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Adult to child ratios for working with children

Guidance on supervision levels for safeguarding children and young people.

When working with children and young people, you must make sure you have enough staff and volunteers to keep children safe. 

Adult to child ratios are different depending on the children and young people in your group, your setting and the activities you're carrying out. You must also ensure adults are suitable to undertake the tasks you need.

Supervision requirements may vary depending on the children's age, gender, behaviour and the abilities in your group.

How many adults you need also depends on:

• the nature and duration of activities
• the competence and experience of staff involved
• location, accommodation or organisational requirements
• any special medical needs
• any specialist equipment needed.

Deciding appropriate levels of supervision

Carry out a risk assessment of the activities you are planning, taking the issues above into consideration. This will help you decide how many adults you need and what skills and experience they should have.

> Find out more about running safer activities and events

Who is suitable to supervise children?

You should carry out a range of safer recruitment processes and checks to ensure you employ the right people to work or volunteer in roles that have contact with children.

The types of checks needed will depend on the nature of the work being carried out, and whether or not the work will be supervised by other staff members.

It's important to make sure:

• all adults who have contact with children understand and agree to follow your safeguarding policy and procedures
• any staff or volunteers who have only had the checks required to work with children while supervised aren't left alone with a child.

If you work in performing arts you should make sure chaperones have the relevant licences.

> Find out more about safer recruitment including vetting and barring checks

> Find out more about safeguarding in the performing arts

What adults supervising children need to know

Staff and volunteers need to have:

• an understanding of their responsibility to keep children and young people safe
• clear procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child's wellbeing
• insurance for certain activities
• codes of practice which they understand and agree to follow.

Parents who attend activities with their children should not be used to supervise other children unless they have been recruited into the role, undergone the necessary checks and had the relevant child protection training.

> Find out more about safeguarding procedures

> Look at our example behaviour code

> Learn more about child protection training requirements for education and early years sectors

> Find out more about our introductory child protection training

Schools are expected to carry out their own risk assessment at the beginning of each academic year to determine appropriate levels of supervision for each class except the Early years and foundation stage.

The National Education Union (NEU) provides guidance on class sizes and advises schools to consider children’s emotional, behavioural and special needs when determining staff to child ratios (NEU, 2019).

Schools also need to carry out a risk assessment to determine appropriate adult to child ratios at breaks and lunchtimes. Things to consider include:

• the layout of the playground
• the number of children on the playground
• the ages of the children on the playground.

For children in the Early years and foundation stage there is specific guidance about supervision ratios - find out more in the section below.

In England , the Department for Education (DfE) publishes  guidance for early years providers which sets out statutory requirements about adult to child ratios (DfE, 2023). The required adult to child ratios vary depending on the setting and the age of children.

Key points for all early years settings include:

• staffing arrangements must meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety
• children must usually be within both sight and hearing of staff and always within at least either sight or hearing
• only those aged 17 or over may be included in ratios (and staff under 17 should be supervised at all times)
• students on long term placements, volunteers and staff working as apprentices may be included in the ratios if they are old enough and the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible.

Pages 28-32 of the guidance set out the statutory staff to child ratios for all providers and then specific guidance for:

• early years providers other than childminders
• those providing before and after school care
• those providing holiday care
• childminders.

In Northern Ireland , the Department of Health, (DoH) has published minimum standards for childminding and daycare for children under 12 (PDF) (DoH, 2018). Standard 11 sets out the minimum staff to child ratios for children of different ages in different settings. 

In Scotland , there is guidance from the Care Inspectorate for early learning and childcare settings (Care Inspectorate, 2018). It sets out adult to child ratios and the rationale behind them.

In Wales , the Welsh Government has published National minimum standards for regulated childcare (PDF). Standard 15 sets out staffing ratios including for childminders and day care.

There is no specific guidance about supervision ratios for organisations that are not in the education or early years sectors. We’ve put together some best practice guidance to help other organisations work out how many adults are needed to supervise children safely.

We recommend having at least two adults present when working with or supervising children and young people. We recommend the following adult to child ratios as the minimum numbers to help keep children safe:

• under 2 years - one adult to three children
• 2 - 3 years - one adult to four children
• 4 - 8 years - one adult to six children
• 9 - 12 years - one adult to eight children
• 13 - 18 years - one adult to ten children

Depending on the needs and abilities of the children, and the nature of the activity, you may need to have more adults than the minimum.

We recommend having at least two adults present, even with smaller groups.

If young people are helping to supervise younger children only people aged 18 or over should be included as adults when calculating adult to child ratios.

Children who have special educational needs, additional needs and disabilities

If you are working with children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) or additional needs you may need more supervision than the minimum ratios above.

You should carry out a risk assessment for each activity to help you decide on supervision ratios. This should take account of children and young people’s behaviour, ability and mobility. As far as possible, include input from children and young people and their parents and carers in risk assessments to ensure children’s needs are met.

> Learn more about protecting d/Deaf and disabled young people

Toilet ratios

Adults who haven't previously volunteered and haven't had the necessary vetting checks shouldn't be left alone with children or take them to the toilet unaccompanied.

In larger groups of children, encourage groups to take a comfort break together with one responsible adult while the other adult(s) supervises the remaining children and keep a head count.

> Find out more about intimate care

First aid ratios

We recommend that at least one adult is trained in first aid.

If you're running one-off events you will need to carry out a first-aid and medical risk assessment. Many organisations provide medical services but ensure the organisation you select is competent, trained in first aid and able to cope with the demands of your event.

Travelling ratios

When travelling with children and young people the recommended adult to child ratio can vary depending on:

• size of the group
• age of the children, their behaviours and needs
• size of the vehicle that you are travelling in.

If you are travelling in a vehicle it is recommended that there is one adult driving and one adult supervising the children. Larger groups and vehicles will require more adults to ensure adequate supervision. 

Care Inspectorate (2018) Guidance on adult to child ratios in early learning and childcare settings (PDF). Dundee: Care Inspectorate.

Department for Education (DfE) (2023)   Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework . [Accessed 17/08/2023].

Department of Health (DoH) (2018)   Minimum standards for childminding and day care for children under age 12 (PDF)   Belfast: Department of Health (DoH).

National Education Union (NEU) (2019)   Class sizes . [Accessed 17/08/2023].

Welsh Government (2023) National minimum standards for regulated childcare for children up to the age of 12 years (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Government.

Safeguarding and child protection in schools  

Safer activities and events

Supervising children and young people's sport and activities

Related resources

Follow our steps to ensure the people who work or volunteer with your group or organisation are safe to work with children.

Provides advice on keeping groups of children and young people safe during activities, events, visits, outings and overnight stays whether they’re regular or one-off.

Guidance about taking, sharing, using and storing images of children. Includes information about CCTV and livestreaming online events and activities.

Training to help you keep children safe

Our cost-effective, CPD-certified elearning courses will give you the skills and confidence you need to safeguard children.

Increase your confidence in identifying and responding to possible signs of child abuse and neglect with our introductory online, live virtual and face-to-face training courses.

Training to safely recruit the right staff and volunteers to ensure they are safe to work with children and young people. Available as virtual training.

Get more training for less with our elearning packages for primary and secondary schools. Contains 12 hours of CPD-certified training to cover the child protection knowledge you need. 

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• Department for Education

Health and safety on educational visits

Published 26 November 2018

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2018

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits

Types of trip

The 2 main types of trip are:

• routine visits
• trips that need a risk assessment and extra planning

Routine visits

These involve no more than an everyday level of risk, such as for slips and trips, and are covered by a school’s current policies and procedures. They only need a little extra planning beyond the educational aspect of the trip and can be considered as a lesson in a different classroom.

Trips that need a risk assessment and extra planning

These are trips not covered by a school’s current policies. This could be due to considerations such as the:

• distance from the school
• type of activity
• need for staff with specialist skills

Sometimes a school may simply need to review its current plans or arrangements that were successful on previous trips. However, some trips will need a risk assessment, detailed planning and the informed approval of the headteacher or governing board. The person given the job of managing this should:

• have the skills, status and competence needed for the job
• understand the risks involved
• be familiar with the activity

Plans should be proportionate and sensible, focusing on how to manage genuine risks.

When to seek consent from parents or carers

A school must always get written consent for nursery-age children.

For children over nursery age, written consent is not needed for most trips, as they’re part of the curriculum. However, it’s good practice to tell parents or carers about them.

Written consent is usually only needed for trips that:

• need a higher level of risk assessment
• are outside normal school hours

The school can ask parents to sign a consent form when their child enrols. This will cover them for their whole time at the school. Advice on consent forms is available on the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel ( OEAP ) website.

A school should still tell parents or carers about such trips and give them the opportunity to withdraw their child.

Using outside organisations

Schools using an outside organisation to provide an activity must check the organisation has appropriate safety standards and public liability insurance.

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom ( LOtC ) awards the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge to organisations that meet nationally recognised standards.

Schools can check if an organisation holds the LOtC Quality Badge .

If an organisation does not hold the badge, the school must ensure that they’re an appropriate organisation to use. This could include checking:

• their insurance
• that they meet legal requirements
• their health and safety and emergency policies
• their risk assessments
• control measures
• their use of vehicles
• staff competence
• safeguarding
• accommodation
• any sub-contracting arrangements they have
• that they have a licence, where needed

The school should have an agreement with the organisation that makes it clear what everyone is responsible for. This is especially important if they will be taking over supervision of the children.

Adventure activities: caving, climbing, trekking and watersports

These kinds of activities should be identified and risk assessed as part of the visit beforehand. Staff managing or leading visits must not decide to add such activities during the trip. They should always consider the abilities of the children when assessing risk.

Organisations need a licence to provide some adventure activities. Organisations that hold the LOtC Quality Badge should hold a licence for the activity they provide.

Information about licensing is available on the Health and Safety Executive ( HSE ) website.

Watersports

When planning watersports, schools should consider the need for:

• instructors

A school should take particular care when using hotel swimming pools and other water-based leisure facilities that may not have a trained lifeguard on duty. Although there are no swimming-pool-specific health and safety laws, the OEAP provides useful advice about undertaking adventure specialist activities, including swimming.

Trips abroad

Trips abroad can present extra risks and need a higher level of risk assessment.

Schools should make sure that any organisation providing activities holds the LOtC Quality Badge or similar local accreditation.

The HSE does not cover incidents overseas. However, it can investigate work carried out in Britain to support the trip, such as a risk assessment. School staff could be liable under civil law for any injuries to the children due to negligence.

If the trip includes significant risks, such as challenging terrain, a remote location or an extreme climate, a school should follow the guide to the British Standard for adventurous activities outside the United Kingdom as the basis for its planning and risk assessment. Organisations employed by the school should follow this, too. If they have a LOtC Quality Badge, they follow this standard.

Schools should consider the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s detailed guidance on safer adventure travel and volunteering overseas and foreign travel advice when organising a visit abroad.

Knowing what to do in an emergency

Schools should have an emergency response plan that covers what to do if there is an incident away from school. They should also have a communications plan that covers how routine communications should be handled, including regular check-ins and calls to reassure people. Trip leaders should be familiar with the plan.

Schools can get advice on creating a communications plan from their outdoor activity adviser or the OEAP website .

Evaluating trips

A school should set up a clear process for evaluating all visits once they have been concluded, from the planning through to the visit itself. It should keep a record of any incidents, accidents and near-misses.

This will help it:

• evaluate whether its planning has worked
• learn from any incidents which took place

Educational visits coordinators

Schools should appoint an educational visits coordinator and make sure they have the training they need. The headteacher assumes this duty if there is no coordinator. Local authorities or academy trust outdoor education advisers can advise on appointing and training coordinators.

The coordinator works with the outdoor education adviser to help their colleagues in school to assess and manage risks.

The coordinator should:

• be an experienced visits leader
• have the status to be able to guide the working practices of other staff
• be confident in assessing the ability of other staff to lead visits
• be confident in assessing outside activity providers
• be able to advise headteachers and governors when they’re approving trips
• have access to training, advice and guidance

Guidance is also available on the OEAP website .

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The Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP) provides guidance, activities, training and support for outdoor learning and educational visits.

The Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel

What is the oeap.

The OEAP is the lead body for guidance, advice and training related to outdoor learning and educational visits in England and Wales. There are currently around 120 members and the panel supports them in their work with schools and services to children and young people.

Find out more about the OEAP

National Guidance

About national guidance.

National Guidance has been developed by the OEAP to help you organise high quality outdoor learning, adventurous activities and educational visits including residential and overseas visits.

It is designed to support safe high-quality learning experiences for young people, and is enabling rather than restrictive.

It is relevant to schools, colleges, youth services and other formal and informal settings, in the public, private, voluntary and charitable sectors.

It covers provision across England and Wales, but much of it is applicable elsewhere.

Visit National Guidance

OEAP Training

Oeap training courses.

The OEAP leads in the delivery of high quality Educational and Offsite Visits training for schools and other youth and educational establishments both in the UK and around the world.

OEAP Members can provide you with up to date, focused and relevant training to ensure that your staff are working to the very highest standards. This reputation for excellence has been built up over many years and during this time the OEAP have developed a range of training courses and materials.

Discover OEAP Training Courses

OEAP Advisers

Who are oeap advisers.

OEAP members are advisers who support Local Authorities, schools and Academy Groups in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and many overseas settings.

OEAP advisers work together to share and develop good practice in Offsite Visits, Outdoor Learning and Learning Outside the Classroom.

Find an OEAP Adviser

OEAP Membership

The OEAP blog: topics of general interest and talking points regarding outdoor learning, educational visits and adventurous activities. See more »

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07 March 2022

What Is The Ratio Of Adults To Pupils On A School Trip?

When it comes to planning your school trip, one of the first things you’ll need to think about is the ratio of adults to students in order to provide appropriate supervision..

What is the ratio of teachers to pupils on a school trip?

There is nothing prescribed in law to dictate the ratio of teachers (or other adults) to children on a school trip. But, as you will be in loco parentis, you will want to ensure that there are enough adults to supervise the children effectively.

We recommend a ratio of one adult to ten children (1:10) for day trips or one adult to eight children (1:8) for multi-day trips - for both primary and secondary schools alike. This ratio is accounted for in our quotes, but it's not a problem if you require more adults.

