In the summer of 1980 the founders of Camp Beaumont, Stewart and Catherine Wiley, brought one of the most welcome American imports to these shores.
After sending their own children to a day camp while they were working in New York, they felt that the concept would be a huge success in their home country - and something that was badly needed to help working mothers with childcare during the summer holidays. They were right! From the beginning, with the very first day camp at St. John’s Beaumont School in W indsor, Camp Beaumont has grown into an organisation with a team that operates all year-round with 6 Easter Camps and 12 day camps in London and the Home Counties.
Today Camp Beaumont has a number of imitators but nobody has ever matched us for sheer flair and innovation. Year by year we have updated our programmes with new activities and holidays, all designed to offer a real challenge to today’s youngsters.
THE CAMP BEAUMONT PHILOSOPHY
In 30 years of camp life, we have had the opportunity to see many children grow up at camp. We’ve seen the juniors become intermediates, then
seniors, and many finally return to work at Camp as Instructors & Group Leaders. What was most interesting with all these children was to note the effect that camp has had on their development. We’ve seen the insecurities of a camper’s first day vanish as friendships begin. We’ve seen independence grow as a child learned to deal with life away from home. And we’ve seen the emergence of selfconfidence and a positive self-image as a child receives recognition & encouragement from their camp friends.
"GIVE KIDS A CHANCE FOUNDATION"
The founder of Camp Beaumont, Catherine Wiley dedicates much of her time with charity works specifically related to children. Inspired by Camp Beaumont she has founded “Give Kids a Chance” a charity which brings opportunity to children from all over the world. We will ask each parent/guardian for a non-obligation donation of £1 per child at the time of booking for the charity and we hope to raise essential funds for children from as close as Crystal Palace to Cambodia. In recent years we have supported charities such as Child Bereavement Trust, Break Through Breast Cancer, and many individual causes supporting children in need. For more details on this charity or to become involved email us at info@campbeaumont.co.uk.
ARE YOUR CAMPS INDEPENDENTLY INSPECTED?
All of our camps are subject to a thorough annual inspection by OFSTED. The inspection will cover everything from staff qualifications and equipment to health and hygiene policies. All sites inspected in 2009 received great praise and our all our results can be viewed by visiting www.ofsted.gov.uk. Our Camps fully comply with the provision of the 2004 Children Act which imposes strict regulations for staff to child ratios (1:8). We are also inspected by BAHA, the British Activity Holiday Association and is further proof of our commitment to providing the best holidays for children.
SAFETY FIRST!
Safety is all important at Camp Beaumont. While we are proud of our record, we never let ourselves get complacent. We work hard to make sure that children are never put at risk. Responsibility for the care and safety of all children have been our most important considerations over the past 30 years. Acting in loco parentis, we apply the same standards of care and safety that any parent would expect (not least because some of us are parents too). So while your children are having fun you can be sure they are being well looked after.
CAMP ORGANISATION
Camp Beaumont is modelled along the lines of American Summer Camps and many of our senior team have considerable knowledge of the US system. A typical Camp Beaumont will have a management team consisting of a Camp Director, two Assistant Camp Directors and a Senior Group Leader. Supporting them, and dealing with campers on a day to day basis, are Group Leaders and Activity Instructors. We also have teams handling transport and catering. Our management teams share a wealth of experience, and are backed up by the professional operation of Head Office. They also attend special training courses throughout the year. This training is as much about the pooling of experience and the refining of our systems as about introducing new ideas for the coming summer. It also builds up friendships and a sense of teamwork which is an integral part of all the camps we operate.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE TIMES
Our standard day camp reception opens for registration at 8.30am and we ask all parents to ensure that they arrive by 9.00am. On arrival each day, we ask you to specify your preferred collection time. Children can be collected at the end of each day at either 4.30pm or 5.30pm. Your choice of collection time can be changed each day to suit your individual needs. There is no extra charge for this optional extended day service. Children staying until 5.30pm take part in an extra activity session between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.
YOUR CHILD’S PROGRAMME
Each child will complete at least six group activities per day which will be listed on their timetable. If you have any particular queries concerning a specific element of your child’s programme whilst they are at Camp, then please contact the Camp Director who will be more than happy to answer your questions.
CAMP KIDS = HEALTHY KIDS
Each year more than 5.5 billion lunchboxes are packed in the UK and we know how parents face the usual lunchbox dilemmas. All lunches offered by Camp Beaumont will include wholemeal bread, fruit, low fat snacks and crisps. All our camps will actively promote our “Camp Kids = Healthy Kids” campaign encouraging children to exercise regularly, choose water in between sessions and enjoy a funky exercise dance each day before lunch.
For every booking made we will also send great new and tempting ideas providing ingenious ways of adding healthy fruit and veg which will provide all the energy children need for a busy afternoon of work and play.
SWIMMING
Please ensure that your child brings a name tagged swimming costume & towel to camp every day. Although we cannot guarantee that swimming will be scheduled for all groups every day we do try to ensure that use of the pool is maximised in the hot weather. Having your kit every day will ensure that if the group get an unscheduled opportunity to use the pool, they won’t be left out!
CLOTHING
PLEASE NAME TAG EVERYTHING!
It’s always good practice for children to only wear well worn practical clothing and not their favourite brand new clothes. On an activity camp such as ours the wear and tear on clothing can be considerable, which is why so many parents opt for our own Camp T-Shirts and Camp kit!
CAMP STRIP
Our Camp merchandise is available if you want to pre-order T-shirts, baseball caps and drawstring bags.The majority of parents favour Camp T-shirts as it prevents other clothes being damaged during the fun and activities. It is also vital that in sunny weather your child is protected from the sun so please ensure that you provide a sun hat of your own choice if you do not select a Camp Beaumont baseball cap.
SECURITY
Safety always comes first so we would ask that our pick up and drop off procedures are strictly adhered to, as they have been planned with your child’s security in mind. When delivering your children you will be asked to sign a register and provide details of anyone else who may be collecting the children in the evening. It is essential that you confirm each day who will be collecting the children in the evening. If the drop off and collecting signatories are not the same and we have no notification of changes, we will not be able to release the children in the evening. We can only accept changes in writing/fax or in person. We are not able to accept telephone changes at any time.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
At Camp Beaumont we endeavour to welcome children from all backgrounds and with special needs. While we do not advocate to be specialist operators for all children with special needs we will always consider each application. Please see section 4 of our booking conditions for more information and for further information call our Customer Care Manager on 01263 823000.
PREPARING FOR CAMP
You will receive by email a comprehensive Information Pack no later than two weeks before camp begins. This document will help ensure children come to camp prepared and our camp checklist ensures you have all the necessary information to ensure your child has a great week.
YOUR CHILD'S WELFARE
So that we have all the necessary medical details concerning your children, you will be asked to complete our medical form, which is sent to you with the Information Pack. Please give us as much information as you can. We request that parents take the medical forms to the camp nurse or senior first aider on the first morning of camp. We understand that some children may have special needs that require extra care and attention. If your child has special requirements, please put these details in writing to our Customer Care Manager, who will make the necessary arrangements with individual camps.
HAVE A FEW EXTRA QUESTIONS
We provide a detailed parents guide online and we hope this guide answers most of your questions, however if you have any further questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact our Parent Information and Booking Line on 01263 823000.
CUSTOMER PROTECTION PLAN
We recommend that all children attending Camp Beaumont are protected by the Customer Protection Plan. The cost for this plan is £5 per child per week. Please see the booking conditions for details of what the plan covers. Only customers who purchase this plan are covered under the 24 hour refund guarantee policy. Medical claims must be made immediately through the Parent Information Line who will supply a cancellation invoice to support your medical claim.
WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS PROBLEMS?
We can even cope with rejection! We have a no nonsense, cast-iron guarantee that if any child is unhappy after the first day at camp, for whatever reason, and he or she does not wish to return for a second day, we offer a money back refund without quibbles or hesitation. This guarantee is only available if you have purchased the Customer Protection Plan and your child has not been issued with a warning for unacceptable behaviour.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
We love to get reports about our Camps from children and parents alike so after your child’s holiday we will give you a questionnaire concerning all aspects of the Camp Beaumont experience. It’s your feedback that keeps us on our toes, so we value any comments you may make. Please take the time to complete them as praise and criticism are important to us! Some things we may want to change immediately and others are especially useful when we discuss your experiences at the Camp Directors’ debriefing at the end of the summer.
