playgrounds in Sunderland.

Best for: Families in Hetton, Houghton and the Coalfield who want a modern pool close to home.

Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis & Wellness Centre

The Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis & Wellness Centre on Silksworth Lane has a four-lane 25m pool used for public swimming and children's lessons. The same building has 18 tennis courts, eight of them indoors, plus padel courts and a cafe, so it suits families where one child swims while another plays tennis. Opening hours are 6.30am to 9pm on weekdays and 8am to 4pm at weekends. The Silksworth Sports Complex & Ski Slope is next door.

Best for: Families on the south-west side of the city, and those juggling swimming with other sports.

swim@ Sunderland lessons

swim@ Sunderland is part of swim!, the swimming lesson business co-founded by Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington. It runs children's lessons for ages three and up in two school pools after school hours. At Castle View Enterprise Academy in Castletown, classes run Monday to Wednesday from 4pm to 7pm and on Saturday and Sunday mornings. At Farringdon Community Academy, where a new pool has opened, classes run on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. Lessons run for most of the year rather than by school term, and places are booked through the swim.co.uk website.

Best for: Parents wanting structured, ability-grouped lessons outside the leisure centre timetable.

Swimtime at Everlast Sunderland

Swimtime is a national swim school that hires the pool at Everlast Gyms on Timber Beach Road. It runs classes on Tuesdays and Saturdays for children aged four and over, with a maximum of six children in each group. Private one-to-one and two-to-one lessons are available for all ages, which can help nervous swimmers or anyone wanting to progress faster. Availability and booking are on the Swimtime website.

Best for: Children who benefit from small groups, and older beginners wanting private lessons.

Tips for family swimming

• Supervision ratios: leisure centres set limits on how many young children one adult can bring into the pool, and these vary by age. Check the Everyone Active centre page before taking several children on your own.
• Book ahead: family and fun sessions can fill up in school holidays, and the Everyone Active app shows spaces in advance.
• Lessons waiting lists: popular lesson slots, especially after school, can have waiting lists, so it is worth registering interest early.
• Sea swimming: Roker and Seaburn beaches are popular in summer, but the North Sea is cold and conditions change quickly. Only swim where it is safe and check for lifeguard cover; our Roker and Seaburn seafront guide has more.

For more ideas for children, see our guides to soft play in Sunderland and a rainy day in Sunderland, or browse our families page.

Know a place we have missed? Get in touch.