5 Questions To Ask Yourself When Planning a School Trip

13 March 2017

So you’re planning on taking your kids away on a school trip. There’s a lot to do; you need to organise the destination, activities, accommodation, and transport. But before you get into all of that, here are five questions you should ask yourself when planning a school trip.

Question 1: Have I read and understood my school’s and LEA’s policy on school trips?

Both your school and your Local Education Authority will have policies and procedures surrounding taking kids away on a school trip. Before you do anything else, make sure you’ve read and understood these procedures. You don’t want to plan the perfect trip only to find that it doesn’t adhere to the policies in place. If you’re unsure about any of the policies and procedures, just ask. Better to ask now that find out the hard way later.

Question 2: Am I fully aware of my responsibilities as the trip leader?

Depending on how young the class are, you will have some, if not plenty of legal and moral responsibility for your students in loco parentis (in place of parents). Make sure you’re aware of particularly the legalities of taking kids away on a school trip.

Question 3: Am I likely to encounter any Health & Safety issues on my trip?

As part of planning a trip, you will probably have to fill in a risk assessment. You need to think through everything that’s on your itinerary and highlight any areas where you may need to take extra precautions. If there are any activities that may pose a serious risk, make sure parents are aware.

Question 4: What do my costs include and exclude?

When you’re costing up your trip, you need to be 100% clear on what the quotes you’ve obtained include and exclude. If you’re paying for entry to a museum, how long are you able to stay? If you’ve booked transport, does the cost include just one pick up and drop off or multiple?

Question 5: Is my trip suitable for all my students?

Although classes tend to be of similar age and ability, there is still going to be varying mental and physical abilities in your class. Make sure that the trip you’re planning is suitable for all the kids in your class so that noone feels excluded.

Question 6: Which staff should I bring with me?

Not only do you need enough staff for the number of students that are coming with you on the trip, but you need a good mix of gender and experience. You also need to make sure that one of the members of staff has a first-aid certificate and that all accompanying adults have been DBS checked.

Question 7: Do I need to sort out suitable insurance?

When you’re planning your trip, bear in mind that you may need extra insurance dependant on the activities you’re planning. Some destinations may include the relevant insurance in their cost, so make sure you check that out before purchasing an additional policy.

Question 8: How are we going to get there?

If you need to hire a minibus to get you to and from your destination safely, drop us a line. We’ll sort the transport so you can crack on with planning the rest of your trip.

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