One consideration is that your employer or Local Education Authority may already specify minimum school trip ratios. If this is the case, then you must follow their guidance.

If this is not the case, then there are a few things that you should think about before determining your ideal ratio of adults to children. Essentially, it should be part of your risk assessment. The Outdoor Education Adviser's Panel National Guidance OEAP NG (OEAP NG) advises that you will need to consider the following:

• Group Characteristics

Environment

You will need to think about the staff members who would be available to accompany your trip. And in doing so, you will also need to think about their abilities and experience.

There is no requirement for children to be accompanied by staff of the same sex, but when this is not the case, you will need to think about the potential issues that might arise around privacy, safeguarding and pastoral support.

You can take staff members whose child is in the party, but you will then need to think about the fact that they might be distracted by the needs of their child and this could impede their ability to effectively supervise the rest of the party.

You could mitigate this by ensuring the parent does not have direct supervision responsibility for their own child or, if this is not possible, perhaps ensuring that other staff members are available to supervise the group should that staff member be distracted by the needs of their own child.

You will also need to think about what might happen if a leader becomes ill, injured or otherwise indisposed, perhaps dealing with a student who has become ill or injured, for example. You will still need to have enough members of staff to adequately supervise the group.

You will need to think about the activities that you want the group to take part in.

You should always include at least one member of staff who is first aid trained.

And you should take into account the experience of staff members. For example, there may be some activities you wish to take part in where inexperienced staff may be more appropriately considered as participants, rather than leaders.

Group characteristics

The characteristics of the group are a huge consideration when determining your adult-to-child ratios.

Things you will need to consider include:

• The age of your students
• Their abilities, behaviour and maturity
• The gender make-up of the group
• Any other specific individual needs, including allergies, dietary requirements, medication, and special educational needs.

Because the group characteristics will change with every single group, you will need to go through this process of determining the ratio of adults to children every time you plan a trip, even if it is a trip that you regularly run.

Finally, it is incredibly important to consider the environment of your school trip.

Is it in the UK or abroad? Are you going to an urban or remote location? Will it be quiet or crowded? Are there any extremes of weather you need to consider? What might the terrain be like? How easy will it be to communicate with your school and school tour operator should you need to?

Don’t forget to think about the accommodation arrangements and any environments you will need to pass through too.

Unless you request otherwise, we usually include in our quotes free staff place ratios of 1:10 for school day trips and 1:8 for multi-day school trips.

Of course, if you need more accompanying staff, that’s not a problem, it may just increase the price per person slightly.

If you do require more accompanying staff, please contact your Travel Adviser, and they will be very pleased to help.

We hope you find this guide helpful. For more information on the risk assessment process, please see our guide to risk assessments .

Blog Ofsted: early years

https://earlyyears.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/20/how-staff-to-child-ratios-work/

How staff-to-child ratios work

This blog was updated in August 2024 to reflect changes to the EYFS paragraph numbers.

The Chancellor recently announced an optional change to childcare ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 for two-year-old children. This change applies from September 2023.

All other staff-to-child ratios remain the same.

While the Department for Education sets the ratios, we want to make sure that the way that they work is well understood.

We know that many providers find ratios complicated. The questions we get asked most frequently on our Childcare Registration Facebook page are about ratios.

We want to help by setting out the answers to a few frequently asked questions:

• Staff-to-child ratios apply to the whole provision, not each room. It is up to you how you deploy your staff. For example, you may need fewer members of staff in the baby room when they are sleeping than when they are awake. Or you may want more staff observing children during mealtimes. The decision is yours, but we may ask you to explain your rationale.
• We are sensitive to the pressures with recruitment and retention. We may only focus on ratio requirements if there are concerns for the children in your care. We will not be constantly carrying out headcounts when we’re inspecting. Our focus is on what it is like to be a child in your care.
• To be counted in the ratios, staff must be at least 17 years old (with some exceptions for apprentices). They must also be suitable. This means that each childminder should have an Ofsted suitability decision letter. Nurseries must carry out their own recruitment checks and determine suitability.
• For group providers, the ratio requirements are only for children, up until 1st September following their fifth birthday. However, you should consider whether the care of any older children has an impact on the early years children. You must be able to demonstrate that you can meet the needs of all children. For childminders, the maximum is always 6 children under the age of 8.
• There are some exceptions where you can exceed the ratios. However, you must maintain the quality of care and the safety and security of the children. We may ask you to demonstrate that you can do this. You should inform parents and carers about staff deployment and involve them in these decisions if possible.

Examples of when childminders can make exceptions are set out in the framework for the EYFS in paragraph 3.45. They include caring for siblings and caring for your own children. Even when exceptions are permitted, for childminders and assistants, the maximum is always 6 children per adult. Group providers can also make exceptions and this is set out in paragraph 3.39.

While we hope these pointers are useful, it is your responsibility to read, understand and demonstrate your ability to meet the ongoing requirements for registration. Ratio requirements are flexible, but you should be able to explain your rationale for how you deploy staff or assistants.

Our inspectors are not trying to catch you out. We just want to know that you are keeping children safe and providing high-quality early education and care. That is our priority.

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School trips | Staff to pupil ratios explained

Written on 17 June 2022

There’s often confusion and conflicting information surrounding appropriate staff to pupil ratios for educational visits.

It’s important to remember that even though there are no requirements that are prescribed in law, conducting a detailed risk assessment should provide a clear indication of the appropriate ratios required.

According to guidance from the Education Authority , supervision ratios for school trips should relate to:

• The category of educational visit;
• The specific educational objective(s); and
• The outcome of a risk assessment.

The more time the better

Determining the appropriate level of supervision well in advance of the trip taking place will allow enough time for staff to volunteer to take part in the trip. 

It will also provide plenty of notice for you to involve volunteers, e.g. parents or governors. As part of this process, you should then assign each person clearly defined roles as identified by your risk assessment.

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Carrying out a risk assessment for a school trip

There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when carrying out a risk assessment for a school trip. The safety of pupils, colleagues and volunteers should always be at the forefront of your mind throughout the process, but it is also vital to ensure your focus is on reducing real risks .

There’s often a tendency for schools to be too restrictive or simply not run a school trip due to fears of prosecution if the trip goes wrong, and the belief that a teacher will be sued if a child is injured.

Remember, you are not expected to completely eliminate all risks. A risk assessment is intended to ensure that children aren’t unnecessarily exposed to things that could cause them harm. It’s also a way of demonstrating that you have done all you can to keep them safe.

We have produced a short guide which breaks down the key information you need to know from a health and safety perspective when preparing for a school trip, which should give you some clear guidelines to work towards when completing a risk assessment.

Guide to Safe School Trips

Created by our Health & Safety specialists, this helpful guide explains how to plan and run safe and successful school trips, including getting the balance between safety and learning, low-risk vs high-risk trips, and steps to take before, during and after.

Identifying the level of supervision required

Guidance from the  Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel  (OEAP) says that “ratios are a risk management issue, and should be determined through the process of risk assessment”. The OEAP goes on to say that “it is not possible to set down definitive staff/student ratios for a particular age group or activity, although the law does specify minimum ratios for early years”.

However, b ased on the findings of your risk assessment, you should be able to establish the staff to pupil ratio required by taking into account the following factors:

• The nature and location of activities to be undertaken;
• The age and ability of the group;
• Pupils with special educational and/or medical needs;
• Whether it is a day visit or overnight stay;
• Whether it is a mixed or single-gender group;
• The experience of supervisory staff in providing off-site supervision;
• The duration and nature of the journey;
• The type of any accommodation;
• The competence of supervisory staff, both general and in relation to specific learning activities;
• The requirements of the organisation/ location to be visited;
• The competence and behaviour of the pupils;
• The likely weather conditions and time of year;
• The duration and location of planned activities; and
• First aid cover.

Further considerations also include whether the pupils require close (direct) supervision for the duration of the visit, in which case the staff to pupil ratio will be greater. 

Alternatively, if you don’t intend for pupils to be directly in your line of vision for the duration of the trip, then less supervision will be required. However, trip leaders will still need to remain in the area in which the activity is taking place at all times.

In the event of a pupil or trip leader needing to vacate the trip early, the appropriate ratios will still need to be maintained. For example, a trip leader may need to accompany a pupil to hospital or attend a personal emergency. This should be taken into consideration when planning your visit.

High-risk activities may require direct supervision at all times and therefore a higher staff to pupil ratio should be adhered to.

Additional requirements for residential trips

Vetting procedures for volunteers.

If you’re inviting volunteers such as parents or governors to assist with supervising pupils during a school trip, then you must adhere to the DE Circular 2012/19 with regards to vetting checks for volunteers working in schools. This must be followed when arranging trips for all groups of pupils under the age of 18.

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Staff-student ratios: effective supervision for educational visits

‘What is the ratio?’ is one of the most common questions EVOLVE Advice are asked about. Jake Wiid explains the answer. 

Decisions on effective levels of supervision must be discussed with, and approved by, the EVC and headteacher, says Jake. 

Imagine the scenario: you’ve been tasked with taking a group of 26 year 10 students on a geography field trip to Iceland. It’s a five-day visit at a busy time of year. Your headteacher wants to know how many staff they need to arrange cover for. How do you calculate the staff-student ratio?

Actually, that’s a trick question. Specific ratios have been almost completely phased out of guidance (aside from the EYFS Framework); however, ‘What is the ratio?’ is still one of the most common questions we’re asked as advisers.

A number alone does not keep children safe

The concept of ratios has evolved, recognising the need for flexibility, individual risk assessment and other factors. Adequate supervision remains a critical factor in keeping educational visits safe and enjoyable, but a number alone does not keep children safe. Fewer, more competent staff may provide a safer environment than a larger number of less competent staff.

A better question would be: how many supervising adults do you need to ensure there is effective supervision?

The responsibility lies with the visit leader, EVC and head of the establishment, in consultation with colleagues such as designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), to determine an appropriate level of supervision for that particular group and activity. The experience and competence of staff and other adults involved in the visit are a key factor in maintaining safety.

A quick guide to calculating effective supervision :

• We recommend using the STAGED approach as a framework for considering all the factors involved: Staffing, Transport, Activity, Group, Environmental conditions, and Distance from school.
• Identifying a starting point for your staffing levels can help support the decision-making process. Any deviation from this number, particularly if it results in fewer staff, should be considered, and documented.
• It is important that individual 1:1 support staff are not included in the overall staffing levels. Their responsibility is to the individual they are supporting, not the wider group.

Jake recommends asking the question about how many supervising adults you need to ensure there is effective supervision. 

Everyone involved must use their professional judgment and if any of these individuals are not satisfied with the supervision arrangements, the visit should not go ahead.

Finally, always speak to your Educational Visits Adviser if you are unsure or need support with effective supervision. There are no silly questions when it comes to keeping children and young people safe on educational visits.

Fewer, more competent staff may provide a safer environment than a larger number of less competent staff.

The 3Cs – a useful decision-making tool

Competence – of all the staff, including volunteers and helpers

Capacity – are there sufficient staff to manage the group and specific needs?

Contingency – what is the plan if there is an unexpected development?

Search for ‘ratios’ to find OEAP National Guidance at oeapng.info

EVOLVE Advice provides training, advice, guidance and online systems to over 3,000 schools, trusts and local authorities. Find out more at www.evolveadvice.co.uk  

More from Jake Wiid

How to prevent incidents and manage emergencies on visits

Weighing up the cost and benefits of a school trip abroad

Ways schools can reduce their environmental impact when travelling

• EVOLVE Advice

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Reassuring parents and carers about school trips

Andy Smith from EVOLVE Advice on what schools can do to ensure families feel informed and reassured about educational visits.

Future of educational visits discussed at EVC conference

EVCs and senior school leaders came together for the National Educational Visits Conference in London, hosted by reporter and presenter, Louise Beale.

National Educational Visits Conference promises an ‘inspiring day’

EVCs and school/curriculum leaders can book their place to attend the National Educational Visits Conference which takes place in London on 13th June, organised by EVOLVE Advice. 

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We’ve rounded up some of the UK’s best museums for school visits which are sure to encourage pupils to learn new passions.

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Julie Hinton from King Edward’s School Witley describes how her pupils reaped the rewards of a visit to Futuroscope in western France.

School’s bucket list trip to Washington D.C.

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• Plan A School Trip

School trips – Ultimate teacher guide & 100+ venue ideas

There’s lots to think about when organising and leading an educational excursion, but these pointers will help set you on the road to success…

Find the perfect school trip

Ultimate teacher guide to planning school trips, school trip ideas.

Find perfect school trips in an instant with our school trip finder . Explore school trips by subject , region or type . Or you can simply browse our extensive school trip directory until you find something your pupils would love.

Start planning school trips early

It falls under the category of ‘common sense’, but in teaching, where time is often in short supply, it bears repeating: allowing adequate time for planning a school trip is essential.

Rushed school trips , planned days or weeks before rather than months in advance, will be both a more stressful experience for you as organiser, and at risk of underperforming educationally. 

One of the key findings of Ofsted’s 2008 Learning outside the classroom report was that learning outside the classroom (LOtC) was “most successful when it was an integral element of long-term curriculum planning and closely linked to classroom activities”. 

Gill Harvey, chief executive of the School Travel Forum , says that many school trips don’t get beyond the planning stage because teachers “haven’t gauged parental interest and got approval from the headteacher first.”  

Making an enquiry with school trips venues or providers should be “the last step in the process”, she continues.  

Educational and learning value

As the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) highlights in its guidance, “the objectives for [your] visit should be defined carefully and must relate closely to classroom work.” 

In its 2008 report, Ofsted noted that, “Too many residential and other visits […] had learning objectives which were imprecisely defined”.  

When thinking about educational school trips, headteacher Tracey Bowen stresses that its “vital to be clear about why you’re going. What’s your intention? What do you want to get out of it?”. 

She continues: “We spend a phenomenal amount of time planning school trips, checking what the content of a workshop is, explaining what our needs are.” 

It’s important to think carefully about where you choose to go. As Tracey points out: “You can get brochures through and think, ‘Oh, that looks great – we’ll go there!’. However, unless you’re careful, you can end up thinking, ‘That’s not what it said on the tin!’.” 

