This is the first time that I have been disappointed with an FSC course. The tutors (apart from the tutor who took us to Dartmoor) appeared ill-prepared, never fully able to tell us times and what exactly activities would involve etc. The tutors also appeared to view the week as a bit of a holiday for them. One of the tutors kept taking himself off to pursue his own activities (such as swimming around Burgh Island on the surfing day, when he was supposed to be in charge, and carrying out his own bouldering whilst he was supposed to be spotting for the participants). The other tutor did not seem to have adapted her style from the usual GCSE and A Level course and at times came across as rather patronising. There were two days – the Dartmoor and canoeing days – where we were hanging around the centre until around 10am, then on the canoeing day we simply shifted from the centre to a local park for the children to play on the swings etc. for another hour (although one suggestion had been for us to go to a garden centre because one of the tutors likes the coffee there!). This was the most expensive FSC holiday we have ever been on (and it is our main family holiday of the year), I do not feel that I got value for money as these times hanging around could have been spent doing some activities, and I left feeling that actually I paid a lot of money for the tutors to have a jolly good time, rather than for them to ensure that we had a jolly good time. The staff at the site were amazing, as always. They couldn’t help enough and the centre was spotlessly clean and the food was yummy and plentiful. The tutor, who drove the mini-bus for us, was very pleasant, capable, and knowledgeable. It is a shame that the centre, and the majority of the staff, were let down by the few who appeared to take advantage. Luckily, we still managed to enjoy our holiday as the other families were great and we all got on. The activities were good fun – particularly the surfing and canoeing. The Dartmoor day could have been made longer.
