Particle Physics Summer School 2026

The Particle Physics Summer School is a FREE three day residential course introducing students in Year 10 to Particle Physics, Science and Engineering. It will be held at St Paul’s School, London from Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 July 2026.

The course is organised and run in partnership between St Paul’s School and the Particle Physics Research Centre at Queen Mary University of London. It brings to life the complex subject of particle physics through a series of workshops and lectures led by teachers and academic researchers. The course will demonstrate the importance of the field across the sciences, engineering and computer science.

This unique course is entirely free to attend and is open to 30 non-fee paying school students from across the UK in year 10 or equivalent. The course is designed for students who are learning at a higher level compared with their peers (on target for 8-9 at GCSE), who also have a passion for STEM and physics in particular. Please read the eligibility criteria below for more information.

Application involves both student and teacher to complete short forms which include short 200 word supporting statements. As this course takes place during term time the teacher nomination is essential as approval must be given by the student’s school.

For the application to be fully considered both students and their nominating teacher must complete their respective application forms linked below. The deadline for application is midnight Thursday 7 May 2026, applications received after this date will not be considered. Successful applicants will be informed of their place by 22 May 2026 at the latest.

Application Forms

These forms do not allow you to save your progress so please complete and submit in one sitting. It is worth preparing the 200 word statements before beginning the application forms to then copy and paste it into the relevant section.

Student Application Form

Teacher Nomination Form

Key Information

Timeline for application: Applications are open until midnight on Thursday 7 May 2026. Students will then be informed if they have secured a place by Friday 22 May. If selected, a parent or carer of the student will then be asked to complete a registration form to confirm attendance.

Dates and times of school: 2pm on Wednesday 8 July to 4pm on Friday 10 July 2026

Both student application form and teacher nomination form must have all relevant sections completed for the application to be fully considered.

For more information please download this Information Pack.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must attend a UK non-fee paying school
• Must be completing year 10 or equivalent
• Must receive permission from school to attend
• A maximum of two students from any one school will be selected.
• Students from areas of high economic deprivation or low progress to further education skills and training will be prioritised
• Students may apply for more than one of the Summer Schools offered at St Paul’s but may only be accepted on one

Information Pack

View the Information Pack.

Header image (c) Kamioka Observatory, ICRR (Institute for Cosmic Ray Research), The University of Tokyo