“Unless you’re careful you can end up thinking, ‘That’s not what it said on the tin!'”

More fundamentally, for a successful school trip, your choice of destination should be informed by your learning objectives . 

The CLOtC advises that if your outcomes can be “successfully achieved in the grounds of your school, or within easy access in the local area, then it is unlikely that travelling for hours to reach a more distant venue will enhance the learning experience”.

But, of course, there will be many instances in which an external provider located further afield will be essential. 

The cost of school trips

Steve Craven, director of NST Travel Group, recommends being flexible with your travel dates, transport options, departure points and accommodation location to get the best price for school trips. He recommends not being afraid to ask for advice on making your financial resources stretch a little further. 

Consider the length of your school trip, too – the longer the trip is, the more expensive it will be.

If you’re going on a residential school trip, filling your itinerary with a mix of free and paid-for options will help to keep the cost down.  

Sylvia Holland is a KS4 lead practitioner at Impington Village College and Impington International College who regularly organises MFL school trips abroad.

When it comes to the cost of transport, she says, “Since Brexit and the pandemic there has been a noticeable increase in the costs of flights. However, being flexible with our travel dates has enabled us to benefit from the best prices available.” 

Her school has also benefited from community and charity funding, government grants and school fundraising. She recommends looking into The Turing Scheme . 

Helping parents budget for school trips

In a post-pandemic climate, where pupil attendance is still giving us significant causes for concern ,

Many households are under strain when it comes to paying household bills. This is combined with food costs soaring plus the impact of rising interest rates on mortgage repayments and rents.

This has resulted in households everywhere having far less disposable income. So how can schools tackle families’ anxieties about paying for school trips?

Parental finances

One thing we can do is provide parents with clear timetables at the start of the academic year. These should record proposed trips and upcoming costs. This helps with parents’ budgeting.

If your capacity extends to it, you could even look into setting up financial literacy support sessions for any parents needing to improve their ability at budgeting successfully.

Where possible, look to provide a monthly payment system. Here, parents regularly deposit small sums in a dedicated account, before then making withdrawals once a trip has been arranged.

There’s scope to subsidise the trips themselves using Pupil Premium and/or SEND funding. Or you can approach your PTA about supporting funded places.

A good way of getting parents to engage can be to research any local financial support organisations. Share details of these in your school newsletters and parental forums.

The onus is on schools to embed these kinds of practices into their daily routines. If a school can demonstrate that their parents’ financial status is an area they’re sensitive to, this will help build a sense of openness.

Support for parents

• Consider helping parents access financial literacy workshops from a local support organisation. Or provide them yourself in after-school sessions
• Ensure that parents feel able to inform you in the event of financial concerns or shocks that might be affecting them and their families
• Engage with charities that might be able to offer financial support to struggling families. Pass on any useful advice or guidance
• Some LAs can provide support with additional school expenses in ‘exceptional circumstances’

Nikki Cunningham-Smith is an assistant headteacher based in Gloucestershire .

Free UK school trips

Of course, you don’t always need to travel far to find an appropriate setting for your school trip. Staying local helps you save on travelling time and costs but also helps children to engage with the local history of their community. Check out a great range of free school trips here . 

Risk assessments and school trips safety

The very thought of being responsible for the wellbeing of 30+ unleashed kids can be enough to put teachers off school trips for life, but there has never been more guidance available for those responsible for carrying out risk assessments. 

So what exactly is a school trip risk assessment?

According to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, a risk assessment is “an essential element of any school trip – not to mention a legal requirement.”  

The DfE’s ‘ Health and safety on educational visits’ resource , which draws upon the work of both the CLOtC and the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP) , is a useful starting point. 

“If you are the group leader, always be prepared to trust your own judgement”, advises the NEU.

“If you think that to continue an activity or a school trip would compromise the health and safety of the group, you have the authority and responsibility to cancel it. 

“The teacher/group leader is expected to apply the same standard of care as would a ‘reasonable parent’ acting within a range of reasonable responses.” 

If you need help with your risk assessment, each local authority has an outdoor education advisor who is there to help and support you. 

School trips insurance

It’s vital that all staff and pupils are fully and correctly insured for your school trip. NEU says that it’s important to “study insurance policies carefully – they should include cover for possible personal liability and ‘third party insurance’ for all responsible adults. 

“Group leaders must ensure that they do nothing to jeopardise their insurance cover. 

“When negligence is alleged, the case will nearly always be taken against the employer, who is vicariously liable and carries insurance for third-party liability. 

“Claims are seldom brought against individuals and, if individual employees are sued, they may bring in their employer as a co-defendant.

“Some employers provide a specific indemnity which protects staff against any liability if a claim is made against them personally.  

“The courts do not rush to find schools and teachers negligent, they accept that accidents do happen. 

“However, schools must demonstrate that they have taken reasonable steps to plan school trips thoroughly and assess and control risks, and individual teachers must demonstrate that their responses to an incident were within the range of the reasonable responses of a parent.” 

Accredited providers of school trips

It’s easy to underestimate the time and energy needed to organise a school trip, especially if you’re taking a ‘DIY’ approach and arranging all the separate elements yourself.  

Using an accredited provider or tour company gives you financial protection in the form of ABTA or ATOL bonding, but another benefit, as Gill Harvey from School Travel Forum explains, is that reputable tour companies will have “first-hand knowledge of your destination and a good ‘bank’ of suppliers from which to choose appropriate services for your school trip. They can offer 24-hour help and support in the unlikely event that anything should happen – from flight delays to last-minute cancellations.” 

Using an accredited provider can save you time when it comes to paperwork and “gives you peace of mind that the elements of the school trip have all been carefully checked on your behalf”, according to Gill. 

Jamie Walls, product development and delivery manager at YHA , recommends looking in particular for the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge .

He says: “It’s the only nationally recognised indicator of good quality educational provision and effective risk management.  

“Having this quality standard means the red tape associated with a school trip is reduced.” 

Getting assistance from the school trip venue

If you can’t quite find what you’re looking for when browsing school trip ideas, don’t be afraid to ask venues for assistance, advises deputy headteacher Grace Shaw. 

Many museums, galleries, zoos and the like are more than willing to be flexible.

Grace says: “Rather than picking off the menu, you can tailor-make what you need. Museums in particular are usually very happy to adapt their offer, because they’re so thrilled to share what they’ve got to share.” 

On school trips where venue staff are taking the lead in guiding students, don’t be tempted to switch off.

Grace says: “Some teachers think, ‘I’ll get to my workshop, then the workshop leader will have the children and I’ll get them back at the end.’ 

“Actually, you need to work with staff, because while they’re experts in their field, you’re the expert in your children. You’ve got to develop a partnership.” 

Gill Harvey adds that to maximise the positive impact of your trip and help gain approval from parents and the school to run the trip in the first place, ask your operator how they can support you to promote the learning benefits of the trip to your stakeholders. 

Planning a school trip checklist

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers lays out the following checklist for planning a school trip. 

• Obtain approval from your school and the local authority, if applicable 
• Undertake or obtain a risk assessment
• Detail staffing, supervision and training needs 
• Ensure that the trip is adequately insured 
• Plan transport 
• Obtain written parental consent for medical treatment and brief parents 
• Conduct an exploratory visit 
• Prepare contingency and emergency arrangements 
• Brief staff in preparation for the trip, including responsibilities and emergency arrangements 
• Prepare children for the trip by discussing arrangements, expectations and safety 

Inspection visits

Making time to head to your destination ahead of the trip proper can help clarify issues as trivial as where you need to park, as well as more important issues relating to health and safety. 

In its National Guidance, the OEAP notes that while accreditations and other sources of information provide essential assurances, “they are not a substitute for a preliminary visit and being able to clarify issues face to face.” 

Jamie Walls from YHA says that by arranging a pre-visit, group leaders can get a feel for the residential destination. “They can also talk to staff, get assistance with any paperwork necessary and see the activities first-hand,” he says.  

If you’re planning a school trip residential, a visit will allow you to assess catering and sleeping arrangements. “Ensure that your groups have dedicated rooms and that the catering is not only offered but of good quality, with any dietary requirements catered for too”, suggests Jamie. 

Adult-to-pupil ratios

According to NEU, there’s no precise formula for the ratio of adults required on a school trip. “It’s down to reasonable judgement”, it explains.

“You should take into account the nature of the expedition, and the number, age and aptitudes of the children. School trips which involve hazardous activities require more adults for a group.”  

“There’s no precise formula for the ratio of adults required on a school trip”

Many venues will state their own ratios for school trips on their website. 

Government guidance on ratios

On its website, the Health and Safety Executive states that pupil-to-staff ratios for school trips are not prescribed in law. 

It states that “those planning a school trip, on the basis of risk assessment, should decide the ratios, taking into account the activity to be undertaken and the age and maturity of the pupils.” 

Preparing the children

Before embarking on your trip, set out your expectations about behaviour and lay out your learning outcomes and how they will be used in the following weeks. 

It’s also important to set out to children what will happen on their school trip – emphasising the times when they’ll need to focus and the opportunities for free time available. 

Giving children a clear idea of what will happen on your trip and when can help to alleviate anxieties about the unknown, according to experts at PAC-UK . 

They propose providing a timetable of the trip, breaking it down into its component elements, the more visual the better. 

Other ways to help anxious children include:

• Looking at images or the website of your destination
• Arranging a pre-visit with a caregiver, if possible
• Giving pupils the chance to discuss any worries with a key person in school 

Read more advice from PAC-UK about reducing trip trauma . 

Another important aspect of preparing children for a trip is making sure that they already have a basic knowledge of the topic you’re looking to focus on. 

Teacher Sylvia Holland says that many school trip venues “have a plethora of resources available online that are designed to support learning in the classroom, for use either prior to or after your visit. 

“Use videos to set the scene and excite pupils ahead of their trip or use worksheets to help with follow-up lesson planning and allow them to apply new-found skills.” 

Make time for reflection

Making the most of a school trip isn’t just about ensuring its smooth running on the day – the point, after all, is for the visit to have a measurable positive benefit on students’ learning when they return to the classroom. 

As such, it’s equally important to give due consideration to how you plan to continue the learning – in some cases post-visit resources may be available to help you – and to reflect, in partnership with students, on the experience: evaluate its effectiveness in terms of improving educational outcomes, and learn lessons for next time. 

Whether you’re looking for help planning a primary school trip, a secondary school trip, a free school trip or just something a little out-of-the-ordinary, we’ve got you covered with this mega list of school trip ideas!

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Residential trips for schools

Manor House & Ashbury Hotels

The Manor House & Ashbury Hotels , in the heart of Devon, offer a fantastic choice of over 50 sport, craft, leisure and spa activities.

A dedicated schools coordinator can create a bespoke programme to meet your group’s individual requirements, plus all equipment and use of its fantastic facilities is included in the price.

All sessions are delivered by experienced tutors with a child-led approach. With workshops, accommodation, full-board dining and generous group discounts you’re guaranteed a great value break that ticks every box.

Rock UK has been working with schools for nearly 100 years. Its four nationwide activity centres offer tailor-made programmes of challenging activities to build resilience, confidence and independence – you can choose from over 40 instructed activities, from watersports to abseiling, bush craft to archery and much more.

All centres hold the LOtC quality badge, testament to the company’s high standards for safety, activity provision and learning outcomes.

Bursary places are available for children who would otherwise be left behind.

Ringsfield Hall

Ringsfield Hall is an innovative centre for outdoor learning and nature connection, with 14.5 acres of woods, meadow and a homely Victorian house.

On offer are crafted forest school and earth education programmes, infused with imagination, drama and magic, all delivered by experienced practitioners with a child-led and eco-therapeutic approach.

You can opt for a day visit or residentials, with facilities including an art barn, music studio and sports pitches.

Other highlights include farm animals, fantastic home-cooked food and the freedom to explore!

Go Wild Adventures

Bring your students out of the classroom and immerse them in the great outdoors at Go Wild Adventures .

Go Wild’s philosophy is that great things can happen in young people’s lives when their horizons are widened, and its team will work to help you achieve this.

Pupils are invited to embrace living under canvas and inspired to explore the world around them.

With campfires, woodlands, fields and an on-site field study classroom on offer, Go Wild can help you put together a package to suit your specific needs.

Cumulus Outdoors

Cumulus offers action-packed residential programmes on the stunning Jurassic coast in Dorset, tailored to your requirements and fully supported by a team who will guide you every step of the way.

You can choose either the exclusive Tented Village option for an authentic outdoor experience – featuring 24/7 pastoral care, spacious tents, a large communal tipi and dedicated teachers area – or the Residential Centre for dormitory accommodation, plus dedicated teacher and classroom facilities.

Programmes can include coasteering, a visit to a waterpark, a mud run, kayaking, mackerel fishing, rock climbing and abseiling, and more.

YHA School Trips

Whatever your subject and whatever your desired learning objectives, when you choose YHA School Trips you can be assured of a safe, fulfilling and unforgettable residential that will stay with your pupils long after their coach journey home.

What’s more, as a leading youth charity, YHA believes that every child should have the same chance to discover, explore and grow – to that end it creates unique opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to experience amazing places, share extraordinary journeys and take a different path through life.

TYF has been running for over 30 years, delivering adventure residential school trips for schools. Pupils are taken out of the confines of the classroom and immersed in adventurous and experiential learning in the natural world.

Its core activities are coasteering (which it pioneered in 1986), surfing, climbing and abseiling, and kayaking.

The programmes link adventure and problem solving, helping pupils to find meaning and inspiration whilst building the ‘backpack skills’ for a lifetime of adventurous play.

Mill on the Brue

Mill on the Brue Outdoor Activity Centre boasts over 40 activities in the idyllic river valley in Bruton, Somerset.

Each programme is individually written in consultation with the party leader, who can choose activities based around team-building, problem-solving, high energy or just plain fun, with experienced and qualified instructors who stay with the group throughout the week.

Food is also an important part of the trip, with child-friendly meals and all diets catered for.

Children are taught about the environment and teamwork, and gain a comprehension of healthy living and life skills.

