Barracudas Activity Day Camps Reviews 

The last 3 summer camps were great, my child lived it, zctivities delivered as scheduked for most part,and with resources as advertised, plus mostly enthusiastic staff. This year was very poor++. Some instances of bullying in front of staff, staff did nothing as they were 'talking to each other' and 'not interested' according to my child. Activitiy resources were very poor eg children promised 'water fight' with water guns/balloons, instead thet 'plastic cups' and told 'dont use too many as we only have few'. Pool shut, they had inflatable water slude that broke and was not replaced. On and on. Staff loojed 'board regid' or subdued/disinterested. Except for 1 staff. My son had to go for 5 days, he normalky comes out happy, this year came out 'flat' in mood+++. Not happy at all. Is this what I pay nearly £45 a day for?. Really very much false advertising this year. Very disapointing indeed.

My daughter had a brilliant time. The price and location was good. Activities were varied and active. My only criticism is that the staff we came across weren’t very friendly and gave no handover whatsoever. My daughter is only 4 so it was a big deal to leave her for a whole day with strangers so some communication and friendly faces would have been appreciated!

From the offset, the welcome at Bishops Stortford was warm & friendly. We just knew our little one who is 8 years old was going to have fun. She had the most amazing time! The list of activities seemed endless, she made new friends and she came home every day exhausted and ready for wind down and bed. On her last day she hugged them all and promised to go back if she was allowed. We loved the fact she was having the best time in a safe and regulated environment. We'd highly recommend.

My 5&8 year old was at Letchworth Barracudas for the first time this summer.
They came back saying ‘ officially the best camp ever’.

My daughter loved her time at Barracudas and we were really impressed with the range of activities that was offered. We booked at the early bird rate and the value for money was amazing

Our child wakes up every morning excited for barracudas! The staff are so incredibly friendly and we can tell how comfortable our child is as he’s always talking about the day to us.

Our son went over several weeks this summer and absolutely loved it every time. He came out smiling, telling stories of his day. He ate all his packed lunch, snacks and some. It's so wonderful to know your children are cared for, happy when you need to work or have other engagements!

We are from Glasgow, Scotland and my 5 year old son travelled down to Norwich with me for the week for work. He attended the Norwich camp and loved it. He was so excited to go to camp each day and built some really good relationships with the staff and other kids. I was a little worried on the first day that he would be a little nervous but he was made to feel really comfortable and very welcome by all the staff.

Thank you Barracudas! He is hoping to come back next year x

To anyone considering Barracudas camp in Watford!
I have personally went here and it’s absolutely amazing, the activities and the overall atmosphere is just really great and welcoming! It is a little more pricey than other camps but it’s extremely worth it and your child won’t leave disappointed and will definitely want to return. I just want to give a shout out to the staff for making this place great.

My kids have a great time at Watford Barracudas, they love it.

The staff are attentive, they remember our kids names and habits really quickly and build familiarity. The activies are fun and our son comes home happy and relaxed. Highly recommended.

The team at Watford have been super friendly and professional ! Very supportive and inviting

Great staff. Very welcoming. Greta range of activities covering a full day.

Email you to tell you to download the app or the timetables yet there is none!!!

My daughter has grown in confidence since doing Barracudas summer club at Maidstone. The staff go above and beyond the call of duty.
Especially the customer service team as I started a new job and when my disabilities fail me, I knew I call the team up and say I’m so sorry I can’t get my girl to club today they made sure their was space for another day. Thank you so much for helping our family

Wonderful kids’ activity camp, loads of activities and great staff led by Alice, who is simply brilliant.

My 9 year old loves the variety of activities offered, which are well structured and organized by lovely people.
For me, the communications and back-office operations are always exceptional and I feel I can thoroughly trust Barracudas.

Our recent experience with Barracudas Summer Camp in Balham was deeply disappointing. My 4-year-old son, who is currently in Reception, is full of energy, friendly, and polite. Like many children his age, he is still learning to manage his emotions — something completely typical in early childhood development.

On his first day, we explained clearly to the staff that our son can struggle with changes in routine and may become frustrated in certain situations, particularly if another child takes a toy from him or disrupts his play. His emotional reactions, such as hitting or biting, are rare and not premeditated — but when they do occur, it’s usually because no adult was close by to help him regulate in the moment. At his school and after-school club, this hasn’t been an issue because staff know how to guide and pre-empt these situations with care.

What was most upsetting was how quickly we were told that if it happened again, our child could be excluded. I spoke with Sara (from head office, I believe), and I was shocked by how she described my son — as if he were a much older child capable of fully understanding and managing complex emotional expectations. He’s not. He’s 4.

From a child development perspective, emotional self-regulation is something that continues developing well into primary school. At this age, children rely on adults to help them co-regulate. Punitive measures like exclusion are not only ineffective — they are inappropriate when used as a first response to completely age-typical behaviour. The strict, rigid way the camp was run felt far closer to a military training program than a nurturing children’s summer camp.

Adding to our concern, there were three separate occasions when our son came home with visible injuries — a bruise on his nose, a scratch on his chin, and even a bruise underneath his eye. In none of these cases were we informed by staff about what had happened. Each time I asked, the answer was the same: “I’ll check and get back to you” — but nobody ever did. This lack of transparency and communication is unacceptable in any childcare setting.

Because we were told our son might be excluded, and before that could even happen, my husband and I made the decision to remove him and enroll him in another summer camp. I spoke with the manager at the new camp directly, and she immediately showed a much deeper understanding of young children’s needs and behaviour. It was a clear contrast in professionalism and developmental knowledge.

If a holiday camp cannot support a child in Reception who just needs some adult guidance and patience, then I genuinely question whether they are equipped to be working with young children at all.

To be clear, my son does not have any diagnosis, is not on the autism spectrum, and does well in structured settings where staff are trained to understand child behaviour. But if your child is the kind who doesn’t immediately “follow the book,” Barracudas is not the right place.

That said, I want to thank Patrice and Fran, who were kind, understanding, and the only part of this experience that felt genuinely child-centred. They clearly care and tried their best.

For one of the most expensive camps in the Balham area, we expected a much higher standard of emotional understanding, communication, and basic safety. We won’t be returning, and I know we’re not alone.

My daughter attended Bishop's Stortford camp this summer and had an incredible time! We've tried all the local camps and this one is by far her favourite! All the hosts were amazing, super organised and the activities were exceptional! Thank you!

We will definitely be back!

My son has been at Letchworth for 2 weeks, he loves it and has really enjoyed the activities.
The staff have been amazing dealing with his complex allergies.
Highly recommend
Thank you staff