1, Give them purpose
You want your school trips to be enjoyable for pupils. However, don’t lose sight of the educational value they offer too. Your cycle of trips and visits should be woven into your curriculum plans and should support the development of skills and knowledge that would not be accessible in other ways. Try and provide every subject with an opportunity to explore an aspect of the curriculum outside the classroom.
2, Developing independence
Your trips should build the life-skills and independence of your pupils. Starting with day trips for your youngest and then structure their experiences through each year group. From travelling in a coach to managing pocket money – there are so many experiences they can benefit from and build on.
3, Planning
Your cycle of school trips needs the same attention to detail that you would give to other parts of the curriculum. Allow organisers time to put the details together, prepare the paperwork, and liaise with venues. Consider involving pupils in the planning process. Some aspects will be non-negotiable, but they can and should influence others – for example, what would they like to do on the last evening? Also, start well in advance. For residential trips, begin at least 12 months before the actual trip. Plan-in meetings and information-sharing with governors. Consider how you will promote the trip before, during, and after.
4, Review
Review is important and should also be planned in advance so that you know exactly what will happen once you get back to school. Following a few days of recovery, get together with organisers, children, and parents to consider the strengths of the visit and what you might do differently next time. Let the children feedback with their experiences in assembly and give everyone the chance to share their anecdotes and reflect on what they learnt and what they enjoyed the most.
5, School trips policy
You should have an up-to-date policy in place that covers off-site visits, educational outings, and longer school trips. It should include:
- The approval process, including risk assessment and management.
- The policy on charging for trips.
- Safety and safeguarding arrangements.
- Informing and involving parents.
- Accompanying parents or other volunteers.
- Roles and responsibilities.
Keep the policy reviewed – advice often changes. If you have a member of staff acting as educational visits coordinator then make sure they have opportunity to keep up-to-date and develop their skills. Training for group leaders and deputy leaders is available from the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel. Allocate a budget and time for this.
6, Try something new
Sticking to the people and venues you know definitely has its advantages and the familiarity allows you to build with confidence, link into the curriculum, and tweak to continually improve the experience. However, there is also room for trying something different. Keep an open mind about new opportunities and talk to colleagues about what is working for them. If you do decide to seek out something new then explore some of the school trip directories available online and talk to other schools about what they do. Of course, you will still want to do your own preview visit and research each potential venue thoroughly.
7, Staffing
Vital to the success of your school trips are the people accompanying your pupils. Your group leader should be qualified to lead the trip and you should aim, if possible, to have a deputy who can stand in if necessary. Suitable first-aid cover should be arranged as informed by the risk assessment. Qualified first-aiders may not be necessary for all trips but a basic level of first-aid should be available at all times. Ensure that staff and those volunteering are given some acknowledgement, that their contributions are recognised, and that they are thanked by governors and, of course, the children.
8, Keep families informed
Every stage of your planning needs to keep your families informed. Not only will this ensure that everyone is clear about what to expect but it will also ease any worries and increase anticipation. Of course, full consent should be obtained for any residential trip, including prior consent to emergency medical treatment.
Both pupils and accompanying staff should be informed of who to contact in the event of any problems or issues. Keep parents up-to-date during the trip as well, perhaps by uploading photos and other updates to the school parent portal.
9, Safety is paramount
Group leaders need to ensure that any residential site is safe and premises must comply with all health and safety requirements. Suitable fire safety arrangements must be in place and all in the party acquainted with the evacuation procedures on arrival. Risk assessments do not need to be long or drawn out, particularly for “lower risk” residential trips, but should be proportionate to the risks involved.
For more complex trips, such as those including adventure activities, input from the residential centre may be required as well as advice from specialist instructors. Consider having a code of conduct for pupils to follow that covers anytime they are out of school.
10, Keep them affordable
You will want to ensure that these opportunities are accessible to everyone. As such, look for ways to keep the cost down and consider using funds such as the Pupil Premium. The Department for Education guidance Charging for school activities outlines the legal requirements (DfE, 2018).
- Suzanne O’Connell is a freelance education writer and a former primary school headteacher. Read her previous articles via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/suzanne-oconnell
Headteacher Update Spring Term Edition 2025
This article first appeared in Headteacher Update's Spring Term Edition 2025. This edition was sent free of charge to UK primary schools in January 2025. A free-to-download digital edition is also available via www.headteacher-update.com/content/downloads
Further information & resources
- DfE: Charging for school activities, 2018: https://buff.ly/4grwPjQ
- Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel: https://oeapng.info/