FAQs
- Swimming kit – even if your camp does not have a swimming pool please do bring a swimming costume and towel each day. When the sun comes out so does the inflatable Slip ‘n’ Slide and Water Fight Mania! If your venue offers swimming, goggles and a swim hat are also useful.
- Spare clothes – please bring a change of clothes every day, pants and socks included. When the skies are grey we still try and get outside as much as possible and when the skies are clear, well, water fights might just spontaneously erupt! We are all kids, big and small, after all.
- Comfortable shoes – with all the running around we do all day, it’s important that your child has a comfortable pair of shoes.
- Lunch and snacks – all children will need to bring a lunch. A snack or two is also a good idea for break times – it’s hungry work at Activ Camps!
- Water bottle – it is essential that everyone stays hydrated so that energy levels are high. A water bottle, preferably named, is essential.
- Dress for the weather – in cold weather please bring plenty of warm clothes and a rain jacket is always recommended, just in case. When we are blessed with some sunshine please also bring a sun hat and apply sun cream in the morning before camp. We have sun cream available for top ups during the day. Staff will remind and assist (if appropriate) your child in reapplying the cream throughout the day (unless you advise us otherwise).
Please always ensure that belongings are clearly labelled with your child’s name. If lost, we will then be able to return them to you. It also always helps if your child knows what they have with them when they arrive so that we can ensure they have everything with them when they leave. Please also avoid packing expensive clothing.
All medication must be handed in at registration and a medication form filled in and signed. Please allow extra time for this when dropping off.
Medication is kept in a secure, centralised first aid box, to ensure that if a reaction, attack or incident should occur whilst on camp, the medication will be administered in good time, by a qualified first aider in the most efficient and reliable way.
Staff will not administer ‘over the counter’ medication, only that prescribed by the child’s GP.
Adrenaline auto-injector
If your child carries an adrenaline auto-injector (an EpiPen) please try to ensure that two adrenaline auto-injectors are handed in to the Lead First Aider at your camp. We request two EpiPens to ensure the safest and fastest administration of first aid treatment, should a reaction occur in our care. This is also advised by The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency stating “In some cases, a single injection is not sufficient to achieve a response for a number of reasons, including severity of attack as well as the possibility that a dose has not been effectively administered; a second injection may therefore be needed.”
Auto-adrenaline Injector 1 – Held in the site’s secure centralised first aid box.
Auto-adrenaline Injector 2 – Held by your child’s Activity Instructor and moved around Camp with your child all day.
Children will not be allowed to stay on camp if the adrenaline auto-injectors handed in are out of date, or they are not appropriately labelled with the child’s name.
Asthma inhalers
Reliever inhalers travel with the child’s group, enabling instant access to this medication if required for self-administration. If my child is unable to self-administer, the inhalers will be kept in the centralised first aid box.
With the wide range of allergens that there are, Activ Camps is, unfortunately, unable to completely control the presence of these on camp. Of course, we have members of our team trained to respond to allergic reactions, including the administering of auto-adrenaline injectors, and have a robust medication policy in place. Our staff are also instructed to regularly remind children not to share food.
Parents and carers are encouraged, for the safety of all children on site, to avoid sending your children to camp with foods that include prevalent food allergens. These include nuts, eggs, shellfish and chickpeas. Please click here to learn more about food allergens.
Drop off is from 8:30am to 9:15am, and we encourage everyone to be registered at the sign in desk by 9.00am. Please remember that there is no guarantee that your child will be able to grouped with their friends if they turn up after 9.15am, which is why we encourage signing in before 9.00am.
Pick up is from 4:30pm-5:00pm.
Our Late Pick Up service is a fantastic option for parents and carers looking for flexibility.
We offer Late Pick Up until 6:00pm for £6 per day.
We ask that you call us to let us know if you will be turning up late, as this will help us to organise groups accordingly. Please note, that if you turn up after 9:15am there is no guarantee that your child will be grouped with their friends.
Children from four to eight years old are placed in groups of up to 16 children with a staff:child ratio of 1:8. Children aged eight and over, can be placed in a group of up to 18 children.
Children are grouped with others of a similar age every morning.
Of course, it is inevitable at smaller venues that some groups will have a slightly more significant age gap. In these situations, we ensure the older children are encouraged to act with responsibility and care towards younger children.
This is often a nice dynamic as the older children enjoy the responsibility and interaction of helping younger children, and vice versa, the younger children love the opportunity to befriend and take part in activities with older children!
We know that it is important to make the day as fun as possible for all children, and being with your friends is very much part of this experience. However, generally, friends need to be about the same age.
Due to the complex nature of groupings on camp, we cannot always guarantee every friend request.
If your child has a friend they would like to be with, please request this with staff on the desk when you are signing your children in.
We ensure that all activities that we advertise are part of the weekly programme for your child on camp.
We cannot guarantee the exact days of the week that each activity will occur but your child will have the chance to enjoy all the activities if they join us for a full week (Monday to Friday), unless the venue decide that some facilities are out of action for maintenance. We have a very long list of activities and may activites move around venues over the course of the holidays, so we cannot guarantee specific activities on any given day. Children will of course still have the chance to enjoy a huge variety of different activities every day whilst they are on camp!
We will endeavour to inform you of these alterations at the earliest time.
Please also note that not all activities are available at all venues, simply due to the facilities available. Please check your venue specific information page for further information.
When it rains, we try and get outside as much as possible. Many of the venues we use have fantastic indoor facilities that we can use if we need to be inside but it is advisable to always bring a rain jacket and spare set of clothes, pants and socks included.
We will endeavour to put on a full and varied activity programme whatever the weather, but when it pours we must prioritise the health and safety of our children. We have a number of engaging indoor games and challenges that can be played when space is limited by the British weather.
Please look at the facilities available at each venue on the venue specific information pages.
We operate a lost property system at every venue.
We cannot guarantee the return of any lost item, but we do ask that all clothing and items brought in by your child is clearly labelled with you child’s name. If, after camp, we find labelled items we will post or deliver them back to you for nothing more than a small charitable donation to a charity of your choice.
Please ask a staff member to help if items are lost at any point.
We do find that some items turn up a day or more after being lost and that, occasionally, items get mixed up and end up being taken home by another child. Where this is the case we will do all we can to help get items returned to their rightful owners. Please do inform us if you have taken an item of clothing home which is not yours.
We set the activities each day according to the weather, staff experience and expertise, and the number of children on camp.
Changes regularly occur to the timetable so we do not send a weekly programme to parents pre-camp.
We will encourage children to take part in all activities, but they will not be made to take part in something they do not want to.
Children can choose to opt out of an activity and we do try our best to find them an alternative activity (although not guaranteed), but please be aware that joining other groups after 9.15am will be difficult if groups already have maximum numbers.
We will not operate any camp unless we have suitably qualified first aiders as part of our staff team on site.
The Lead First Aider will be in charge of all medication and will keep records of all first aid administered.
At Activ Camps we ensure that strict safety procedures and supervision levels are maintained throughout all Pool Fun sessions.
For each group (up to 18 children) there will be one fully qualified Lifeguard on pool side plus an additional staff member for support. In the water there may be up to three members of staff swimming with the children to ensure that those less confident have an adult on hand to reassure them.
All children will participate in a short swimming test so that Lifeguards are aware of each child’s swimming ability. As a result children may be asked to wear a buoyancy aid or asked to stay in a certain area of the pool.
All 4-5 year olds are required to wear a life vest as part of our safety regulations.