Design standards for school pools

Your school's pool must meet the relevant legal requirements and design standards.

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new

Building Act 2004 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new

All school swimming pools must be fenced in accordance with the regulations.

Fences around school swimming pools must not harm people, even trespassers. For example, fences should not have any accessories capable of causing injury to people, such as barbed wire, spikes or arrow tips, and so on.

Fencing at school

Building Code (including the new Clause F9 for fencing – Building Performanceopen_in_new

NZS 8500:2006 'Safety barriers and fences around swimming pools, spas and hot tubs' – Standards NZopen_in_new

Changing rooms must provide pool users with:

• privacy, giving regard to the gender, cultural or religious requirements of the school community
• adequate lighting, ventilation and drainage
• dry places to store belongings.

When you’re upgrading your facilities, you must also include a toilet within the pool enclosure. This is so you can meet the health and safety requirements for supervision.

Our toilet and changing space design standard has guidance and reference design layouts for:

• toilets (including accessible toilets and universal bathrooms)
• changing spaces
• staff facilities, and
• associated facilities in school buildings.

Design standards for toilets and changing areas in schools