The School Journey Association

The School Journey Association’ s activity school trips are suitable for all age groups and are a fantastic way to motivate pupils, whilst teaching them independence, self-belief and many other important life skills.

They offer both day and residential school trips to accredited activity centres throughout the UK and France, as well as visits to Belgium and Spain.

NST has been creating tours that inspire and educate children for more than 50 years. It chooses its destinations with school groups in mind. Safe, secure accommodation options and a range of engaging visits provide an ideal introduction to the world outside the classroom.

It’s the travel company of choice for over 35,000 group leaders, and NST is committed to doing its absolute best to provide schools with the experience and support they need to create school trips pupils will remember long after they return to the classroom.

Dunfield House

A proud LOtC-accredited provider, Dunfield House offers an outstanding residential experience – a place to call home where students can improve their confidence, resilience, wellbeing and life skills.

Its friendly team offer a personal service, with 24/7 onsite managers, three-star accommodation and healthy, wholesome meals with unlimited refreshments and biscuits.

Varied lesson plans, developed by teachers, are available for self-directed learning.

Dunfield caters for groups of 30–95, offering sole use of the house and/or stables accommodation.

Most importantly, it offers a sanctuary where young people develop their true potential, taking memories and new skills back to the classroom.

The Outward Bound Trust

As an educational charity, the Outward Bound Trust ’s mission is to make its residential programmes available to as many young people as possible.

With the philosophy that money shouldn’t stand in the way of opportunity and that everyone can achieve more than they think they can, it raises funds thanks to the generosity of donors, its fundraising events and early careers development programmes.

The trust puts this towards appropriate funding for schools, colleges and youth groups.

UKSA specialises in introducing people of all ages to the great outdoors through watersports and sailing.

Its water-based activities are a great way to build confidence, teamwork and resilience. On offer are a variety of disciplines, from dinghy sailing and kayaking, to windsurfing and standup paddleboarding.

Team building and multi-activity programmes are also available. UKSA’s 3.5-acre fully residential campus is based in Cowes, Isle of Wight – just a short hop over from Southampton, Portsmouth or Lymington.

There are regular complementary preview weekends for anyone who wishes to experience what’s on offer, first hand.

YMCA Lakeside

YMCA Lakeside is one of the largest and most scenic outdoor education centres in the UK. Set on the shores of Lake Windermere, this iconic centre has been hosting school residentials and transforming young lives for over 70 years.

Its state-of-the-art schools facility, opened in 2019, created an additional 200 beds and more opportunities to provide outstanding learning outside the classroom activities.

Belchamps Scout Activity Centre

If you’re looking for something different for your next educational venture outside the school grounds, try this activity centre set amid 30 acres of camping fields in the Essex countryside.

The site includes a choice of five indoor accommodations and two tented villages with a cooking hut, and a range of different experiences to try.

Available activities include abseiling, bridge building, bushcraft days (which involve fire lighting and shelter building) and indoor/outdoor climbing, among many others.

Essex Outdoors

Essex Outdoors is situated across four stunning locations in Essex, ideally located to provide an outstanding school trips experience.

Whether you’re looking for a residential stay or a day trip, its fully trained and dedicated staff will ensure that your students develop lifelong memories.

With over 40 different activities on offer – from archery to crabbing, quad bikes to zip wires – there’s certain to be something that will engage and inspire your pupils.

The wide range of accommodation options, including residential blocks, pods, cabins and tents, means you will be able to plan a trip that’s exactly what you’re looking for.

Active Escape

Active Escape is based in stunning North Devon and provides a variety of stimulating and unique experiences, including coasteering, stand-up paddleboarding, rafting, party SUPs and its very own ‘Adventure Challenge’.

All of the activities on offer encourage team-building, boost self-confidence and fulfill a number of educational purposes too.

You can choose to spend half a day with Active Escape or a whole week, thanks to a campsite equipped with bell tents for your students.

Conway Centres

With four locations across north Wales and Cheshire, Conway Centres are the perfect location for schools to come together and make life-long memories.

Conway Centres combines real-life outdoor adventure with unique creative and performing arts activities, which increase achievement and inspire individuals.

Whether children and young people are canoeing on the private dock in Anglesey (with the stunning Snowdonia mountain range as a backdrop), taking centre stage in the outdoor woodland theatre or exploring all that Delamere forest has to offer, there’s something to inspire everyone at Conway Centres.

Brathay Trust

Situated in the stunning Lake District National Park, Brathay Hall is home to Brathay Trust . Each year the site hosts hundreds of young people on immersive, memorable and life-changing residential programmes that promote resilience, leadership and wellbeing.

A Brathay residential programme offers a powerful learning experience in an inspiring location, using outdoor activities and a creative approach to enable a wide range of outcomes to be achieved.

As the director of services at Aspired Futures put it, “The changes we saw in young people on the residential would take us a year to achieve in our community setting.”

Epic Outdoors

Epic Outdoors is an adventure activities licensing service and Duke of Edinburgh approved adventure provider specialising in developing personal and group skills through multi activity programmes.

It currently delivers activities in the Lake District, North Wales and the Peak District – everything from gorge walking, canoe and climbing to mindfulness, wild camping and traditional storytelling – to over 2,500 young people each year.

Schools receive full support, from pre-visits for staff, students and parents to curriculum blending and post residential review trips – and most importantly, genuine adventures built around learning outcomes.

A Kingswood adventure brings out the potential in every child. With award-winning programmes focused on building confidence, boosting resilience and developing key life skills, your class will enjoy a breath of fresh air, a taste of independence and make memories to last a lifetime.

Choose from 11 adventure centres across the UK, where the Kingswood team will deliver activities from abseiling to zip wires, while providing learning outcomes and so much more.

Introduced in 2022, the new unique Confidence Tracker also helps you to measure and demonstrate the outcome of your trip.

Plus, you’ll be able to explore pre- and post-trip activities from Kingswood’s partners, Enrich Education, to help extend the value of your trip.

Oaker Wood Leisure

Oaker Wood Leisure Adventure Centre in Herefordshire specialises in school activity residentials for groups of up to 120 students.

Accommodation comes in the form of wooden ‘glamping’ pods based in glamping villages for the exclusive use of each school group, complete with campfire, barbecue hut, kitchen and dining facilities, showers and toilets.

On-site activities include team-building, high ropes, a zip wire, quick jump, paintball, raft-building, quad trekking and more.

You can book residentials for between one and four nights. Day trips and in-school team-building days also available.

Llain Activity Centre

Llain Activity Centre is a short drive from New Quay, West Wales and a short walk to the secluded Cei Bach beach.

The nine-acre former farm is packed with various accommodation options, a one-and-a-half-acre lake and a one-acre mud assault course as well as a climbing tower, high ropes and zip line.

Having specialised in residential school trips for over 20 years, the centre prides itself on its pre-visit communication and parent presentations.

Scout Adventures

With over 100 years’ experience in character education, Scout Adventures has helped thousands of young people enjoy a range of adventure activities while learning new skills and becoming active citizens of the future.

At Scout Adventures it’s all about helping young people to reach their potential – understanding that learning away can have a powerful, positive impact on young people’s academic achievement.

With its expertise in informal outdoor learning, and world famous Scouting heritage and values, Scout Adventures has inspired generations of young people to reach their potential and learn skills for life.

It also provides free resources to schools.

Calvert Trust Exmoor

Calvert Trust Exmoor offers a unique opportunity for students of any age and any disability to experience exciting, challenging and enjoyable adventure activities in a safe, accessible environment.

On a residential break, children can overcome challenges, build confidence and enrich their lives through improved self-esteem and a sense of achievement.

The Trust also promotes physical activity, helps with social interaction and gives pupils and staff a shared point of reference that can aid engagement when back in the classroom.

It works with numerous UK educational establishments, both specialist and mainstream, and can tailor breaks to meet your needs.

PGL has been successfully delivering high-quality learning experiences for 65 years, amassing a wealth of experience within outdoor education.

As the largest outdoor learning provider in the UK, over 350,000 young people benefit from a PGL trip each year.

With 15 centres across the UK, most schools are no more than two hours away from their next PGL adventure. There are also four centres in France and a ski programme in Europe.

Residential school trips offer unforgettable experiences at the well-equipped adventure centres and with PGL, you get round-the-clock support from experienced instructors and a dedicated member of staff to look after you and your group during your stay.

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SEA LIFE London

Inspirational for all ages, SEA LIFE London offers pupils the opportunity to explore the creatures that live in our rivers and oceans.

They will walk in awe through Pacific Ocean tunnels, tropical rainforests and an Antarctic penguin point.

Younger children’s curiosity will be piqued as they become top rock pool explorers while older students can observe, first hand, ecosystems, environmental changes, evolution and marine conservation.

Pupils will learn about the different oceans around the world, explore creature characteristics and differences in their adaptations to survive, and compare and contrast the life stages of mammals, amphibians, insects and birds.

Tour for Muggles

Show your students the magical side of London with this award-winning Harry Potter tour . This is a really engaging way for students to delve into the Harry Potter series while learning about London’s rich history.

The Tour for Muggles team have worked with many school groups and their excellent guides will make it a memorable experience for you all.

The team reserves the best prices for school groups. Teachers can attend for free. Multi-award winner of the TripAdvisor Award of Excellence and Scoot Awards, this tour is truly Potterific!

Imperial War Museum London

IWM London tells the story of conflict from 1914 to the present day. School groups can choose to take part in one of IWM’s learning sessions with an expert educator, or opt to explore the museum on a self-guided visit. The Documentary Challenge gives students the chance to explore IWM’s galleries, find objects and tell the stories the world needs to hear by making short documentaries.

We Were There sessions provide a unique opportunity to meet veterans who have all experienced conflict first-hand.

Holocaust Learning sessions support students as they learn about one of the most difficult subjects in history. New technology guides pupils through IWM’s Holocaust Galleries, critically considering why the Holocaust happened, why we study it, and what it means in our world today.

Jewish Museum

At Jewish Museum London , students will learn about the history of Judaism and the culture of the Jewish community here in Britain.

All workshops are interactive and, depending on what you have planned, students might handle precious objects with important and personal stories, watch films, listen to stories and sound clips, or participate in craft activities. The museum also provides the opportunity for students to hear from a Holocaust survivor speaker who will tell their personal story.

The Living Communities gallery offers a space for craft activities and group work. Students may even get the chance to practise calligraphy skills and learn some Hebrew.

Asking questions is an important part of your visit – The Jewish Museum London offers a safe space to ask anything about Judaism or Jewish people that you ever wanted to know.

KidZania London

Visit KidZania London in Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush and your pupils will experience experiential learning at its best. KidZania is the indoor city for kids with endless, exciting, real-life career activities.

The range of activities available is designed to link back to the curriculum across PSHE, literacy and STEM.

KidZania also runs unique educational events throughout the year to bring careers learning to life. These include Parliament Week, STEM Week and its Careers Fair.

The Postal Museum

The Postal Museum explores how the post has changed the way we live. Interactive sessions explore communication stories across the curriculum for all key stages. Meanwhile, its exhibition galleries are jam-packed with intriguing objects charting 500 years of social history.

Pupils can hop aboard Mail Rail, travelling on a tiny train through the tunnels of London’s hidden postal railway and testing their engineering ingenuity in the original train depot.

Younger visitors can learn through play in Sorted! and have sack loads of fun delivering the post in the mini mail town.

Lee Valley Regional Park

Help your class to experience a range of outdoor adventure activities with a trip to a 10,000 acre classroom in Lee Valley Regional Park , spanning London, Essex and Hertfordshire.

The learning service provides real-word experience of topics on the KS1 and KS2 curriculum. Immerse pupils in the history of the Stone Age, help them discover the natural world, or teach mindfulness practices in the outdoors.

Looking for something more? The forest school activity programme is available in six-week blocks for children to develop physical and social skills. In-school programmes are also available.

Science trips for schools

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum is a 32-acre site steeped in history and linked with world-famous achievements.

Its collections of historic cars, aircraft, motorcycles, bicycles and artefacts tell fascinating and inspirational stories.

From its creation in 1907, through two World Wars and for most of the 20th century, Brooklands was a centre for breaking speed records, motor racing and advances in science and technology. Thousands of aircraft were tested and flown.

Today, students can:

• sit inside real aircraft
• drive a Formula 1 simulator around Brooklands race track
• design their own aircraft
• step on board a real Concorde

Magna Science Adventure Centre

Magna Science Adventure Centre is a hands-on experience with interactive exhibits and fascinating displays.

Pupils can explore the wonders of science, technology and industrial history in four pavilions: Fire, Water, Earth and Air.

These are crammed with over 100 exciting activities. Invite your group to discover the amazing nature of water, operate real diggers, witness a fire tornado and even explode a rock face.

There’s also a chance to discover South Yorkshire & North East England’s steel-making heritage in ‘The Big Melt’ experience. This is a thunderous pyrotechnic show.

Kent Wildlife Trust

Kent Wildlife Trust is the leading wildlife charity in Kent. Its aim is to bring people closer to nature and ensure wildlife is protected and restored in the future.

Activities enable young people to connect with nature and learn outside the classroom.

Learners will explore different habitats, learn new skills and have fun while meeting curriculum objectives.

Expert tutors are on hand to deliver a wide range of interactive sessions at sites across Kent. These range from pond dipping to forest school programmes.

Staff are committed to ensuring high quality provision and have been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge.

The Young People’s Trust for the Environment (YPTE) is a charity set up to support children’s understanding of the natural world.

Working with young people, schools and parents, it aims to give children a real awareness of environmental issues. These include:

• climate change
• deforestation
• the plight of endangered flora and fauna

Your pupils need to know all of the facts in order to make their own decisions about how they want to shape their world for the future. The YPTE helps to equip them with the knowledge they need.

The Field Studies Council

The Field Studies Council (FSC) is the UK’s leading charity sector provider of outdoor environmental education.

Much of its work is based at one of its 17 field centres. These have an international reputation for high standards of primary school, secondary school and university teaching by expert staff and associated facilities.

A broad range of courses are available, from fieldwork residentials and adventure school trips to one-day experiences. These Field Studies Council courses immerse pupils in the natural world, taking in its sights, sounds and smells by bringing subjects to life in the outdoor classroom.

