Camp will start after the two Inset days at the end of the summer term. It will run for three weeks, from Monday 24th July through to Friday 11th August.

Training for all Camp staff will take place over two twilight sessions at the Walton Oak site on Tuesday 4th and Tuesday 11th July from 4.30pm-7pm.

It will operate from our Walton Oak site for 2023, the first time this site has hosted Camp. The decision to change location was two-fold:

• We needed to choose a large school site to accommodate the 175 or so children that come to Camp each day. Echelford has extensive playground works planned for the summer break and Riverbridge have already hosted Camp for one summer so this was the ideal opportunity to showcase Walton Oak. This site has a multitude of outside facilities including two MUGAs, trim trails, an amphitheatre, two large fields and a large early years area.
• Ensuring that all children could swim every day at Camp was becoming an untenable position – one that Camp staff in 2022 can attest to. Turnaround times were too tight and enough time in the pool was a real issue, especially for younger age groups so we were not tied to being at Saxon site any longer.

The key change for Camp this year is that we will be operating a carousel of free-flow activities everyday. Children will not be split into defined groups on a class-like basis. Instead, children can choose what activity they wish to do and are also free to mix with who ever they want to so friendship issues will be reduced. Staff will no longer be expected to lead a group of children alone for the day. Instead staff will work in pairs to host an activity for children that choose to take part – one staff member leading the activity, the other assisting them.

Our usual wraparound care for full time working parents will be in place with the provision of an Early Club and Late Club which means Camp can accommodate children from 8.10am through to 5.45pm.

The minibus shuttle service will no longer be available for all families to book, it will only be open to Pupil Premium families to ensure our provision is accessible to all regardless of their personal circumstances. We have found in recent years, as the number of children attending has increased, that the demand for minibus seats has dramatically risen - so much so that we find that we are leaving more and more parents who cannot book a seat disgruntled. Often, bookings are secured by those who are the fastest at getting online and clicking ‘Buy’ and not by those who have a genuine need to use our transport service. 

Being part of the Summer Camp provides staff with the chance to spend time with the children simply having fun. Camp this year will allow staff and children to form a camaraderie and take part in activities that allows more of a child’s (and staff member’s) unique personality and interests to shine through.

Our staffing structure for 2023 has changed to reflect the feedback from our staff survey:

• The level of responsibility you wish to take on is now your choice with Activity Leader and Activity Assistant roles available. 
• Daily rates have been uplifted and are competitive with other local offerings in the same sector.
• We are offering a commitment bonus for those who wish to commit to full weeks of employment. 
• We have the exciting new role of a part time Camp Administrator available, created due to the increasing back office tasks that come with a growing Camp. 

Please note:

We will only consider applications from candidates who are:

• fully aware of the aims and values of Lumen Learning Trust and their behaviour management approach for children aged 3-11.
• have a secure and deeply embedded knowledge of safeguarding and their personal responsibilities to it as detailed in our Lumen Child Protection policies.

You are able to apply for the following roles/:

• Activity Leader
• Activity Assistant
• Early Years Co-ordinator
• Camp Administrator
• Activity Leader: Sports
• On-call Activity Leader or On-call Activity Assistant

 

You will be responsible for leading activities and guiding Activity Assistants to ensure the successful delivery of the daily timetabled carousel of events which can include multi sports, games and arts & crafts. 

Working under the direction of Camp Leaders, you will plan, create, resource and adapt activities throughout the day, to reflect the theme for the day, and children’s interests and needs.

 

You will ensure service provision is a safe, fun, and stimulating environment, reflecting the Lumen ethos of putting the children's needs at the heart of its provision.

You will assist Activity Leaders in delivering activities which can include multi sports, games and arts & crafts. 

Our Commitment Bonus offer for Activity Leaders and Activity Assistants:

A bonus payment for those staff who wish to commit to and work a full week in an Activity Leader or Activity Assistant role (Monday to Friday of the same week) as follows – 

 

A key feature seen at every one of our Camps is the high proportion of Early Years children attending. This demonstrates parents trust in us to care for their children and gives us the opportunity to get to know children early in their education careers, introducing them to Lumen and our ethos. Unsurprisingly, the level of need for the youngest Camp attendees requires more focused and specialised care and attention, often with the aid of other members of Camp staff.

