Tech Camp was established in 2008 as an alternative to the ‘Sports camp’ or ‘Multi-activity camp’ model, and has quickly become a big annual event, attracting hundreds of children over the summer from around the UK (and indeed from around 20 countries worldwide). It is quite different from any other camp – the activities that the children undertake are done nowhere else; many are designed specifically for Tech Camp. The camp is designed to captivate the interest of every child; we have many who are ‘tech enthusiasts’, but we also have many who wouldn’t cite technology as the love of their life – they come purely because of the exciting activities that we offer.
The non-residential camps run from 9:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday (N.B. Easter 2024 is Sunday to Thursday) along similar lines to our Winchester Camps, and the course material is the same.
These events are for ages 9-17, and are held at multiple venues around the UK. Please check the relevant 'Camp Venues' page on the menu above for specific weeks and courses available.
Parking and drop-off is available at all of these venues and the venue pages will give further information on local transport links.
All staff at Tech Camp are chosen because of their ability to work with children and their passion for science and technology. Of course all staff go through a stringent checking process including enhanced DBS checks, but in addition, almost all of the staff have worked with us before or were well-known to us before starting the camps. The courses are usually run by an ‘academic’ – someone who works professionally in a technology-related field, or who is a teacher or university student studying engineering or IT. A couple of key staff with great experience working with children (often in boarding schools or as parents themselves) take the lead in managing the camp in general and supervising the children in break times. You may like to visit the ‘Meet The Team’ page to see more detailed staff information.
Please note that all of the non-residential camps run Monday-Friday* (Sunday to Thursday for Easter 2024) but the actual weeks, dates and courses vary between venues. Please check the details on the relevant Tech Camp venue pages.
When you arrive with day campers on the first day you will need to follow the signs and flappy banners to register your child. Campers should arrive ready to start at 9:30am. When you arrive at your venue the Tech Camp Manager will be there to meet you in our reception. Note that this will not be the same reception area that the school or college uses as a reception. There will be more details in your 'week before' email. Please ensure that both adults and children have masks and are ready to put them on when needed. This will be if you need to go within a 2m distance of another individual, for example when initially registering your child. This year, registration will happen slightly differently and we are aiming to minimise contact between individuals. We will have a lanyard for your child but there will be no physical paperwork to sign.
Each day the campers participate in one course where they work on various projects that are completed throughout the week.
We sometimes get asked if a child can miss a particular day during the camp. This is not ideal as most courses are designed to run over the full week. Having said that, if it is unavoidable we usually try our hardest to make this work, but we can’t offer a reduction in the fees in this case and it is possible that the child may not advance as far as possible in their course. Do let us know if there are any unavoidable clashes on a particular day and we will try to give you a heads-up on the likely impact.
All campers will need to bring a packed lunch. There is a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack break - parents are welcome to send their children with a snack and/or drink if desired, although water is always available on-site. It is recommended that campers bring a water bottle.
Pocket money is not required (or useful).
When you book a course it is possible to request to be in the same group as a friend. We are usually able to accommodate these requests unless campers are widely separated by age or experience.
We have a qualified first-aider on site at all camps to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. Beyond minor cuts and bruises, we will let you know immediately if there are any problems.
So if your children are at Tech Camp, how do we ensure that the communication channels are open? We have established multiple facilities to allow easy communication:
We realise that phones are an increasingly important part of students' life as they get older. We allow the campers to keep phones with them but of course they are their responsibility.
Campers are welcome to bring a book or electronic device to occupy themselves at lunch if they wish, however you may like to consider not letting them take a phone if you know they are a little bit tricky to prise away from one! We have a selection of indoor and outdoor activities that are available and it does make for a nicer environment if all campers are not just sat on their phones every break!
We recommend everyone brings a water bottle, hat, and suncream, and as above, campers who are not at our Winchester venue need to bring their own lunch and snacks for the morning and afternoon break. Of course the children must not bring anything dangerous to the camp such as knives and matches. If unsure, please ask!
We will keep you up to date if any information changes related to the camps. Around a month before the camp we request final payment via email. Also around 1 week before we'll send out another email with a few important details (although we also keep this guide up to date if anything changes so it's normally just a summary of the important things!)
We are an OFSTED-registered childcare provider. Further information about the OFSTED registration system can be found on their website.
Our OFSTED registration number for Tech Camp UK is EY489833
Our OFSTED registration number for Tech Camp London is EY489806
OFSTED's contact information can be found here.
You can view our complaints policy here.
You can view our child protection policy here.
Do let us know if you have any other questions or you think of any information to pass on to us that may help us to look after your child. As always, we can respond most quickly via email.
We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