Godstone Farm

Godstone Farm opened its doors 40 years ago as an educational attraction for school children. Over the years it has developed into the farm countless visitors enjoy today.

Its schools programme has been designed to complement the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stages and both the KS1 and 2 programmes of study, mixing in a whole heap of fun.

Children with SEND are welcomed, with semi-structured visits on offer.

Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm

A visit to Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm offers an excellent opportunity for children of all ages and abilities to become jungle explorers and learn about rainforest environments. They can also learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, and Mayans KS2 topics.

KS1 and 2 curriculum subjects are covered, with all tours tailored to meet your group’s needs.

Tours include an introductory talk and a ‘Meet the Mini-Beast’ handling session.

With plenty of hands-on, close observation and activity, this is an immersive and educational day out for your class.

Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens

From art to geography, science to literacy, whether you want an educational talk for your pupils or are just coming for a visit, Cotswold Wildlife Park has plenty to offer.

Home to over 260 different animal species, and comprising 120 acres of stunning gardens and parkland, it is the perfect place to bring the National Curriculum to life.

Your pupils can get eye to eye with giraffes, watch rhinos graze on the manor house lawns, walk with lemurs, take a ride on Bella the train or explore the adventure playground.

Free coach parking is available.

West Midland Safari Park

Located in Worcestershire, West Midland Safari Park has been welcoming educational groups for over 40 years. And with over 140 species of amazing animals on show, pupils can immerse themselves in a truly unique learning environment.

In 2017 the park’s purpose-built Safari Academy opened. This is a sustainable, state-of-the-art education centre, dedicated to providing learning opportunities for all ages.

A variety of educational sessions are on offer to complement the curriculum. These are delivered by an experienced education team who aim to inspire a future generation of conservationists.

Monkey World

Whether your pupils are learning about primate rescue work, the impact of deforestation or how woolly monkey use their tails, Monkey World ’s experienced education team can enhance your trip and support learning in the classroom.

As well as curriculum-linked sessions and workbooks, Monkey World offers visitors the chance to see over 250 monkeys and apes. This includes the largest group of chimpanzees outside of Africa, Europe’s only orangutan crèche and a breeding group of woolly monkeys – all in one day!

Amazona Zoo

Amazona Zoo in Cromer, Norfolk, is home to over 200 animals from tropical South America. These include:

The zoo features a 30-foot yurt for viewing educational films and other learning activities; an expansive outdoor play area, Rainforest Springs, with two large jumping pillows; and a spacious, well-equipped indoor play area, Jungle Tumbles.

There are opportunities for visitors to see the animals being fed, meet the zookeepers and learn about the history of South America and the rainforest.

Longleat is home to a wide range of attractions, so can easily tie in with a variety of topics, act as a case study, or be the inspirational starting point to a project.

Science and history have intrinsically strong connections but Longleat also presents wonderful opportunities for subjects such as English, maths, art and design. These can be given a real-life context.

There’s a huge selection of workshops and resources, for EYFS through to KS4+. Longleat is committed to continuously improving through expanding their variety of activities on offer.

Colchester Zoo

Colchester Zoo has an award-winning education programme and offers free sessions to support many subjects across the curriculum.

As well as covering traditional science and geography concepts such as adaptations and conservation, it also extends to English debating skills, art, maths and wildlife forensics. These support curriculum areas not traditionally associated with a zoo visit.

Schools looking for a general zoo visit are also very welcome to attend and use any of the zoo’s free online resources to focus self-guided or group learning.

Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo in Devon features 2,500 animals across 80 acres of natural habitat.

It has a comprehensive education offering to tempt schools. Primary students can access a range of interactive, curriculum-linked workshops. These take place in themed classrooms containing a host of artefacts and specimens.

Options include Evolution, Endangered animals and conservation, and habitats and adaptations. Qualified teaching staff will deliver these.

The team can also help visiting teachers to develop an itinerary for their visit. This can span a wide range of subjects, including maths, art, English, geography, and more.

The Deep is home to 3,500 fish and welcomes over 30,000 students every year to its purpose-built Learning Centre.

Start your amazing aquarium experience with the breath-taking coral reef in the Lagoon and some impressively large sharks in Endless Ocean. Or take a look at the creatures of the Amazon in the Flooded Forest.

A team of experienced in-house teachers deliver workshops, presentations and hands-on activities to school groups. They cover a wide selection of topics, including:

• citizenship
• customer care
• travel and tourism.

Flamingo Land Resort

Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire offers a great day out for school students. Your group will be able to enjoy the thrills of amazing theme park rides and explore an award-winning animal collection.

They can tour the zoo and attend keeper talks. These provide fascinating information about a variety of animals, including:

• Sumatran tigers
• African lions
• Black and white rhinoceroses

Business studies students can also take the opportunity to learn how a major leisure attraction operates, with information on a range of topics covering HR, customer services, finance and marketing.

National Marine Aquarium

The National Marine Aquarium is the largest public aquarium in the UK. It offers an amazing aquarium experience for more than 300,000 visitors per year (including 30,000 school students).

Its range of exhibits features marine animals from near and far. There are zones dedicated to the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Barrier Reef and Plymouth Sound.

Of particular interest will be JustAddH2O, the aquarium’s award-winning Learning Space. Its dedicated Discovery & Learning team operate in partnership with other education experts to provide a continuously developing programme that supports all teachers, from Foundation Stage to university and beyond.

Wingham Wildlife Park

There’s not an animal-based education destination in Kent that can offer more variety than Wingham Wildlife Park . At the park you’ll find:

• Over 170 species
• 190 talk topics. This includes everything from individual species to recycling, palm oil, dinosaurs, reptiles, invertebrates, nocturnal animals, birds and much more
• Pre-designed itineraries
• An outdoor play area
• Free lunch lockers
• Plenty of picnic areas (both open and under cover)

London & Whipsnade Zoos

If you’re looking to take your students on an inspirational school trip, look no further than ZSL’s two fantastic zoos .

London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo, home to over 650 species of animals. On the other hand, Whipsnade Zoo is the UK’s largest zoo. It’s set in 600 acres of beautiful scenery with some of the largest, rarest and most majestic animals alive.

Schools receive fantastic discounts for self-guided entry and educational sessions. You can choose from a range of curriculum-linked sessions, delivering a unique interactive learning experience. You can book these as part of your education visit.

A visit to either zoo is ideal for children of all ages, from Foundation through Key Stage 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The National Holocaust Centre and Museum

The National Holocaust Centre and Museum delivers educational programmes using digital technology, survivor testimonies, hate crime specialists and artefacts to challenge prejudice.

The MAD (Mechanical Art & Design) Museum

This venue displays over 60 motorised pieces of automata and kinetic art. These have all been handcrafted by outside-the-box thinkers and inventors from across the globe.

The museum encourages students to interact with and witness a diverse range of engineering and physics principles as well as clever design elements. The museum offers:

• hands-on learning
• discounted tickets
• support materials for teachers
• sketching and photography sessions
• KS3 activities and automata construction kits

Groups usually spend two hours experiencing everything on offer.

The National Football Museum

The National Football Museum teaches much more than just a game. Its fun and inspiring programme uses unique objects and amazing stories to enthuse and engage school students, employing football to bring the curriculum to life.

Pupils will journey back through time and chart the game’s development and place in society across the generations; score points with the museum’s approach to maths; get creative with words in poetry and commentary workshops; and get hands-on with real football artefacts in science and design sessions.

De Havilland Aircraft Museum

Your pupils can experience fun and engaging workshops at the UK’s oldest aviation museum , dedicated to the preservation of the de Havilland heritage.

They can get close up and inside many of the exhibits and aircraft, and enjoy bespoke workshops. You can tailor these to your topic, with many cross-curricular elements as well as opportunities to practise soft skills such as:

• critical thinking
• following instructions

British Motor Museum

The British Motor Museum offers a range of interactive museum walks, hands-on workshops and self-led activities that allow pupils to experience the sights, sounds and stories of the British motor industry. This is all while engaging in a fun learning programme linked to the National Curriculum.

There’s a coach drop-off point outside the museum entrance, accessible toilets and dedicated learning spaces, including a lunch area.

International tours

Halsbury Travel

Founded by former teachers, Halsbury Travel specialises in tailor-made tours for schools designed to inspire.

Its philosophy is that education should be an exciting adventure. And, as such, it offers some incredible activities that students will never forget.

You can walk on glaciers in Iceland, hike up volcanoes in Naples and Costa Rica, and explore the vastness of the Grand Canyon. There’s so many school trip destinations on offer.

You can travel to any number of far-flung destinations. These include India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China. Here your students will experience exotic landscapes and ancient, rich cultures.

Galina International Study Tours

Established in 1989, Galina is an independent, family-run tour operator providing curriculum-relevant primary and secondary school trips to destinations in the UK and Europe.

You can tailor the tours to cover your students’ specific learning objectives. Get in touch with a member of the team to discuss your requirements and start planning a school trip adventure.

WorldStrides

With WorldStrides you can experience the natural wonder of Iceland with your students, and use Geography Association-approved materials linked to the GCSE curriculum.

Begin in Reykjavik, then spend four days exploring the land of fire and ice – from explosive geysers and giant volcanoes, to glaciers and magnificent waterfalls.

Travel to Vik and the South Coast and then on to Gullfoss before enjoying a relaxing soak in the Blue Lagoon.

The team vets every hotel and restaurant to ensure it meets your expectations. And WorldStrides will work with you every step of the way to make your experience a smooth one.

School trips to New York City

European study tours.

European Study Tours is a leading educational tour operator trusted by teachers to organise educational tours and experiences since 1982.

Catering for destinations all around the world, European Study Tours also holds curriculum-focused conference events in New York. The LIVE! conferences bring students together with high-calibre industry professionals to provide subject insight and inspiration that can’t be found in text books or the classroom.

Art & Design LIVE! and Business LIVE! are held at the iconic MOMA museum, where students can hear first-hand accounts and exclusive insights from leading industry specialists. Q&A sessions give students the opportunity to put their questions to the experts. Then finish the day with a trip to Top of the Rock to see the city sparkle at night.

History school trips

Historic Royal Palaces

With 1,000 years of history to uncover, a visit to some of the country’s most iconic historic palaces offers pupils the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in history where it happened.

Children can take part in interactive sessions led by expert, costumed presenters, including: Tudor kitchens revealed at Hampton Court Palace; crime and punishment at the Tower of London; Queen Victoria’s toys at Kensington Palace; and the roles of servants uncovered at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

And for those wanting a self-led visit, activity trails linked to the national curriculum allow teachers to shape a visit to suit their students’ needs.

King Richard III Visitor Centre

Head to Leicester and you can discover the incredible story of a king’s life and death, and explore one of the greatest archaeological detective stories ever told.

Great for educational visits, the King Richard III Visitor Centre stands on the site where Richard III’s remains were buried for over 500 years.

A complementary learning programme is available for teachers. This provides different options for schools and educational organisations planning a visit to the centre. This includes a range of workshops for both history and science.

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle has played a prominent role in English history for over 1,100 years. Today, schools can explore its Medieval towers and ramparts; roam grounds designed by famous landscaper Capability Brown; and marvel at the great hall and state rooms with their Tudor influences.

They can also be awed by the daily shows that can include an archery demonstration, a working trebuchet and a brand new bird of prey show, ‘The Falconer’s Quest’.

In addition, there is a plethora of curriculum-linked workshops that you can book to bring history vividly to life.

English Heritage

Whether you choose an expert-led tour at Kenilworth Castle; an interactive Discovery Visit at Battle of Hastings Abbey and Battlefield; or explore the rich history of sites such as Dover Castle, Carlisle Castle or Stonehenge, English Heritage school trips are guaranteed to bring learning to life.

You can also download free resources from the English Heritage website. A team of qualified teachers, educational experts and historians have developed these, in partnership with AQA and OCR.

Tonbridge Castle

Tonbridge Castle educational tours and workshops immerse students in the turbulent and fascinating history of this long-standing gatehouse. It offers a fun, informative and hands-on way to learn about the past.

Visiting pupils will experience a vivid recreation of the sights, sounds and excitement of the castle in the 13th century. This includes:

• a visit to the basement store and the armoury
• joining the garrison for supper
• climbing to the top of the battlements.

Arundel Castle

Arundel Castle provides fantastic opportunities for educational visits. Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel, founded the castle at the end of the 11th century. Today it’s the family home of the 18th Duke of Norfolk.

Its colourful, near-1,000-year history lends itself to many aspects of the national curriculum, whether your group is in Key Stage 1, 2 or 3.

Staff have developed the Arundel Castle Educational Programme to help students with their study in an informative, enjoyable and memorable way.

At Beamish , students can engage in a real-life setting and, by asking real people, gain a deeper understanding than that offered by a textbook.

Its active learning experiences encompass investigation of both facts about the past and also attitudes.

Students must think critically, weigh evidence, make informed decisions and develop perspective in activities such as:

• Medicine Through Time
• Joe the Quilter Murder
• Suffragettes on the High Street
• Mayday Mayday

They must stand up and make their opinions known, argue, analyse and act out becoming informed, independent investigators.

Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park Resort Theme Park welcomes schools from all over the country for a school trip like no other.

At Thorpe Park you’ll find a full day’s worth of thrilling rides and attractions for students and teachers.

To make booking a trip as easy as possible, there’s a variety of resources on the resort’s website for download. These include checklists, risk assessments, permission slips and lesson plans.

The park also has a dedicated school team to help you every step of the way.

Cadbury World

With more than 30 years’ experience and more than 2,000 school groups attending each year, Cadbury World offers unique educational school trips that provide a fascinating insight into the nation’s favourite chocolate brand.

There’s an assortment of interactive chocolatey zones to explore and a variety of informative curriculum-linked talks and workshops. These include Marketing, Investigating Business and Geography.

The one-hour talks and workshops complement your group’s day out perfectly, expanding pupils’ knowledge on a huge range of topics. Self-guided tours are also available.

All of this makes Cadbury World the perfect destination for school trips.

Flambards Theme Park

Flambards Theme Park can be found in Helston, Cornwall. It combines a wide range of rides with indoor recreations of different historical eras. These include educational experiences aimed specifically at schools.