This role will require the successful candidate to work alongside Camp Leaders to help Activity Leaders to plan for adaptations to their activities to enable younger children to engage with and enjoy them safely.

 

You will provide support on a broad range of routine administrative activities to enable the Lumen Summer Camp to function efficiently.

You will ideally have Lumen school office administrative experience so you are able to effectively work at a fast pace, multi-task and prioritise on a daily basis as well as experience of working with parent payment and communications software. 

 

Much like our Activity Leader role, you will be responsible for leading activities and guiding Activity Assistants to ensure the successful delivery of daily timetabled activities but with a focus specifically on Sports, taking advantage of the wide-ranging facilities available at our Walton Oak site.

Working under the direction of Camp Leaders, you will plan, create, resource and adapt activities throughout the day, to reflect the theme for the day, and children’s interests and needs.

 

As well as permanent members of staff, we are looking to recruit on-call Activity Leaders and Activity Assistants for each day the Camp is in operation. This will allow us the necessary ​flexibility to ensure our ratios remain at suitable levels, taking into account the level of bookings, any staff illness, absence and other exceptional circumstances.

On-call staff will carry out the same duties as permanent Activity Leaders and Activity Assistants. For job descriptions please see the bottom of the page.

 

There will be some necessary training and preparation prior to the Camp starting. Training will take place over two twilight sessions at the Walton Oak site on Tuesday 4th and Tuesday 11th July from 4.30pm to 7.00pm.   

This will enable Camp staff to familiarise themselves with the Camp location and prepare materials and resources in readiness for the first day of Camp as well as meet the Camp team and ask any questions they may have prior to Camp starting.

All Camp staff are expected to attend, permanent and on-call staff alike.

Below, you can hear from staff who have been a member of previous Camp staff teams to understand some more about what it is like to be part of the Camp:

Harriet Code

Hi, I'm Harriet and I have worked at Summer Camp since it started 6 years ago. I love working at Summer Camp because it is a fun and relaxed environment where you can spend time with staff from your school and get to know them more but also staff from other Trust schools. 

My favourite thing about Summer Camp is seeing the children have the best time, they get so excited by the different themed days and you get to know more about their interests - whether it is children from your school or other schools. With having different themed days there is always something that really sparks their interest and so you see them with the biggest smiles on their faces. Working in a school means most days are centred on teaching, learning and making progress and at Summer Camp you get to have so much fun with the children and see them develop in so many different ways - one of my favourite moments was a child persevering on the monkey bars and she was so proud of herself when she got the whole way across!

I work every day but you can choose to work the days that suit you - whether it is 1 or 2 days or 1 week. The Summer Camp leaders Hannah and Pippa are really accommodating as they know and understand it is our summer holiday. 

Whatever you choose to do, it would be lovely to see you, even for one day, and I can imagine children from your school would love to see you there as well!

Zoe Tarry

I had always wondered what it would be like to work at the Summer Camp but always held back due being unsure of how much it would differ from my normal teacher role and it being out of my comfort zone. However, I'm so glad I gave it a go and, after only signing up for 1 week, I ended up doing all 3! Although the role uses the skills we all have as school professionals, it is a much more relaxed environment, with the children calling you by your first name and days filled with crafts and games. One thing I really enjoyed, was the opportunity to meet and work with different people from across the trust that you wouldn't do so normally, as well as meeting a variety of new children. Everyday is different, exciting and full of opportunities to use your creativity and have fun whilst earning some extra money. I'd recommend anyone who is thinking about it to give it a try!

We understand that you might be tempted to apply for a role but are still a little unsure of what will be expected of you as a Group Assistant.

Members of our 2020 Camp staff team have created the video below which will give you a flavour of the types of activity you will have the freedom to lead and put your own stamp on to ensure your group, as well as you, have as much fun as possible.

 

If you think a role at our Camp sounds like an exciting and unique opportunity to have a positive and fun influence on our children’s holiday time this summer, we would be delighted to receive your completed application using the online form via this link: