Registered
Childcare Vouchers Accepted
For our day venues in London and Abingdon.
Coming to Winchester, even as a day camper? Read the Residential Parents' Guide instead.
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 over 20 countries worldwide). It is quite different from any other camp: the activities the children do are done nowhere else, and many are designed specifically for Tech Camp. The camp is designed to captivate every child; we have many who are 'tech enthusiasts', but also many who wouldn't call technology the love of their life – they come purely for the exciting activities we offer.
The non-residential camps run from 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, along similar lines to our Winchester camps, and the course material is the same.
These events are for ages 9–17, and are held in London and Abingdon. Please check the relevant venue page in the Venues menu above for the weeks and courses available.
Drop-off is available at both venues, and the venue pages give more information on parking and local transport links.
All our non-residential camps run Monday to Friday, but the weeks, dates and courses vary between venues. Please check the details on the relevant venue page.
On the first day, follow the signs and flappy banners to register your child. Campers should arrive ready to start at 9:30am. The Tech Camp Manager will meet you in our reception, which won't be the same reception the school or college uses. There will be more details in your 'week before' email.
We'll have a lanyard for your child, but there's no paperwork to sign, as you give consent during the registration process.
Each day the campers take part in one course, where they work on various projects that are completed through the week.
We sometimes get asked if a child can miss a day during the camp. This isn't ideal, as most courses are designed to run over the full week. If it's unavoidable we'll try our hardest to make it work, but we can't reduce the fees, and your child may not get as far in their course. Do let us know of any unavoidable clashes, and we'll give you a heads-up on the likely impact.
When you book a course, you can ask for your child to be in the same group as a friend. We can usually do this, unless the campers are widely separated by age or experience.
All Tech Camp staff are chosen for 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 them have worked with us before, or were well known to us before starting.
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 of working with children (often in boarding schools, or as parents themselves) take the lead in managing the camp and supervising the children at break times. You may like to visit the Meet the Team page for more about our staff.
| Time | What happens? |
|---|---|
| 9:15am | Campers sign in. Reception is staffed from 9:15am to 9:45am, and a little earlier on the first day. If your child is likely to be more than 10 minutes late, please email us if at all possible, using the email address for your venue's manager (or just reply to our 'week before' email, as that will go to them). Please don't call the Tech Camp Head Office number unless you have no other option, as this is an incredibly busy time for us. Please also don't call the school or college where we're running the event, as they're unlikely to be able to pass the message on in time. |
| 9:30am–12:40pm | Morning session. There's a snack break in the middle, but please bring your own snacks if needed. |
| 12:40pm–1:20pm | Lunch. All campers should bring a packed lunch. |
| 1:20pm–4:30pm | Afternoon session. There's a snack break in the middle, but please bring your own snacks if needed. |
| 4:00pm | Optional showcase (Fridays only). Parents are welcome to come and see what the campers have been creating in all the courses. |
| 4:30pm | Campers sign out. Courses finish at 4:30pm, and reception is staffed until 4:45pm. If an emergency makes you later than this, please email the manager or call their mobile. |
All campers need to bring a packed lunch. There's a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack break; you're welcome to send your child with a snack and/or drink, although water is always available on site. We recommend campers bring a water bottle.
Pocket money is not required (or useful).
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'll let you know immediately if there are any problems.
Campers are welcome to bring a book. We recommend everyone brings a water bottle, a hat and suncream, and, as above, campers who aren't at our Winchester venue need to bring their own lunch and snacks for the morning and afternoon breaks.
Of course, children must not bring anything dangerous to camp, such as knives or matches. If unsure, please ask!
So if your children are at Tech Camp, how do we keep the lines of communication open? We have several ways to make it easy:
Because of all this, campers don't need mobile phones, and we don't allow them (or other internet-connected screen devices) at camp. There are many reasons for this, including:
"They are quiet and don't want to join in with others at break time, and want to sit by themselves." Some children are like this, and we never force anyone to join in games with others. They're always welcome to bring a book or read one from our mini library, or play with some of our other equipment that doesn't necessarily involve others.
"We must be able to contact them in an emergency / they must be able to contact us at any time." See the notes on communication above. You can reach the manager on our contact number, and if needed they can call you on our phone too.
"They are 17 / are well behaved and would never do anything wrong / show other children things on their phones." This may be true, but we can't have one rule for one or two campers and another for the rest. Besides, we'd suggest that a (very temporary) 'digital detox' during breaks would do any camper good (and indeed most of us adults!).
"They are travelling to and from camp by themselves, and we want them to have one for security." That's fine: we'll just ask them to hand it to us when they arrive, and we'll hand it back when they leave.
We'll keep you up to date if any information about the camps changes. Around a month before camp we'll ask for final payment by email. About a week before, we'll send another email with a few important details (we also keep this guide up to date, so it's normally just a summary of the important things!).
We are an OFSTED-registered childcare provider. There's more about the OFSTED registration system on their website.
Our OFSTED registration number for Tech Camp UK is EY489833, and for Tech Camp London is EY489806. OFSTED's contact information is here.
Do let us know if you have other questions, or anything to tell us that may help us look after your child. As always, we can respond most quickly by email. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!