The latter include a life-size Victorian village featuring 50 explorable locations. There’s also a ‘Britain in the Blitz’ attraction. Schools can book ‘living history characters’ to help bring these to life, for example, an Air Raid Patrol warden.

Meanwhile your thrillseekers will enjoy the Skyraker and experience up to 3G with the giant white-knuckle experience that is ‘Sky-force’.

LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort

LEGO’s resort is an exciting venue for learning outside the classroom and most suitable for Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4 pupils. There are also experiences available for preschool and younger school pupils.

Schools can use a National Curriculum Map to navigate their way around the resort. This ensures that it’s a simple matter to tie in all of your learning objectives whilst students enjoy the over 55 rides and attractions.

Alton Towers

The Alton Towers Resort Theme Park welcomes schools from all over the country.

Alton Towers Education has a dedicated schools team to help you every step of the way. This is from booking your trip to delivering memorable educational experiences.

There are even special Teacher VIP days that allow you to meet the team and explore what Alton Towers Resort has to offer your school.

Chessington W o rld of Adventures

Schools visiting the Chessington World of Adventures Resort can expect a truly wild adventure.

Students can enjoy expeditions around its zoo in ‘walkshops’, or embark on fact-finding missions to learn all about Chessington’s four new resident endangered Amur Tigers, who live in ‘Land of the Tiger’.

The fantastic Wild Learning Centre has five immersively themed zones. It’s sure to give your pupils their wildest lesson yet!

Paultons Park

Set within 140 acres of parkland on the edge of the New Forest, Paultons Park is a family theme park with an extensive educational offering.

School groups can take advantage of a range of interactive workshops (suitable for Key Stages 1 to 4) in Professor Blast’s lab. This is focused on topics such as rollercoaster physics, dinosaurs, animal encounters and even theme park marketing.

Teachers can apply for free tickets, to see what’s on offer in advance.

There are more than 70 rides to enjoy too, plus go karts and even some moving dinosaurs…

Theatre and drama school trips

Ambassador Theatre Group

ATG’s Creative Learning and Community Partnerships provide dynamic cultural education. It works with top West End professionals to encourage creative thinking, problem solving, resilience and the ability to find solutions via engaging bespoke workshops. These include acting, singing, stage combat, technical theatre and more.

Whether your trip is part of the curriculum or a well-earned treat, the workshops are grounded in subject knowledge and understanding. Pupils’ creative capacity will be nurtured and their personal, social and academic development greatly enriched.

Frozen the Musical

Escape into the wonder-filled world of Arendelle to experience stories of love, hope and self-discovery. This is all delivered with groundbreaking set design and special effects, exquisite costumes and sensational stagecraft from the producers of The Lion King and Aladdin.

Frozen is brought to the stage by a multi-award-winning creative team. This is led by Tony® and Olivier Award-winning director Michael Grandage, with a book from Academy® and BAFTA Award-winning Jennifer Lee. The show features the cherished songs from the original film, alongside a brand-new score from Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. These are the Grammy® and Academy Award®-winning songwriters behind the global phenomenon ‘Let It Go’.

M&M Theatrical Productions

M&M Theatrical Productions ’ enchanting Classic Literature Adaptations are presented in an easily digestible and interactive format, creating an inspiring way to promote reading for pleasure and to learn about the past, while engaging the children in tales involving characters from many different social and cultural backgrounds.

These productions are followed by a Stagecraft workshop – an exciting way to further enhance the experience of the visit by offering older children a practical and unique view behind the scenes of the production they have just enjoyed, broadening their knowledge of the arts in combination with STEM subjects.

The Birmingham Stage Company

The Birmingham Stage Company is one of the world’s top companies creating theatre for children. Its award-winning productions tour the UK and internationally, most recently performing on Broadway, selling out the Sydney Opera House and regularly triumphing in London’s West End.

They work with Britain’s top children’s writers including David Walliams, Liz Pichon, Terry Deary, Michael Morpurgo and Philip Pullman.

Nominated for the Best Entertainment and Family Olivier Award, the company stages spectacular shows that are tailored specifically for children. There’s amazing sets and costumes, plus fantastic effects. The company aims to make every production a truly memorable event.

Galloway School Tours

Did you know your local coach operator may be able to organise a complete day out? This includes travel and attraction tickets.

East Anglian operator Galloway School Tours , for example, offers packages for groups looking to visit London’s West End.

Using its extensive experience and network of contacts, Galloway can provide schools travelling from East Anglia a package including travel, show tickets and a theatre workshop.

It’s a great opportunity for students to work with professionals and enjoy top quality entertainment.

Royal Court Theatre

The Royal Court is a leading force in world theatre for finding writers and producing new plays that are original, contemporary and provocative.

Its education programme encourages young people to investigate, enjoy and participate in the craft of making theatre. It opens up the world of the rehearsal room as well as backstage, and offers practical learning opportunities for students.

From study days, production workshops, INSET sessions and community projects, the organisation offers a fascinating insight into the professional process of staging Royal Court productions.

Disney’s Aladdin

Breathtaking sets, mindblowing special effects, over 350 lavish costumes and a fabulous cast and orchestra bring the magic of Disney’s Aladdin to life on the West End stage.

This spectacular show, which is packed full of dancing, music and storytelling, is a fantastic stimulus for creative work. It will inspire primary and secondary pupils alike.

You can enhance your visit with free online resources. These include a nine-part video library.

Or take advantage of a range of pre-show workshops led by Disney Theatrical Teaching Artists. Prepare to escape to a whole new world!

Shakespeare’s Globe

Every day hundreds of students take part in curriculum-linked workshops and lectures at, or delivered, by Shakespeare’s Globe .

Visit with your group and you’ll also be able to benefit from an exploratory tour of the theatre.

Workshop options include interactive storytelling sessions for Key Stages 3 to 5. These include a 45-minute performance by a Globe Education practitioner.

Longer study days, exploring topics such as language or contextual influences on performance, for Key Stages 4 and 5, and GCSE study days are also available.

The Globe has extensive experience of working with children with SEN and EAL, too.

Told By An Idiot

Told by an Idiot is an acclaimed professional theatre company and an Arts Council England NPO organisation.

The company has 25 years’ experience of creating exciting, innovative productions and participation projects across the UK and internationally. Venues include north west England’s Manchester Royal Exchange, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Lyric Hammersmith London and National Theatre Wales.

It also offers a range of exciting, highly practical drama workshops for teachers and students. These are led by experienced practitioners who are all professional theatre performers and directors.

Themes include Working with Mask, Devising, Commedia dell’arte and Physical Theatre, as well as CPD sessions for teachers.

The Emmerdale Studio Experience

The Emmerdale Studio Experience takes place at the former ITV studios in Leeds, where selected filming still takes place. It allows students to step into the drama and experience the television production process from ‘Script to Screen’.

The education programme is tailored for Key Stages 2–5. There are links to the national curriculum and exam board specifications for English, film and media studies.

ATG Creative Learning Workshops

ATG’s Creative Learning team understands the value of learning through a creative process and the many ways in which it can engage and inspire students, bolstering the hard work of teachers and their schools.

All of ATG’s group workshops are bespoke. They can be tailored to offer an exploration of any English or drama text, on the GCSE and A Level curriculum or otherwise.

Best of all, students taking part will be working with truly inspiring West End professionals at a competitive cost.

Wicked The Musical

Voted ‘Best Theatre Production for Schools’ by teachers at the School Travel Awards two years running, Wicked ’s topical story of friendship, acceptance, integrity, peer pressure and propaganda is relevant for PSHE and citizenship teaching, and whole-school anti-bullying strategies.

The show is highly pertinent for all students studying BTEC Nationals in Performing Arts, as well as a wealth of additional subjects. The song ‘Defying Gravity’ is also a set work for the Edexcel GCSE Music qualification.

Visit the website for details of the schools’ workshop programme. These are run by current and former members of the cast and creative team.

Curve is a state-of-the-art theatre based in the heart of Leicester’s vibrant Cultural Quarter.

As well as live performances, it offers a wide range of inspiring educational workshops. These are designed to open up the world of theatre and reveal the hidden process of a rehearsal room.

Students are afforded the opportunity to engage more deeply with the artists, subject matter and processes in the theatre’s artistic programme. Links are made to the curriculum.

Mayflower Theatre

Mayflower Theatre delivers a diverse range of creative workshops, theatre tours and events tailor made for schools, colleges or groups. They can take place either at the theatre or at your own setting.

It also supports talks and workshops on a variety of creative careers. Conference-style events for young people explore entering the industry, in particular non-performance based careers. These draw on the expertise within the marketing, sales, technical and FOH departments, as well as industry professionals.

Outdoor activities and experience day trips

Willen Lake

Looking for a trip in central England? There’s no better place than one of Milton Keynes’ most popular destinations, Willen Lake . Whether you’re looking to visit as part of your enrichment programme or as part of an activity day or physical education session, there’s something for everyone.

The land and water-based activities on offer are run by qualified instructors and cater for students aged eight and above.

An extensive range of packages covers everything from a single activity through to a full schedule of multiple activities. Plus, groups of all sizes are welcome.

Chill Factore Indoor Snow Centre

Chill Factore , Manchester, runs an exciting range of unique adventure days based around skills development, puzzle solving and team building, to offer an exciting new alternative to summer reward trips and transition initiatives.

The most popular package, the Chill Adventure Day, gives students an adrenaline-filled indoor adventure experience. Here they can enjoy rock climbing, sledging, tobogganing, snow tubing and ski or snowboard tuition.

Icebreaker Challenge is an indoor, snow-based sports day. Alternatively, the Arctic Explorer Package is a snow-based problem solving break out game.

Stubbers Adventure Centre

Based on a picturesque 130-acre site, Stubbers Adventure Centre is a registered not-for-profit organisation that has helped hundreds of schools provide students with the opportunity to develop social and interpersonal skills and build confidence. This is done through participation in adventurous activities.

The centre offers lots of water sports. This includes kayaking, jet skiing, sailing and raft building. Other activities include archery, fencing, orienteering, laser tag and rifle shooting.

‘The Towers’ section, meanwhile, offers climbing, abseiling, high ropes and zip wire, and motorsports including quad bikes and 4×4 driving.

Shropshire Raft Tours

Shropshire Raft Tours offers services to accommodate school trips, as well as facilities to receive coaches in the Wharfage car park where its Little Green Kiosk is based.

Its River Severn Tours are a compelling educational experience, and lots of fun too. Passing through the Ironbridge Gorge, they provide a fantastic opportunity for students to learn the history of the river during the Industrial Revolution. Students will also acquire river safety skills, explore how the Severn valley gorge was formed, and much more.

• Browse hundreds of school trip ideas Check out our directory where you can browse venues and filter them via trip type, subject, location and more.
• Council for Learning Outside the Classroom  CLOtC’s website is a trove of information, inspiration, resources and training, including details on how the LOtC Quality Badge accreditation can help you plan your next school trip. It also offers a range of CPD opportunities and the LOtC Mark, for schools that want to demonstrate their commitment.
• Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel OEAP ‘s National Guidance is a must-read for any teacher planning a school trip. Downloadable checklists and training are available.
• Department for Education View the DfE’s latest health and safety guidance .
• School Travel Forum STF offers information for the organisers of school trips as well research on the benefits of learning outside the classroom.
• Learning Away For help with planning a brilliant residential, visit learningaway.org.uk .

A-Z guide on completing a risk assessment

Download a school trip proposal template

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Wales / Cymru

Regional school trips, places to visit in wales for school groups.

Wales is a deceptively large area with plenty of offer in terms of outdoor learning experiences. With over a thousand kilometers of coastline, and some spectacular mountain ranges, it is hardly surprising the Welsh tourist board play up the invigorating great outdoor when marketing the country.

Whether you are a school in Wales, or planning to lead a school trip to Wales, the school trip venues on this page cater for every curriculum subject at every Key Stage and year group.

Want an outdoor adventure for your school trip? Try one of the many great Welsh outdoor adventure or conservation centres - all of which you can find below, or on our dedicated Activity Centres in Wales page.

Want to study an aspect of Welsh history or culture? You'll find great, child-friendly museums, ancient castles and nationally important houses, all of whom have fantastic educational learning programmes specifically designed for school groups. The Welsh industrial landscape will also make for some interesting and educational visit opportunities, with places like the national mining museum in Cardiff and the slate museum in up in Llamberis.

Whatever your ideas for your Wales school trip, we are sure you will find plenty of interest, and please make use of the short form if you would like any help planning your adventure!

Short on time? Get some suggestions

Let us find the perfect place in Wales experience for your school trip.

Adventure Beyond

Real adventure education supporting health and well-being and environmental respect.

Where are you and what would you like to do?

137 wales school trips and workshops.

Please use the search filters above to view our full range of Wales school trips relevant to you.

Celtic Camping Residential Site

Celtic Camping provides a selection of bespoke school accommodations amidst the stunning Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, on the West Coast of Wales. Multiple properties tailored to meet your school's needs await your educational adventure.

Arc Adventures

Perfect Mountain side activity centre with no fabricated environments - Real activities in real locations. We aim to provide new elements to the residential experience that take Outdoor Ed. to the next level.

Abernant Lake

Abernant Lake is an outdoor pursuits activity centre on the edge of the Breacon Beacons National Park. Our self contained 55 acre site gives schools the opportunity to experience a range of activities in a safe and caring environment.

Xplore! Science Discovery Centre

Xplore! Science Discovery Centre is the home of STEM in North Wales offering inspiring school trips and mind-blowing outreach activities.

Plas Gwynant Outdoor Education Centre

Plas Gwynant is an amazing setting in its own parkland at the foot of Mount Snowdon in North Wales, and offers high qualilty outdoor learning amongst the mountains, rivers and lakes of the Snowdonia National Park. Sole occupancy is available.

Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre

Our educational courses bring together a residential experience with expert-led adventure activities. Courses are designed to give a potentially life enhancing experience and memories that can last a lifetime. Our courses are educational and fun.

The Towers Active Learning Centre

The Towers Active Learning Centre is located in the heart of one of the most stunning mountain areas of the UK. Offering a range of offsite outdoor activities both in the beautiful mountains and the stunning coast line.

