Earlier this year, I wrote an article for the School Travel Organiser magazine giving teachers tips on organising school trips:
“I organised my first residential trip in 1987 during my first year of teaching. I was teaching Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) then and I took thirty 14 year olds to Paris for a long weekend. My Mum, also a teacher, warned me that it was a risky business taking young people out on school trips. This didn’t put me off and all went well. Furthermore, I have continued to plan, run and participate in trips, exchanges and residentials ever since.”
Q What are your main criteria when organising trips outside the classroom?
A I have organised a variety of trips over the years, from walks within lesson time to Carisbrooke Castle to film students acting out a ‘legend’ that they had written in class to a two-week British Council Charles de Gaulle funded French exchange with a school on the ile d'Oléron. The main point to consider is how students are going to benefit from the trip. Even if the trip is out of lesson time, there needs to be clear objectives. A good trip has a big impact, brings people together and broadens horizons. Basically, it needs to be worth the hassle!
Q What are some of the examples of trips you have organised?
A I take Year 8 students to the UK Parliament Education Centre in Westminster, London every year as they learn about Government and Parliament in Citizenship in the autumn term of Year 8. It is so much easier to grasp democracy, representation and voting systems during an interactive workshop than sitting in a classroom. I am also the Duke of Edinburgh award Manager for the college and so I help our participants plan their expeditions as well as co-ordinating the staff who supervise the expedition and ‘man’ the checkpoints. These expeditions range from a day hike on the island to a week on Dartmoor or in the Lake District.
Q What have been some of your most memorable trips and why?
A For me, foreign language exchanges where students stay with families are the most memorable. When you see a student who is usually quiet and a bit shy in class settling in with a family, trying new foods, having a go at the language and experiencing a new culture, that is something you always remember and what makes organising these type of trip worthwhile (exchanges do take some planning!).
Q Is there a destination you would like to visit in the future?
A As a keen hill walker, I have always wanted to explore a mountain range out of the UK. A group of students and I are preparing for a World Challenge expedition to Morocco to trek in the Atlas Mountains next summer. I can’t wait!
Q Does your school face any particular challenges when organising trips?
A Our main aim is always to secure the best outcomes for our students so we have to balance the benefits of taking students out of college with the loss of lesson time for both students and teachers. When planning a trip, I would always consider whether it is the best time of year for students in that year group. For Gold DofE expeditions, for example, which can only take place from March until September, I need to plan the practice expedition for the Easter holiday and the assessed expedition for after the final A level exam. It would obviously not be possible to take 6th form students out during the run up to exams.
Q What are your top tips for successful trips?
A Planning: My Mum’s advice about thinking twice before planning any trip is one thing but in fact, number one priority is safety. I began teaching before Risk Assessments were required and I used to see them as a bit of a burden until I started supervising DofE groups. I now see Risk Assessments more as an answer to ‘what if…?’ than a paperwork exercise. If you plan for every eventuality, your trip should run smoothly and everyone should be safe.
Getting the right staff: This partly ties in with the challenges that we face. It is unlikely that a member of the teaching staff, with a full timetable, will be able to miss a day’s teaching to accompany a trip. However, a teacher with a lighter timetable would usually have that as they have other commitments and responsibilities so they would not be so keen to be away from their work. All this has to be taken into account but as the trip organiser, you need to be able to rely upon staff who know the children well and are prepared to participate fully in all activities.
And remembering at the end of the day, the most important thing is that the children enjoy, learn and are safe!
