Parent Guide
pgl staff and safety

To maintain the standards of excellence for which we are known we rigorously select only the very best of the thousands of candidates who apply every year. We assess them according to their previous work with children, entertainment skills, personality and activity qualifications or experience. Naturally all staff members are DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service, formerly CRB) checked. Additionally, all new appointments are on probation for their first two to four weeks, and continually assessed to ensure they meet our high standards. You can find out more about our Recruitment process in our Code of Practice and Safeguarding Policy.

With 65 years of experience, PGL’s commitment to staff training and development is unsurpassed. Our staff must be adept at bringing out the very best in children, while keeping them safe and happy. So we ensure each one is trained and equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitude to give your children the time of their lives.

Trained Instructors take responsibility during activity sessions. We have an excellent safety record of which we are very proud, and we insist our Instructors enforce the highest possible safety standards.

Where a formal qualification exists, Instructors must hold it and Trainee Instructors must study for it. Where no recognised qualifications exist, we carry out verified in-house training and assessments.

Unlike many organisations, all PGL Centre Managers are on permanent, full-time contracts, having worked their way through PGL’s own career system. They set the tone at their centres, and ensure staff stay motivated throughout the whole year so each week is as good as the first!

On arrival at our UK centres, your child will join a small group of similarly aged children in the care of a Group Leader (or ‘Groupie’). Our Groupies are exceptional people, chosen for their ability to communicate with children and look after them. Responsible for children’s social welfare, they will be your child’s main daily contact. Groupies get the lazy bones up in the morning, make sure everybody knows where they should be, encourage regular use of soap and toothpaste, eat meals with the children, organise wacky evening entertainments, and boogie with them at the disco. We train Groupies to come through smiling – and the children simply love them!

Our Holiday Consultants are second to none. A number of them are parents themselves and know our centres well, so are best placed to answer any questions you may have. They can’t wait to help you plan the perfect holiday for your child – so call them now! No question is too small or unusual. We won’t rush you but we know you’re busy so we’ll try to be as efficient and straightforward as we can. We’re not an impersonal, ‘scripted’ call centre and we won’t be in a hurry to end the call and move on. We get to know many PGL parents and children well and look forward to speaking to them several times a year. So please give us a call on 0333 321 2114. We’d love to hear from you.