Sealyham Activity Centre

Sealyham Active Learning Centre is our dedicated coastal centre – but offers a whole range of outdoor activities both off, on and in the water. Situated conveniently for visits to numerous beaches and other coastal areas.

Argoed Lwyd Outdoor Education Centre, Brecon Beacons, Wales

Taking full advantage of our location, we deliver a range of real, challenging activities, such as mountain walking, canoeing expeditions and gorge scrambling. These day long activities really promote self-learning. Great for field studies too!

The Climbing Hangar Swansea

Indoor climbing centre offering coach-led, or teacher-led climbing sessions, promoting fundamental movement skills, social skills, and resilience.

Margam Discovery Centre

Visit this centre set in the Margam Country Park, surrounded by beautiful parkland to explore. With easy access to a wide variety of field sites it is an excellent base for fun outdoor activities, geography and biology trips at all ages.

Conway Centres Anglesey

With direct access to the Menai Strait the venue offers both challenging Outdoor Activities & Creative/Performing Arts opportunities. Set in 169 acres there are an extensive range of on-site activities that last 3hrs so are as productive as possible.

Rhyd-y-creuau Field Centre

Rhyd-y-creuau field centre is set in the beautiful, rugged landscape of the Snowdonia National Park, making it an inspiring and fun location for your school geography, biology or primary school trip.

Kingswood - Colomendy

An immersive outdoor learning adventure in North Wales set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Site of Special Scientific Interest. Our award-winning residential experiences develop confidence, resilience and life skills.

Dale Fort FIeld Centre

Dale Fort is set in a spectacular location high on the cliffs within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, giving superb views over the sea. It has access to a wide range of sites for biology, geography and adventure activities at all ages.

Adventure Residential Trips

Our mission is to inspire pupils to live long, adventurous lives connected to nature and the environment. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park provides a perfect setting for outdoor learning - stunning beaches, sea cliffs and abundant wildlife.

With Conwy Castle on one side and Snowdonia National Park on the other, YHA Conwy is perfect for exploring the best that North Wales has to offer.

Adventure Day Trips

Our bespoke day trips offer outdoor adventures together with impact-based learning, problem solving and reflection techniques. Our guides help pupils find meaning and inspiration whilst building ‘backpack skills’ for a lifetime of making a differ

Xplore! Science Outreach

Did you know that we also offer Outreach activities? Xplore! specialise in inspiring young minds, covering all aspects of science, technology, engineering and maths.

WWII Wales Workshop

Step back to the 1940s with our WWII workshop! Learn about the Blitz, evacuees, the blackout, rationing and more, through hands on activities, dress up and holding artefacts from the era!

Anti-Bullying Show - Online

Are you looking for an exciting and engaging experience for your students this Anti-Bullying Week? Then you need the ultimate Online Anti-Bullying Show for Schools: Time To Unite!

Toys through Time Workshop - Teganau trwy Amser

Toys Through Time is a fun, hands on workshop all about the history of toys, from as far back as the early 1800s, all the way to the 1990s! The best part? Play with many games and toys from all of these eras, from board games, to dolls, to hoop toss!

JuniorSTEM Lego Robotics

In a JuniorSTEM workshops your pupils will build amazing Robotic Lego WeDo models then learn to program sensors, motors and lights to bring them to life. Extremely engaging, packed full of learning and loads of fun.

Symphony of Support

Discover the power of sound therapy for your special needs students. Sound therapy is an innovative approach which aims to foster inclusion, as well as enhancing learning and emotional wellbeing for special needs students.

Victorian Wales Workshop - Cymru Oes Fictoria

Victorian Wales workshop brings Victorian history to life in your school, through 2 fun activities, interesting discussions on many different themes, holding and using real items from the era, dress up, and a Q and A to finish!

World of Ancient Egypt Workshop - Byd yr Hen Aifft

Bring the history of Ancient Egypt to life through fun activities, interesting discussions on Mummification, Pyramids, Pharaohs and much more! Look and hold items from Egypt itself, try on Pharaoh crowns, and dress up!

Pep the Poet - Mental Health & Well-being

Pep the Poet is a tremendous advocate of raising awareness and promoting positive mental health through creative means. He does this through his writing, poems and keynote speeches.

Children of the Mines Workshop - Plant y Pyllau Glo

Learn what life was like for children working down in the mines during the industrial revolution, through crawling down our blackout tunnel, carrying a bag of heavy coal, dressing like a Victorian child and seeing and holding real artefacts!

Viking Workshop

An exploration of all things Viking! We bring interactive history right to your school via a full range of resources including a mini-museum, replica weapons and games; all hosted by our experienced actors who bring history to life in the classroom.

Pirates of Cymru's Coast - Mor-Ladron Arfordir Cymru

Avast, me hearties! We have a brand new, fun and hands on workshop for you! Learn the real history of Pirates with our Pirates of Cymru's Coast workshop, through activities, dress up, artefacts and much, much more!

ToysInSchool

An exclusive, fully hands-on toy making experience for your children where they get to make their own wooden toy from examples in Ancient Egypt through to 1940’s Lego (before the plastic). Includes a presentation looking at history and forces.

Anti-Bullying Workshops - Online

If you’re looking for an alternative to face to face anti-bullying workshops, then you’re in the right place, because OpenView Education’s Online Anti-Bullying Workshops can provide an exciting and positive experience for your students.

Medieval Wales Workshop - Cymru Canoloes

Bring Medieval history to life in your school with our fun and hands on Medieval Wales workshop! Learn to joust, try on some armour, hold a real sword, dress up like a knight or princess, have a go in the stocks, and much much more!

Roman Wales Workshop - Cymru Rhufeiniaid

Learn all about the life of a Roman with our fun and hands on Roman Wales workshop! With 2 exciting activities, dress up, holding real shields and swords, trying on armour and helmets, and seeing/holding artefacts from the era!

Celtic Wales Workshop - Gweithdy Cymru Celtaidd

Bring the history of the Celts to life with our Celtic Wales Workshop! Dress like a Celt in armour, use a real Millstone to make flour, try on Celtic jewellery, get your face painted like a Celtic Warrior, and much more!

Victorian Workshop

by Historic Workshops. Want a Victorian Day that is fun, yet also gives the children an idea what lessons (and teachers) were like in Victorian times? A teacher straight from Victorian Britain is here to show your children Victorian discipline!

Stone-Age Workshop

by Historic Workshops. Ever wondered where modern humans came from? How Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals survived? Want some handy tips on creating your own hunting gear? All of this and more can be explored with our stunning Stone-Age sessions!

Egyptian Workshops

Designed to stimulate imaginations and excite children and teachers alike, these workshops focus on simple ideas to great effect. Using numbers, counting, shapes and space pupil’s work together to build simple modular forms.

Learn all about the ruthless raiders of Lindisfarne, savage seafaring settlers and green fingered farmers with a brutal session on Vikings... Raagh! Beards, axes, pillaging... and growing vegetables.

Pre History Workshops

Focused practical tasks taking history as a starting point and using, DT, maths literacy, science and drama to differing degrees pupils create large scale reconstructions of famous architectural landmarks that bring curriculum subjects to life.

Problem Solving Workshops

Our Hands-On Cross-Curricular Activities are for All Key Stages & Abilities, From EYFS to Sixth Form Making Learning Fun & The Complex Simple. Utilsing Creativity, Problem Solving, Teamwork and Resilience, workshops increase Self Esteem by Degrees

Ely Cathedral

Using fine & gross motor skills, basic materials and simple instructions, pupil’s work individually in groups and altogether to build a huge model of the "Ship Of The Fens" Ely Cathedral. They will remember it forever and tell all at home about it

Romans Workshop

Let your children explore the history of the Romans through item handling and investigation. Develop your understanding of the Roman economy and roles within society through a variety of activities! Get in touch today for your workshop booking!

WW2 Workshop

A huge turning point in the history of our world! Learn how the Nazi party planned to invade Britain and how ordinary people stepped up to do out of the ordinary feats. Do your children have what it takes to complete their spy training?

Mayan Temple

The Ancient Mayans are explored through their Temple building feats and techniques for cutting and transporting the stone. Structured workshops where the students create large scale reconstructions of iconic architectural landmarks.

Ferris Wheel

Using fine & gross motor skills, basic materials and simple instructions, pupil’s work individually in groups and altogether to build a huge model of a Ferris Wheel, that they will be eager to tell all at home about it and remember forever

Roman Workshop

by Historic Workshops. Roman Workshop is highly-engaging and hands-on. We have delivered the workshop across the country to dozens of schools with incredible feedback. Our reputation really does speak for itself!

Above are just a sample of the Wales school trips we have available

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Learner Travel (Wales) Measure (2008) review 2021

We are reviewing our school learner travel measure including free transport.

This file may not be fully accessible.

In this page

The learner travel measure (wales) 2008.

The Learner Travel Measure (Wales) 2008 (the ‘Measure’) sets out the legal framework specifically related to travel and transport provisions for learners travelling from home to school in Wales and enables Welsh Ministers to make regulations in relation to learner travel in Wales.

This currently includes the making of regulations prescribing the circumstances and conditions in which children of compulsory school age are entitled to free transport to a place of learning. It also gives the Welsh Ministers powers to make regulations about travel arrangements for post-16 learners who live in Wales and are attending courses in Wales or elsewhere where the education or training is funded by the Welsh Ministers.

The Measure also enables the Welsh Ministers to make provision by regulations about the travel arrangements for nursery age children. In each case, the regulations would need to be made using the affirmative resolution procedure and would be subject to scrutiny by the Senedd.

The Measure sets out the duties on local authorities, Welsh Government and head teachers to provide safe transport for learners, children and young people to get to their place of learning. Local authorities must make transport arrangements based on age, distance, aptitude and safety criteria for learners of statutory school age. In addition, local authorities have the power to make additional transport arrangements otherwise known as discretionary transport arrangements.

Under the current legislation, the Welsh Ministers must:

• make an All-Wales Travel Behaviour Code. (This element of the Legislation is not part of this review);
• promote access to Welsh speaking education; and
• promote sustainable types of travel.

Local authorities must:

• assess the travel needs of learners in their authority area
• provide free home to school transport for learners of compulsory school age attending primary school who live 2 miles or further from their nearest suitable school
• provide free home to school transport for learners of compulsory school age attending secondary school who live 3 miles or further from their nearest suitable school
• assess and meet the needs of “looked after” children in their authority area
• promote access to Welsh medium education; and
• promote sustainable modes of travel.

Under the current provisions, local authorities do not have to provide free transport to learners outside of compulsory school age. This includes learners over the age of 16, and children under the age of 5. However, several authorities do exercise discretionary powers to provide free travel for these age groups.

Scope of the review

Following correspondence from Assembly Members and concerns raised by members of public, the Welsh Language Commissioner and the Children’s Commissioner, the Learner Travel review was expanded in August 2020 to include:

• learners within the statutory age group 5 to 16;
• learners in the 4 to 5 years age group;
• consideration of the distance threshold of 2 miles for primary school learners and 3 miles for secondary school learners;
• post-16 learner transport.; and
• transport for learners attending Welsh medium and faith schools.

Therefore, the principal aim of the review was to revisit provisions 2-10 of the Measure, namely:

• duty to assess learner travel needs;
• local authority duty to make transport arrangements;
• local authority duty to make other travel arrangements;
• limits of learner travel duties;
• power of local authorities to make learner travel arrangements;
• travel arrangements for learners in post-16 education or training;
• travel arrangements to and from nursery education;
• learner travel arrangements not to favour certain types of education or training; and
• promoting access to education and training through the medium of the Welsh language.

In reviewing the above we have gathered evidence and views from stakeholders to explore the following potential changes to the Measure:

• reducing the distance thresholds for free school travel of 3 miles for secondary pupils and of 2 miles for primary pupils;
• introducing a statutory requirement to provide free travel for post-16 learners and children of nursery age;
• introducing a statutory requirement to provide free travel for learners attending their nearest Welsh medium school and faith school; and
• revision of the guidance provided for in the Measure.

This review has not come to a conclusion on what the level of reduction of the distance thresholds should be.

In reviewing the Measure and suggesting changes there is also a need to pay due regard to Equality Act 2010, the Socio-Economic Duty and the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 .

The transport needs of learners are complex, as are the networks, tools and resources required to deliver effective services for home to school transport. Much of the framework for this is contained within the Measure, which is the subject of this review.

Much has changed in the 13 years since the Measure came into force. Major pieces of legislation need to be taken into consideration such as The Equality Act (2010), The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (and subsequent regulations), The Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 and The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

Policy has also moved on, with a focus on greater participation in post-16 education and a new Wales Transport Strategy that seeks to integrate the principles of fairness and equality to address the impacts of deprivation.

The original scope of this informal review was to consider

• post-16 learner transport; and

From discussions and engagement with stakeholders, it has become apparent that there are other issues with the Measure’s current provisions. These include:

• the guidance and supporting documentation needs to be updated to ensure greater consistency;
• the Travel behaviour code needs to be revisited; and
• more clarity is needed on parental responsibility, cross boundary provision and dual residency.

The review has also found that there are wider issues to consider that extend beyond the scope of the legislation such as:

• the needs of older Additional Learning Needs (ALN) pupils are not currently served by the current measure, as ALN pupils often attend further education beyond the age of 19;
• further Education Colleges are outside the jurisdiction of local authorities, therefore there is sometimes a mismatch between provision for sixth forms in schools and these institutions; and
• the networks, provision and school infrastructure are not all currently equipped to deal with increases in mandatory provision.

Recommendation

There is not time within the current administration to begin a formal process to change the Measure before the pre-election period begins. Therefore, options for next steps would need to be considered in the next Senedd Term.

Given the ministers’ commitment to reviewing learner travel, the option of ‘do nothing’ is not considered appropriate. The 2 options below would require public consultation, rigorous cost benefit analysis and consideration of budget implications (this review included high-level estimates of costs, but these should not be relied on without further more detailed analysis and testing).

Colleagues in education have advised that home to school transport is the fastest growing cost in the Education budget and ministers will need to be satisfied that costs related to proposed changes to the Measure can be provided for.

