My son (10yo) went to Kingswood (previously CampBeaumont) last summer at the Isle of Wight, it was horrific. He called me on the first night at 4am homesick and it sounded like a funfair, all the boys were awake. He was put in a room with boys much older than him, he got bullied and assaulted (whipped with a metal belt by a 14yo) on the third night, racially abused and Kingswood staff covered it up. It went on so long (circa 1am) he filmed it on his phone. He went to get help but no staff were around, he had to get help from the older boys (15-16yos). The staff ultimately intimidated him to remove the video footage on his phone claiming "child protection issues" but in my view to cover up their blatant lack of care and availability to the children. They went further to remove him from camp (I had to pick him up on the Thursday of a sun-sun booking), they told me nothing of the assault(s) it was only when my son, sobbing all the way home, told me about the attack and the video and I checked iCloud and his trash can and found tons of it. The boys using his phone night after night filming as late as 3am, 4am in the morning. Then final footage my son took of him gettin abused and assault none of which did Kingswood tell me about. They just said he was banging on doors in the early hours ( which he did when he was looking for help and the staff was not available). On the end of the video footage you can hear a member of staff finally come into the room when my 10yo son was weeping in pain on the floor after being whipped by a 14yo. He knew exactly what helped because everyone else in the room told him what had happened, but Kingswood staff chose to cover up a crime and intimidate a child in doing so. I had to go to the police eventually as Kingswood chose to call my bluff in that I didn't have the footage which they believed had been deleted. The child who had whipped my son had been left to continue his holiday and his parents were non the wiser whereas my son was left traumatised and thinking he was a criminal.
I also reported to OFSTED but I've now found out that commercial organisations, even residential ones, who look after children over 8 are not bound by any regulatory body including OFSTED. They are just advised to join voluntarily. Therefore although the child assaulted my son, Kingswood does not get brought to task!!! That was such a shock to me. I sent my child in good faith expecting a standard of provision of service and duty of care. I've dropped charges on the boy because his parents were as shocked as I was and I don't wish to criminalise a sleep deprived silly ignorant child, but I'm furious Kingswood will keep packing kids in like sardines in my view to make lots of money and provide minimum service.
Beware.