Daycamps FAQ
Booking your children onto Daycamps for the first time is a big decision. You're bound to have lots of questions about logistics and safety. We've compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help you quickly find the answer you're after.
Click here to download the Daycamp information pack
If you still can't find what you're looking for, please don't hesitate to give our friendly sales team a call on 01489 772215. We'll be happy to answer any queries you may have.
- Can my child be in the same group as their friend/sibling?
- Can someone else collect my child?
- What time do I have to be there to drop them off/pick them up?
- What happens if my child is unwell on the day?
- Is there a sibling discount?
- What is your Ofsted registration number?
- What are the ratios of leaders to children?
- What if my child can't swim?
- What does my child need to bring to Daycamps?
- My child has additional support needs / allergies - can they still come?
- Can my child move age groups?
- I only need The Big Day in the morning, is this ok?
- I only need The Big Day for one of the days in the week, is this ok?
- My child is on The Big Day - what time do they need to arrive to get breakfast?
- What happens if it's raining?
- Which night is sleepover on?
- Do you accept childcare vouchers?
- Can I book online?
- Can I come and have a look around?
- What supervision is there on the bus transport?
- Can my child get on at one bus stop and off at another?
- What happens if I'm held up and can't collect my child on time?
- What are your First Aid & Lost Property Procedures?
Can my child be in the same age group as their friend/sibling?
Yes and no!
As long as both children are the same age, or at least in the same age group, then yes they can be in the same group. All they need to do is stand together at the start of the day when the children are being divided into activity groups and make it known to the leader that they want to be together.
If they fall into different age groups then it is rather more difficult. See ‘Can my child move age group?'
Can someone else collect my child?
Yes! When you book your child onto Daycamps, our system will generate a unique pin number for them. This number will appear on your booking confirmation letter/email. If you would like another adult to collect your child from Daycamps or the bus stop, please phone the sales office on 01489 772215, quoting your child's pin number and we will make a note of the person who is authorised to collect your child. Please ensure that they bring ID along with them for the leaders to check at sign out/bus stop.
What time do I have to be there to drop them off / pick them up?
For standard Daycamps, drop off time is from 0900 - 0930. Leaders will not sign children in before 9am. Collection is between 1530 - 1600. Please contact us if you are held up for any reason.
For The Big Day, drop off is between 0745 - 0900, with collection between 1530 - 1800.
If your child is using one of the bus routes then the approximate pick up and drop off times are detailed on the bus route information.
What happens if my child is unwell on the day?
If your child is unwell before you bring them to Daycamps, please phone us on 01489 785228 / 772215 to let us know that they won't be attending. If you are able to supply us with a doctor's certificate, then we will be able to refund you for any missed days less an administration fee. We cannot offer part refunds, so if during Easter or Summer they only miss part of the week, we will not be able to offer a refund. Please check out our booking conditions for full details.
If you child becomes unwell whilst at Daycamps, we will contact you on the emergency contact numbers you supply us with at the time of booking, so that you can come and collect them. It is really important that we have at least 2 current contact numbers for you.
Is there a sibling discount?
If more than one of your children is attending Daycamps at Fairthorne Manor then it is likely you will benefit from joining Club Fairthorne. The membership scheme costs £22 per family to join for 12 months and gives you a 10% discount off of all Fairthorne Manor Daycamp bookings made and used within that period (not available for Portsmouth or Isle of Wight Daycamps). Whether or not you save will depend on what you are booking, but if you book two children for one week each during the Summer holidays then you will save money by joining.
Discounts apply to other services too, check out our Club Fairthorne page for more details.
What is your Ofsted registration number?
We have a number of Ofsted registrations depending on the scheme/location which you may be asked for if you are claiming some of the charges via tax credits:
Fairthorne Manor Daycamps 110056
Portsmouth Daycamps 143460
Winchester House Daycamps 337324
What are the ratios of leaders to children?
For children aged 4 -7 the ratio is 1:8
For children aged 8+ the ratio is 1:12
These are the minimum ratios but we often have volunteers who act as additional leaders in many groups.
During the actual activities themselves there will always be at least one qualified instructor in addition to the group leader, depending the number of instructors required for the activity.
What if my child can't swim?
That's not a problem!
Children in Holiday Club (age 4 - 6) will not take part in water activities. They may enjoy a boat trip along the river, during which they will be wearing a buoyancy aid and accompanied by qualified instructors at all times. They will not at any stage be in the water itself.
Children from Activity Club onwards will usually have some water activities in their programme. These include kayaking, raft building and sailing.
There is a likelihood, particularly during raft building, that they will end up in the lake!
All children will wear buoyancy aids during water activities and be carefully supervised by qualified instructors. The lake is relatively shallow and it is highly unlikely that a child would be unable to reach the bottom at any point.
Being able to swim is not therefore, a prerequisite for taking part in any of the activities. We will never force a child to take part in an activity they do not want to do.
Please advise us at the time of booking if your child cannot swim, or is nervous of the water. It will help our instructors to offer suitable support and encouragement if they are made aware in advance.
What does my child need to bring to Daycamps?
Children should bring the following each day;
- A packed lunch and a drink (there are facilities to top up drinks bottles on site)
- A change of clothes, including underwear!
- A towel
- A spare pair of shoes (preferably including some that you don't mind getting wet/muddy)
- A plastic bag to put wet clothes in
- Waterproofs / sun cream / hat
- 50p - £1 for the tuck shop (optional)
Please sure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled and that your child knows what clothing they have got with them. We suffer from mountains of lost property every year, and without a name, it's frequently impossible to reunite item with owner!
My child has additional support needs/allergies, can they still come?
YMCA Fairthorne Group is an inclusive organisation and we aim to offer Daycamps to the widest audience possible.
If your child has additional support needs, be they physical or non-physical, we would ask you to complete a referral form prior to booking. This will allow our Age Group Leaders to learn as much information as possible about your child's needs and make a decision on whether or not we can offer them the support they require.
Some children may need 1:1 support in order to gain the most from Daycamps. We do have buddy staff available at a cost of £55 per day, but parents may find they can receive funding from local authorities or charities to cover this additional cost.
Can my child move age groups?
The boundaries for each age group have been carefully chosen to enable us to offer the most age appropriate care and activities to all children. The age groups have been tried and tested over the years and for the most part, have proven very successful.
If a child is desperate to be with a friend who is in a different age group, we would allow (but not recommend) them to move down an age group to join them. This is not ideal, as the activities will obviously be aimed at a lower age group.
We are unable to allow children to move up an age group under any circumstances.
A large proportion of children who attend Daycamps do not know anyone else. We find that children make friends very quickly at Daycamps and the first day nerves are soon forgotten!
I only need The Big Day in the morning, is this ok?
You are welcome to collect your child early if you have booked The Big Day. We would just ask that you let the leader know when signing your child in so that they know roughly when to expect you.
The cost of The Big Day cannot be reduced irrespective of unused hours.
I only need The Big Day for one of the days in the week, is this ok?
During the half terms, when it is possible to book single Daycamp days, you can choose to add The Big Day to some days and not others.
During Easter and Summer, when you need to book for a full week at a time, you can only add a full week of The Big Day. This is unfortunately due to the logistics involved when we have so many children on site.
My child is on The Big Day - what time do they need to arrive in order to get breakfast?
Breakfast is normally served around 8.30am when most of the Big Day children have arrived. Food remains available until 9am, so children arriving up to 8.50am will still have time to have some breakfast!
What happens if it's raining?
Fairthorne Manor is an outdoor activity centre and as such, when it rains we carry on as normal.
All age groups have a dry base to keep their bags during the day and to have lunch. We recommend that children come equipped with waterproof clothing and appropriate footwear for wet weather. We tend to find that the children are not that bothered by rain, some of our leaders don't enjoy it so much though!
Only in extreme weather conditions that make it dangerous to run activities would sessions be cancelled. In this unlikely event, we do have a full size sports hall where we have plenty of active games to keep children entertained.
Which night is sleepover on?
February half term - Wednesday
Easter holidays - Wednesday
Whitsun half term - Wednesday
Summer holidays - Wednesday for Adventure Club & Club 14 - 16
Summer holidays - Thursday for Activity Club
October half term - Wednesday
Christmas holidays - No sleepover
Do you accept childcare vouchers?
Yes! We are happy to accept childcare vouchers in payment for Daycamps. If you wish to pay by vouchers, please book over the phone. Bookings must be made at least 2 weeks prior to the camp start date. If you wish to book closer to the time, we would ask for full payment on a credit or debit card at the time of booking, which will then be refunded once we have received the childcare vouchers.
Can I book online?
Yes! We are now able to accept Daycamp bookings online. Presently this service is only available to customers who have an account set up. If you are an existing customer and would like to use this service, please contact us for a user name and password.
If you are a new customer, we can set up an online account for you too! Please contact the sales office on 01489 772215 where we will be happy to take your details and set up an account for future bookings.
Can I come and have a look around?
Yes! We run 3 opportunities each year to give parents and children the opportunity to come and see the site and meet staff before booking their children onto Daycamps. Each event runs for approximately for one hour and may involve a short talk about Daycamps, a chance to ask questions and a brief tour of the site (bring appropriate footwear!).
The 2010 Open evening dates are;
Saturday 13 March 1000-1130
Tuesday 8 June 1800-1900
Monday 5 July 1800-1900
If you are unable to make any of these dates, we also have 3 Family Fun Days throughout the year.
What supervision is there on the bus transport?
Each bus will have two YMCA staff on board to supervise the children, in addition to the driver. The staff have a register and know who they are expecting to pick up and drop off at each stop. They are all contactable by our office staff via mobile phone.
Can my child get on at one bus stop and off at another?
Although we would prefer it if everyone could get on and off at the same stop, we do understand that the logistics of this are not always possible for parents.
If you would like your child to get on at one stop and off at another each day, then we can arrange this for you as long as the two stops are on the same bus route!
This is a special arrangement and we are unable to accept bookings online if you would like to do this, so please phone the sales office to book.
What happens if I'm held up and can't collect my child on time?
If you are due to collect your child directly from Fairthorne Manor, then we would ask that you phone us as soon as you know you are going to be held up. There is a late collection charge of £5 per 15 minutes of part thereof, however we will waive this in genuine, one off circumstances.
If you are due to meet your child at a bus stop then, again we would ask that you contact us at the office as soon as you know you are going to be held up. We are then able to get in touch with the bus couriers. The bus is only able to wait for 5 minutes at any stop or it will be delayed for the rest of its route. In the event that there is no one there to meet your child within 5 minutes of the due time, the bus will continue on its way with your child on board under the care of our staff. Parents can then catch the bus up at another stop or at the end of the route in order to collect your child.
