A HOLIDAY activity centre is celebrating after being given top marks from inspectors.

The team from Ofsted visited Barracudas in Brighton this summer and awarded it an outstanding rating – the highest level possible.

The centre, run at Patcham High School in Ladies Mile Road, received a good rating at its last inspection in 2012 so staff are delighted at the improvement.

Camp manager Mark Grigg said the centre was registered with Ofsted because it had children aged four and five on its camps.

Early years manager Marianne Reeves works with Ofsted during the assessment process.

Mr Grigg said: “This includes what provisions we have in place for them, what we are doing to improve their experience and help with their development.

“They also look at how we encourage skills such as teamwork and communication and how they interact with staff.

“There is also the environment itself and its safety.”

Barracudas takes children from four to 16 and offers a wide range of activities.

This ranges from arts and crafts and drama to archery, motorbiking, fencing and martial arts.

Mr Grigg said: “We are lucky at Patcham as we also have access to the swimming pool.

“Having such a wide variety of activities means we can offer children a choice at each session we run.

“For example, they may be able to choose between crafts or a sporting activity. This is not just a sports camp.

“It is also useful in helping younger children choose and try out things they might never have done before – like lacrosse.”

Barracudas has been at Patcham for four years and has been steadily growing in popularity.

The most children it has had at a session was 178 and the smallest 150.

Mr Gregg said: “We need to employ between 20 and 25 members of staff so we can ensure we are able to provide the levels of supervision needed and also offer that wide range of choice.

“We have noticed the same children have been coming back each year while at the same time word of mouth also means numbers are going up.

“Having the outstanding Ofsted report is great news for us and now we will have to work to maintain it.”