Before the Trip

Your Child’s Personal Details

In order to offer the safest activity trip to all pupils, teachers and Rockley Adventure staff it is imperative that you provide full personal details for your child.   Your child’s school will require a consent and medical form and this should advise of any current or recently experienced major illness, disabilities, behavioural or social problems and whether your child has been in hospital for any reason within the 6 months prior to booking, which may affect your child’s safety or the safety of others.  Please read the restrictions relating to pre-existing medical conditions in Insurance. All personal information is held confidentially.  Rockley Adventure prides itself on welcoming as many youngsters as possible on our trips; very occasionally we may not be able to provide a suitable trip for a particular pupil due to their very special needs and in these rare instances any monies paid will of course be refunded.

Paying for Your Child’s Trip

Your child’s school normally books school activity trips many months in advance.  This not only provides the Group Leader with plenty of time to organise the trip but also gives parents an extended period over which to save for and make payments for their child’s trip.

Our normal payment schedule for school activity trips is as follows:

Your child’s school may implement their own schedule of payments that will take into account school holidays and your assistance in sticking to this will really help your child’s Group Leader!

Please remember that all payments are Non Refundable, unless the cancellation falls within the terms of the Travel Insurance policy.  See also Insurance and Booking Conditions.

Medical & Emergency Details

Please provide your child’s school with all requested information, such as contact names and telephone numbers for the time your child is away.

If your child is currently taking any medication, full details of dosage and administration must be provided to your child’s Group Leader.

Of course, children can sometimes feel unwell and accidents can occasionally happen – but because of our safety precautions they are no more prevalent than with any youngsters at play, probably less. We have staff with first aid qualifications and have pre-established links with local doctors, dentists and hospitals in case of emergency. In case of minor accidents, each of our activity centres is equipped with a first aid kit. Full records of treatment are kept and parents are always alerted in a real emergency. For some small accidents (e.g. bumps, scratches and grazes) we will not normally contact parents unless deemed necessary.

Swimming Ability

Everyone should to be able to swim 50 metres in light clothing and will also be required to wear a buoyancy aid  (except for body-boarding, surfing and swimming in the campsite pools or visiting AquaLand/Tower Park) whenever on or near the water.  Special arrangements can be made if a particular child cannot swim the required distance, provided we have been notified, in writing, in advance of the trip.  Parents/guardians should indicate, either by letter or on the Trip Safety Questionnaire, to the school any information regarding swimming ability.

What to Bring

We provide buoyancy aids at all our centres and at our UK centre we also provide waterproof tops and bottoms. Your child will need:

Please also remember that the sun in France is a lot stronger and reflects off the water so sun protection is essential.

A comprehensive kit list can be found in Downloads. 

What not to Bring

Mobile phones

[Public telephones are available at all our centres and take change or phone cards which can be purchased on site.  Email messages can be sent to your child’s centre – please use Feedback to send email messages stating which centre your child is attending. We do not currently have the facilities for children to send e-mails]

Valuable watches and jewellery
MP3 players and personal stereos

Lost Property

Help us to help you! We will do our best to return named lost property to its rightful owners, however, if lost clothing is not clearly marked, it is unlikely that we will be able to trace it. We strongly recommend woven type nametapes, which should be firmly stitched into an obvious place in each garment. We reserve the right to charge postage and packing for any items returned after your child’s trip.

Pocket Money

As our school activity trips are fully inclusive your child will require only a modest amount of pocket money for sweets, soft drinks, ice-creams, small souvenirs and if you are lucky postcards!  Obviously older children have different requirements to younger children and the amount will also depend on the length of stay with us, but we would recommend £20 to £40 for trips to our UK centre and €60 to €100 for trips to any of our French centres.

Passports

For trips to our French centres it is your responsibility to ensure that your child has his/her own passport and (if necessary) visa documentation. Holders of non-UK passports should check with their embassy whether a visa would be required. All UK citizens travelling abroad need to be in possession of a valid 5 or 10-year passport - for more information please see www.ukpa.gov.uk , please allow plenty of time for the application process as we are unable to allow youngsters to travel without a valid passport. Youngsters travelling as a group can travel under a Group Passport obtainable from the Passport Agency your child’s Group Leader at school will arrange this if they choose to travel under a Group Passport. At the time of writing and as a Resident of the UK you do not require a passport to visit our centre in Poole! 

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

As a UK resident, your child is entitled to any medical treatment which becomes necessary, free or at a reduced cost, when temporarily visiting a European Union (EU) country. Only treatment provided under the state scheme is covered on production of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).  The EHIC has now replaced the old E111 form which is no longer valid.

For trips to our overseas centres, every pupil MUST have their own EHIC which should be held by the group leader for the duration of the trip.

Obtaining a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

The quickest and easiest way for parents/guardians to get an EHIC is to apply online at www.ehic.org.uk, however applications can be made by phone on 0845 606 2030 or alternatively by post using a form available from the post office.

It is strongly recommended that you obtain your child’s EHIC at least 2 months before the departure date of your trip.

Regardless of how parents / guardians apply, you will need to have the following information to hand for everyone you are applying for:
· name and date of birth
· NHS or national insurance (NI) number

Severe Food Allergies

In extreme cases where a child is violently intolerant to certain foodstuffs, we wouldn't use it in any of our catering or preparation for that week.  As all of our food is made from base products we do not have a problem with anything containing nuts, for example, without us knowing.   We don't use many pre-packaged foods.  The only real exception is breakfast cereal where, as in the UK, you cannot guarantee a lack of contamination due to different brands being made in the same factory.  The French aren't quite as visual in their marking of packaging as we are in the UK, however every item does carry a full ingredients list and as long as your child is aware they need to take a bit of extra time to question before buying sweets or other food treats then they should be able to avoid the problem foodstuff.

Behaviour Charter

For us to offer the highest quality and safe, enjoyable activity trips that Rockley Adventure is well known for relies in no small part to the cooperation of the youngsters themselves.  We have a number of simple, common sense rules that will help ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone involved in your child’s trip with us.  Please take time to read, together with your child, our full Behaviour Charter which can be found in Downloads.  Your child’s school may also choose to add to this list to maintain the standard of behaviour expected by the school.

Birthdays

If your child has a birthday during their trip with us please let us and your child’s Group Leader know in advance and we can endeavour to make it a day to remember for them!