Children are grouped with others of a similar age where the maximum age difference of children in a group will generally not be more than two years. We group the children by taking the youngest on roll to form the first group and then continue this process for all of the children booked in for that particular week, based on our maximum group sizes for each age band.
*Current COVID-19 guidance for out of school settings only allows a maximum of 15 children in a group and that group is to be consistent where possible (Early Years Children are not affected by this.) As children who attend Barracudas change on a daily basis, the 15 will be consistent for the day and weekly children will return to the same groups for the week. These groups are known as ‘bubbles’. Each bubble will be assigned a Bubble Leader and where relevant a Bubble Support staff.
With a maximum of 24 children in the group, this age group are looked after by an Early Years Leader who has relevant childcare experience/qualifications, along with two assistants. (The staff ratio for these children is 1:8.)
Find out more about activities for 4 ½ to 6 year olds here.
For 2021, groups will have a maximum of 15 children with Bubble Support staff who will support two bubbles. Bubble Leaders will stay with the group all day and distance their bubble from others throughout the day. Bubble Supports will assist as needed, e.g. toilet trips during a session, first aid incidents and staff break cover etc. Bubble Supports will also be a key part of the new cleaning protocols. (The overall staff ratio for these children is 1:12.)
Find out more about activities for 7 to 10 year olds here.
For 2021, groups will have a maximum of 15 children with Bubble Support staff who will support two bubbles. Bubble Leaders will stay with the group all day and distance their bubble from others throughout the day. Bubble Supports will assist as needed, e.g. first aid incidents and staff break cover etc. Bubble Supports will also be a key part of the new cleaning protocols. (The overall staff ratio for these children is 1:14.)
Find out more about activities for 11 to 14 year olds here.
These children will join the 11-13 year olds for activities but will also spend time with younger groups when shadowing staff.
Please note, BX+ will not be available at our Easter camps but are in constant review for our summer camps. Find out more about our BX+ course here.
Our groupings are organised week by week. There will be no changes to the groupings within the week. If you're booking for more than one week you may find that your child will be placed in different groups on the different weeks. This is because the age profile of the camp changes week by week. Please don't be alarmed by this as your child will always be in the right age band and therefore with children of a similar age. Please be advised there are no group movements after Monday morning of that week as this can be unsettling for the children.
As long as both children reciprocate the request and are a similar age (maximum difference 2 years) we can usually accommodate this. We can only offer one grouping request per child and we must be notified at least one month before the date of attendance in order to be guaranteed.
Of course, we'll always try and accommodate any group requests, but it may not be possible if that request is late and the group is full, as our staff ratios mean we can't just squeeze in an extra child. Grouping requests made within one month of the date of attendance cannot be guaranteed as we will have allocated children to groups at this stage and there may not be room to move them around. If you're booking within one month of the date of attendance we will be able to confirm at the time of booking whether or not we'll be able to accommodate the request.
We will not group children together if there is a grouping chain. If one child wants to be with another, who wants to be with another and so on, then grouping becomes impossible. That's why we only guarantee one advance and reciprocated grouping request per child.
Please note that group sizes are reduced during Easter 2021 due to COVID-19. This can make additional friend requests more difficult to accommodate.
Don't worry at all, most children do - they're either on their own or with a sibling in another group. Our staff always encourage children to get involved with small activities right from the moment they arrive, which helps them make friends in their group and builds confidence right from the start.