Barracudas Activity Day Camps Reviews 

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

My son had a brilliant time at Barracuda’s / Twickenham St Catherine’s last week, the staff were superb, especially Alice & Sofia who both went above & beyond to ensure Oskar had the best time & helped him overcome his anxiousness, which is why we keep coming back to this site in particular & have recommended to many others. Warmest Wishes Mel Margolis

Our son went to Twickenham St Catherine's Barracudas and Alice and the team looked after his extra needs so well. It was a huge breath of fresh air and we would 100% reccommend!

My son loved the camp at St Prians. The staff are so friendly real family atmosphere- they remembered him from last year. Every day coming home buzzing.

My kids always enjoy their time at Barracuda’s Twickenham St Catherine’s, the staff are always amazing and helpful! A perfect club for the school holidays that keeps the kids entertained for multiple days on end.

My boy had a fun week

Amazing group of people that have been entertaining my kids from when they were 5. Five years on and both kids still happily skip towards At Cathryn’s at Twickenham. Great facilities, tailored activities and entertainment.

THE best holiday camp by far. Staff are absolutely amazing and make the day so fun. My 11yr old is not keen on holiday camps in general but now looks forward to every day he spends there. Big shout out to Cobham Barracudas! You are fantastic!

Our two boys have attended the Chelmsford camp this summer and have had a fantastic time. Great range of activities, well organised and friendly staff. Early and late pick ups really helpful too. Definitely recommend!!

My son attends Barracudas in Chelmsford regularly and really enjoys it. Staff are professional and friendly, making the children feel at ease, the facilities and range of activities are great and everything is very well-run. Highly recommended.

My son enjoys going to the Watford camp everyday. He has lots of fun during the day!

My son has been coming to Barracudas in Chelmsford for the past two years for the six weeks holidays and always has the best time.
They have a great range of activities and the staff are super friendly and very well organised.

My daughter always attends Barracudas in Essex during the summer or over some other half-term holidays. She always makes new friends, has plenty of fun and arrives home happy and smiling with all the activities they have on offer. She loves especially swimming, art and she says she will miss the group leaders. I couldn't be happier knowing that my child is well looked after.

We couldn’t be happier with my daughter’s experience at Barracuda's Norwich!
As this was her first experience of needing to attend a holiday club as she's only 5, she was initially very nervous, as it was at a new location to her usual school, but when we arrived we got a really warm welcome from Amelia, who sensed the nerves and immediately calmed my little girl by being so smiley and friendly. Everyone there seems really focused on creating a fun and safe environment for the little people. Every day was packed with exciting activities—from outdoor adventures, arts and crafts to team games. My daughter came home each evening buzzing with stories of all the fun and exciting things she did and asked to go for even longer than we had booked for!
A big thank you to everyone, especially Amelia and Connie at Barracuda's Norwich for taking such great care of my little girl and making it such a memorable and joyful experience, which is a huge weight of for this parent trying to juggle everything during the summer holidays.
We’ll be booking again next year.

Our 12 year old daughter had 3 amazing days at Barracudas in Cambridge St Faiths. On her first day she was a little unsure thinking it may be a little young for her, but she immediately made friends with children her own age and begged us to send her again the following 2 days. The manager Lucy was fantastic…she booked our daughter in at the last minute and continued to help and coordinate everyone. Our daughter had an amazing time with loads of activities and met even more new friends over the subsequent days.

A huge thank you to Lucy and the team!! Will definitely have our daughter back when we return to Cambridge later in August.

THANK YOU! Ten out of ten!!

High Wycombe camp has Amazing consistent staff, fun and interesting
Have been attending Easter and summer camps since 2019 and have found nothing else to compare x

The staff are wonderful and the venue and activities are superb the children always come home very excited and looking forward to their next visit

Today's first impression- this was my daughters first session and sadly I felt the welcome and instructions once on site were very poor. Considering some children may be feeling anxious or just nervous for "first time" events, I felt that the welcome could have been better. Im hoping she has a good day but so far feel very disappointed.