Summer School: 6 Jul - 31 Jul 2026
Call +44 1223 403869

Essential InformationOctober Camp

October Camp Essential Information

All courses meet at The Perse Sports Centre on Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PP and courses are held here. You can use What3Words ///elbow.risks.begins. Please be aware that the car park is very small. If you are able, please take public transport, cycle or walk.

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Lunch is not provided - please bring your own packed lunch and morning snack (NO NUTS). We will provide an afternoon snack (cookie, flapjack or similar) or you can provide your own.

In case of illness during the October Camp, please contact or call 01223 403977 as soon as possible to confirm that your child is not able to attend (and for each day they will be absent).

Please do NOT make a booking for any child other than your own.

Following school guidelines, mobile phones will not be allowed to be used during the day. If you wish to communicate with your child please contact the Sports Centre reception on 01223 403977 and we will relay a message. No video or photos are allowed to be taken on site.

Please note that we do not accept Child Care Vouchers for payments.

International children

Our October Camp is open to everyone but there is no 'international' section and there is no English language support. For more information please refer to our International Student page on our website.

We require all children attending the October Camp to have a high standard of English fluency (B2 standard).

The Perse School reserves the right to decline a child or family if the child's level of spoken and written English is not of a sufficiently high standard when the course begins, parents may be asked to collect their child.

If you require a visa, we strongly recommend you obtain your visa prior to booking as you will not be guaranteed a refund if you cancel your booking after 14 days from purchasing (see Terms & Conditions). We do not support visa applications and we do not provide accommodation.

Booking FAQs

Attending FAQs

How do I register?

Your booking experience will be best if you create your account and add your children's details before you start the booking. Parents are required to complete a full medical declaration for their child(ren) at the time of booking and are responsible for ensuring that if there are any changes to the child's health prior to October Camp starting. Please do NOT make a booking for any child other than your own.

Can I use my account from last year?

Yes, please do. If you have forgotten your password you will be able to reset it.

Please review all information on your child’s personal and medical information page, amending it for October Camp if necessary.

You can update and amend information held on your account. To do this, log back into your account and go to 'Your Account - Your Details/Your Children /Your Bookings' - you can 'Edit Details' from each of these tabs in your account.

Do I need to register if I am already a Perse parent?

The October Camp Booking Portal and the Perse Parent Portal are completely different systems. You will need to register on the Perse Summer School website (which also handles the October Camp bookings). Easter, October and Summer bookings are to be booked separately.

What information will I need to register?

You can pay by credit/debit card. When you check out on the Booking Portal, you will be asked for your card details. We do not accept Child Care Vouchers. If you have vouchers that we hold for you at The Perse School due to refunds etc. on other activities please make your booking and make full payment via card and then contact summerschool@perse.co.uk to discuss with us.

What are the payment options?

You can pay by credit/debit card. When you check out on the Booking Portal, you will be asked for your card details.

How do I know if a course is full?

The system shows you if there are places available - it is all updated in real-time. We know there is very high demand for some of our courses.

Do you take group bookings or bookings from agents?

The Perse October Camp will not accept group bookings or booking from agents.

Can I cancel a booking and get a refund?

If you find that you need to cancel a booking please first see our Terms & Conditions and then contact the Summer School office by email .

Refunds will only be made in line with the Terms & Conditions which can be found in the footer of this site and on the Booking Portal. We will refund if you change your mind about the booking within the standard 'cooling off' period. 

If you are not able to collect your child after 5.30pm there will be a charge of £20 for every half hour and this will be placed on your account for you to settle.

My child isn't quite in your age range, can they still attend?

The age ranges are 7-8 years, 9-10 years and 11-12 years for our courses.

We have a strict policy for maintaining the age ranges for courses.

My child has allergies or other needs, how will you look after them?

There will always be a First Aid qualified member of staff on site during October Camp.

Parents are required to complete a full medical declaration for their child(ren) at the time of booking and are responsible for ensuring that if there are any changes to the child's health prior to October Camp starting, that they inform the in advance. Please do not make a booking for someone else's child.

If the child is on any medication it is the parent/legal guardian's responsibility to bring the right medication(s), clearly named and in its original box/packaging, with the child on a daily basis or as required. (Please refer to the medical declaration made at the time of booking for specific details).

There can be perhaps 72 children on site at once. This is not a small primary school environment and children will need to respond positively and proactively to this. We will ensure that all are welcomed and supported in full for any specific needs. Children need to follow the Summer School/October Camp Rules in full (found at the footer of the website), which will also help them to keep safe. Our staff will be briefed with the medical information that parents have provided. Notices on site will indicate specific problems or allergies to be aware of and staff will intervene as is expected.

If you would like to talk to administrative staff in advance of the October Camp, we welcome this. Please contact us at . If we have any questions regarding your medical declarations we will also contact you. Please note that, in extreme situations, it may be difficult to accommodate a particular need. In such cases, please discuss matters with us in advance.

To ensure we have the correct medical information on each child attending, it is important that you do not make a booking for any child(ren) other than your own.

What do I need to bring?

The October Camp will be held entirely at The Perse Sports Centre on Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PP and courses are held here. You can use What3Words ///elbow.risks.begins. Please be aware that the car park is very small. If you are able, please take public transport, cycle or walk.

