Lifeguard courses
Gain a National Pool Lifeguard Qualification at Riverside Leisure Centre and South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre.
The National Pool Lifeguard course (NPLQ) offered by the Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS) is suitable if you are aged 16 and over and would like to gain a qualification in order to work as a lifeguard.
To complete the course and become a lifeguard, you must be able to:
- jump or dive into deep water
- swim 50m in less than 60 seconds
- swim 100m continuously on front and back in deep water
- tread water for 30 seconds
- surface dive to the floor of the pool
- climb out unaided without ladder/steps and where the pool design permits
The week-long course will have both practical and theoretical elements.
At Riverside Leisure Centre we are also offering the Emergency First Aid at Work course (EFAW), also by the RLSS, with some National Pool Lifeguard courses.
Riverside Leisure Centre
We are running courses from:
- Monday 16 to Saturday 21 February 2026 (fully booked)
- Tuesday 7 to Sunday 12 April 2026
- Monday 27 July to Saturday 1 August 2026
- Monday 10 to Saturday 15 August 2026
- Monday 24 to Saturday 29 August 2026
- Monday 26 to Saturday 31 October 2026
Courses cost £318 and you can register your interest by emailing rlcswimschool@chelmsford.gov.uk
South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre
We currently have no courses planned.
For a course at Riverside, you can email rlcswimschool@chelmsford.gov.uk
For a course at SWFLC, please email Sonny.Bent@chelmsford.gov.uk.
You can find out more about the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification.
You can find out if there are currently any lifeguard vacancies at Riverside or South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre.
Lockers and changing rooms
- If you want to use a locker, you will need a £1 coin to release the key. You will get the £1 back when you return the key.
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There are individual changing cubicles as well as group female and group male changing areas available.
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