Bring: A packed lunch and morning snack (NO NUTS) and a water bottle - all items to be named clearly. We will provide an afternoon snack (cookie, flapjack or similar) or you could provide your own (NO NUTS).

Following school guidelines, mobile phones will not be allowed to be used during the day. If you wish to communicate with your child please contact the Sports Centre reception on 01223 403977 and we will relay a message.

Sports Centre - Lockers are available for students to use. If they would like to bring their own small/medium lock to secure their items, they may do so.

Our changing facilities include 18 changing cubicles and two group change areas, as well as six shower cubicles.

Sports Hall  you must bring suitable footwear. We will provide all the equipment required for the sports hall element of the day. Just be comfortable.

Climbing  all equipment will be provided and leggings, sportswear or shorts preferred.

Swimming  please bring a swim cap, towel and swimming costume (all named) in a swim bag. There are showers available so shower gel and shampoo may also be brought. All children should wear appropriate fitting costumes/trunks and shorts specifically designed for swimming. Baggy costumes and trunks can hamper movement. Swim cap and goggles are encouraged.

Can my child bring a mobile phone or device?

We strongly encourage children to only use mobile phones/smart technology for essential purposes (e.g. for parental communication about drop off and pick up). Calls and video calls during the school day are not permitted unless with the prior agreement of staff. If children need to use mobile phones/smart technology during the day, they should seek permission from the staff and should use it with the supervision of staff nearby. Children using phones without permission from staff during the day will be asked to store them safely away. Children should not take photos or videos of other children whilst at the Summer School.

What to do if your child is ill?

In line with public health guidance, October Camp participants who have a temperature of 38 degrees celsius or over should stay at home until their temperature has returned to normal and they feel well enough to attend. If your child is suffering with diarrhoea or vomiting please keep them off school until 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting.

If your child becomes unwell at October Camp and feels unable to continue with the day we will contact you on the number you have provided to discuss arrangements for them to be collected (please make sure you have registered a UK number).

Trained first aid staff will be available from 8.00am until 5.30pm. Please ensure your child's medical information is up to date. You can do this by logging into your Summer School Account - go to Your Account / Your Children / Edit Details - personal information can be updated here. If making a last-minute change please also notify us by email (summerschool@perse.co.uk)

What are the timings of the day?

Each course is a day-long course, on an age group rotational basis, combining;

  • Swimming - games, diving and fun activities and races
  • Climbing - on our climbing wall, bouldering or slacklining
  • Multisports - a combination of sports in the sports hall

The day is split into three sessions with breaks in-between;

  • Moring whole group session - 9.00am to 9.15am
  • Morning session - 9.15am to 10.45pm
  • Morning break - 10.45am to 11.15am
  • Mid session - 11.15am to 12.45pm
  • Packed Lunch - 12.45pm to 1.45pm
  • Afternoon session - 1.45pm to 3.15pm
  • End of day snack - 3.15pm to 3.30pm

You can book daily or for the week.

Early and late stay is possible from 8.00am until 5.30pm (you can book either or both on the booking system - it is a daily charge of £5.50 in the morning, £10 in the afternoon. It is possible to add early and late stay to your booking, up to the day of the booking. To do this into your Summer School Account - go to Your Bookings / View Booking / Amend Booking and select the AM / PM sessions you would like. You can settle your account from here.

Lunch and a morning snack are not provided - please provide your child with a packed lunch and morning snack (NO NUTS). We will provide an afternoon snack (cookie, flapjack or similar) or you can provide your own.

How does drop off and pick up work?

The October Camp will be held entirely at The Perse Sports Centre on Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PP and courses are held here. You can use What3Words ///elbow.risks.begins

The Perse Sports Centre has a car park but we ask you to follow our site signs very carefully and there is very limited parking available so please do not loiter for the sake of others arriving or leaving. Please adhere to the speed 10mph limit. There are usually parking spaces available in the streets nearby, off Hills Road.

We will register all children coming onto our site at the main reception. We also register departure so please remember to sign your child out when you leave.

Where early drop off/late stay are not pre-booked The School has a right to charge these fees if the child is dropped off early or collected late from the sports centre outside the published course hours.

If you are not able to collect your child after 5.30pm there will be a charge of £20 for every half hour and this will be placed on your account for you to settle. 

Are lunch and snacks provided?

Lunch and morning snacks are NOT provided. Please provide your child with a packed lunch and a snack for the morning (NO NUTS). We will provide an afternoon snack (cookie, flapjack or similar) or you could provide your own. Bring a (named) water bottle and your child. Please ensure that any food or snacks you bring on site contain no nuts (allergies!).

What if I don't know anyone else on the courses?

There will be a maximum of 72 children on site at any one time. We will look out for your child and do our best to help them feel at home.

What happens if I am late arriving or late to pick up?

You can book our early or late stay. If your arrangements change just contact us to let us know and we will help. Our site will close at 5.30pm so we can't help later than that though. Where these are not pre-booked The School has a right to charge these fees if the child is dropped off early or collected late from the sports centre outside the published course hours. If you are not able to collect your child after 5.30pm there will be a charge of £20 for every half hour and this will be placed on your account for you to settle.

The Perse Summer School