• option 1: to take forward changes to the Measure in the next Legislative Programme as outlined in the original scope of the review.
• improve operator provision and the environment in which it can deliver greater provision under the measure; and
• consider better integration with related policies, such as the needs of ALN pupils and provision to Further Education establishments.

Officials recommend option 2: undertaking a limited programme of work as outlined in option 1, could run the risk of only attending to some of the issues and leaving other areas exposed to further criticism and the need to do more work in the future to address this.

Ministers may wish to consider how this work might be packaged and coordinated with other work being developed in the Public Transport policy area. There are related pieces of work being undertaken on fare concessions and subsidies and flat or low-cost fare structures where an integrated approach could be beneficial.

Changes to the Measure will have significant cost implications for Local Authorities and Welsh Government. These are currently unfunded.

However, changes to the Learner Travel Measure Review are progressed, there is no doubt that for a number of reasons Learner Travel needs to be subject to a formal process of change. To not take this forward risks further inequality, inconsistency in provision and further outdated codes and guidances.

With either option it is necessary to develop an evidence base to identify:

• pupil numbers/demographics
• geographic spread of learners and current service provision
• catchment areas
• Welsh medium education provision
• mapping out where specialist post-16 education provision is delivered (this would include specialist schools offering post-16 education, specialist units in maintained schools that provide post 16 education and post-16 specialist colleges),
• alternative transport availability
• public transport availability
• travel training
• the financial impacts of any proposals
• practical barriers associated with any proposals.

Summary of issues raised

Officials have considered the issues raised, predominantly contained in correspondence with Welsh Government over the last year.

There are consistent themes that appear. These are:

• nearly 60% of the correspondence related to issues around the 3 and 2 mile radius, with concerns stemming from child welfare, (safety and musculoskeletal problems in particular for secondary school children);
• the lack of dedicated school transport for post-16 learners (this varies across Wales, in many local authorities this is provided);
• nearly 1 in 5 related to Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) implications but it is important to note that the underlying issue here was the socio-economic impact of learners having to pay for their transport which was again linked to the distance policy contained within the current Measure;
• nearly 10% related to the eligibility criteria, mainly in terms of children transferring to another school; and
• the remaining 10% sought clarity of funding, expressed concerns about driver behaviour and the distance to the nearest bus pick up point.

Feedback from local authorities shows that there is inconsistency in provision of many aspects of discretionary travel across Wales including in:

• the mileage thresholds used: several authorities already offer reduced thresholds;
• the extent of provision of discretionary travel for individuals living within mileage threshold: some authorities appear to be more generous than others in their appeals processes and criteria for providing discretionary travel;
• the extent of nursery travel provision: some local authorities provide this on a discretionary basis but many don’t; and
• extent of post 16 travel provision: some charge for this, some don’t. Some include Further Educations settings (colleges) in post-16 travel provision, others don’t.

The above concerns expressed, the age of the legislation, changing public attitudes and the highly likely travel behaviour change that will result from Covid-19 justifies a comprehensive review of the Measure.

In addition, the Children’s Commissioner requested that the review take into consideration travel to Faith schools and particular attention to ALN pupils. The Welsh Language Commissioner has requested that the review take into consideration travel to Welsh medium schools for all ages within the Measure.

Correspondence from the Welsh Language Commissioner raised issues about learner transport arrangements that fall outside the local authority statutory duties for learners attending Welsh medium education.

Previous correspondence and the 2018-19 annual report from the Children’s Commissioner raised issues about learner transport arrangements that fall outside the local authority statutory duties for learners with Additional Learning Needs (ALN), particularly post 16 learners. The report called for Welsh Government to review the Measure.

Ministers acknowledged that the concerns raised by both the Commissioners were reasonable and initially asked officials to conduct a targeted review of the discretionary provision of the Measure, in particular post 16 provision to ensure equality of access for all learners up to the age of 19.

The Coronavirus pandemic affected progress on conducting the review, but it also allowed for further reflection on the issues raised by Commissioners, Assembly Members and members of the public as well as time for further gathering of evidence to consider whether the initial scope of the review was sufficient.

The issues raised, predominantly contained in correspondence with Welsh Government, were reviewed and it was found that issues with the Measure were raised that were outside the initial scope of discretionary provision. There were consistent issues raised.

Both the Welsh Language Commissioner and Children’s Commissioner supported the post 16 review but also, requested the Measure in its entirety to be reviewed.

School transport statistics

From a mapping exercise undertaken with all 22 local authorities across Wales in July 2020 the following data was obtained:

• there are approximately 108,455 pupils transported to school each day in Wales;
• from this global total approximately, 70,203 (64.73% of the global total) learners are eligible for school transport in accordance with the Measure and travel on dedicated home to school transport;
• approximately 10,278 (9.48% of the global total) learners who are not eligible for school transport travel daily on dedicated home to school transport;
• of those that are statutory entitled, approximately 6,022 travel on local bus services: 5.55% of the global total and 8.58% of all those who are eligible for dedicated home to school transport;
• approximately 9,288 are within the ALN (previously SEN) category: 8.56% of the global total.  However, provision of school transport to ALN pupils accounts for a higher proportion of local authorities’ spend;
• the approximate number of dedicated home to school transport vehicles across Wales is around 3,500; and
• dedicated home to school transport drivers are generally of a retiring age due to the nature of the work being on a part-time basis: unless combined with other off peak (sometimes called in-fill) work in normal times (pre-Covid) such as school swimming bath transport agreements or other forms of private hire work.

Current financial costs for Welsh Government

The Welsh Government provides funding to local authorities for pre-16 provision in schools mainly through the Local Government Revenue Settlement in the form of the Revenue Support Grant (RSG). This is approximately £106m a year for learner travel. 

The RSG is not ring-fenced; the funding allocated to each authority is available to the authority to spend as it sees fit on the range of services for which it is responsible, including school transport and ALN. This is in line with the Welsh Government’s policy that local authorities are best placed to judge local needs and circumstances and to fund schools accordingly. Local authorities are accountable to their electorates for the decisions they make.

Local authorities report on the elements spent within education in their section 52 returns. Local authority budgets for school transport remain under constant pressure to provide contracted school services over and above their budget to meet their statutory duties.

We have been unable to estimate costs for post-16 free travel due to a lack of data in relation to travel to further education colleges. This may be significant component of future financial commitments, but is unknown. The little data we did get suggests that could be considerably more expensive per pupil than current sixth form travel (as sixth form pupils share buses with secondary school pupils).

Colleagues in education have advised that home to school transport is the fastest-growing cost in their annual budget. School transport is reported as the largest budget pressure on school spending, and has risen by 7% over the last 5 years.

The issue of school transport is raised in Review of school spending in Wales . It reports that home to school transport currently accounts for a quarter of all local authority direct spending on education, equating to approximately £250 per learner. This varies by authority, with some rural authorities reporting an average spend of over £400 per learner. There are also differences due to local strategic decisions such as numbers of schools, as well as supply constraints.

The report states that “it is important to review school transport spending and how costs can be contained”.

The report concludes with a number of recommendations to Welsh Government covering a number of areas. Recommendation 9 specifically refers to school transport.

The Welsh Government should draw more lessons from comparisons of spending, models of spending and outcomes across local authorities, particularly on ALN and school transport. This would only be possible with more consistent and detailed data, but there are a number of opportunities.  Local authorities differ markedly in terms of how much ALN spending and provision is delegated to schools and how much is retained centrally. The Welsh Government and local authorities should seek to draw more lessons on the impact on outcomes from these different approaches. More lessons could also be learnt about means to control growing school transport costs.  

There are also recommendations around providing clear expectations on future costs throughout the system.

The Green Book provides detail on the information used to calculate the revenue settlement to local authorities .

Key review findings

​​​​crosscutting themes.

A consistent message from the local authorities relates to the weaknesses in current networks and infrastructure that make implementing an expansion of provision difficult. Most often cited are issues with the physical space for buses at school premises and the likely lack of suitable vehicles and drivers to accommodate a required increase in pupils eligible for free school transport. Many local authorities noted that many operators are at their limit with licenses and depot capacity and some have gone out of business in the last year.

These issues cannot simply be solved with a budget, and changes to statutory provisions should not be made without putting in place measures to mitigate these risks.

Some local authorities even in relatively deprived areas are offering an excellent service on a discretionary basis. In making changes to the legislation authorities who have made extra provision in their decreasing budgets should not be penalised. This means that local authorities that already mandate generous local policy and fund from their own budgets are likely to come to WG for funding of these existing ‘hidden’ costs should changes to The Measure be made.

Due to practical challenges associated with the changes being explored, many Local Authorities strongly recommended a phased approach if multiple changes to The Measure are to be made.

Lack of consistency across the local authorities is a common theme across many aspects of learner travel provision including in:

• the mileage thresholds used: several authorities already offer reduced thresholds,
• the extent of provision of discretionary travel for individuals living within mileage threshold: some authorities appear to be more generous than others in their appeals processes and criteria for providing discretionary travel
• the extent of nursery travel provision: some LAs provide this on a discretionary basis but many don’t
• extent of post 16 travel provision: some charge for this, some don’t. Some include Further Educations settings (colleges) in post-16 travel provision, others don’t
• potential benefits which could be realised through increased travel provision as outlined in the changes above include positive effects on child poverty and wellbeing, possible carbon savings and reductions in congestion, supporting Welsh language Cymraeg 2050, increased equality, removal of barriers to accessing education for post 16 learners and creation of jobs within the school transport industry and supporting industries (e.g. maintenance). Further work will be needed to fully quantify these potential benefits.

Changes to the mileage threshold

Based on evidence provided, we estimate that reducing the mileage threshold across Wales from 3 miles to 2 miles for secondary and post 16 sixth-form travel and from 2 miles to 1.5 miles for nursery and primary travel is likely to incur additional spend in the region of 20 - 40 million per annum (this assumes that changes to The Measure have already been made to require provision of free post-16 and nursery travel but this figure does not include the cost of making these additional changes [as it is only intended to represent cost of reducing mileage thresholds]).

However, due to variable quality of data received and the incomplete response from LAs there is a very high degree of uncertainty in this figure. This figure also does not changes to mileage threshold associated with potential provision for FE colleagues, for reasons outlined below there was little data available in this area, but the limited information available suggests that this cost could be considerable.

As outlined above there are significant practical as well as cost barriers associated with reducing the mileage threshold, including vehicle and driver availability and availability of parking at schools. Should ministers decide to reduce thresholds further work will be needed with the local authorities to fully evaluate these issues and to develop a plan to address them.

All local authorities, including those who already operate at reduced mileage thresholds, advise that any further reduction in mileage thresholds below 2 and 1.5 miles respectively would be unfeasible given extent of practical challenges at lower thresholds.

Revision of guidance 

There appears to be inconsistencies in the provision of discretionary travel within current mileage thresholds. Some local authorities appear to be more generous that others in their appeals process, whilst some authorities don’t have an appeal process at all. There also appears to be some inconsistency in the eligibility criteria for discretionary travel (e.g. some cite social inclusion).

Local authorities also suggest a number of other potential improvement to guidance, common themes raised include:

Strengthening the “Travel Behaviour Code” to support local authorities more in making decisions to suspending transport, and particularly where serious incidents happen on school transport.

• increased emphasis on parental responsibility
• clarity on dual Residency
• further clarity on walking routes assessment
• potential for annual assessment of a ‘walking routes network’ rather than individual assessments
• clarity on cross boundary provision

Provision of travel for nursery age learners

Very young learners present a specific range of challenges

• half day provision changes logistics and reduces economies of scale
• some authorities reported that take up for this service is low. There may be insufficient room to accommodate additional vehicles at school sites.
• there are safeguarding issues and a chaperone is required.
• younger pupils are unable to fit their seatbelts, require booster seats, can’t get onto vehicles unaided and some are not toilet trained.

We have not been able to effectively gauge the demand for free school transport for nursery age children at this point and further work is required before arriving at a policy recommendation.

Provision of post 16 travel

Quite a few Local Authorities provide free travel to sixth forms, but not Further Education Colleges as they are not under local government control. As noted above there is no consistency in this approach, however this is understandable with post 16 education provision varies hugely across Local Authority areas. For example, Blaenau Gwent has no sixth form provision.

We believe FE travel provision is not in scope of the measure and other ways to improve consistency may need to be considered with legal advice and input from colleagues in FE and Education departments.

In terms of equity, we would like to consider the demographics and socio economic status of learners attending an FE setting as opposed to a sixth form. For example, UK statistics indicate a higher proportion of black students attend Further Education . We believe this merits further consideration if a lack of free school transport to FE impacts ALN students, groups sharing protected characteristics or low-income households.

There are also issues where authorities currently charge for concessionary or post 16 seats on buses and the loss of income to the authorities if this becomes free.

There are only 15 FE Colleges in Wales. Given the scale and geographical spread of the required transport service, along with the differential in course start and finish times, the number of operators which could deliver this service is likely to be 

restricted. Therefore, it is highly likely that the provision would be accommodated by public transport providers.

It has become clear that there are issues specific to young people with additional learning needs (ALN) that are not provided for in the scope of the current measure.  Many special school pupils transfer to college at 19 and will attend programmes for around two years, therefore they can be older during their attendance at an FE college. The exclusion of these young people from being supported with travel to college is likely to continue to create significant issues for parents and young people and may lead to some being unable to attend their local college.  This also results in increased applications to ISPIs (specialist colleges) as parents don’t normally have to consider transport due to the residential option at these placements.

Should ministers agree, consideration of the specific needs of older ALN pupils can be incorporated into the wider work on Learner Travel provision.

Provision of travel for Welsh medium and faith schools

LA’s mostly provide free transport to Welsh medium and faith schools through their own local policy when learners meet criteria around age, mileage and catchment

The number of Welsh medium and faith schools vary considerably across Wales from urban availability to rural which impacts on logistics and costs.  More challenging in rural areas of low availability in terms of distance, cost and travel time involved, e.g. Gwynedd stating only one faith school to the north of a large county. Cost estimations vary considerably across Wales.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those that have contributed to this review; in particular colleagues in local authorities, and the Commissioners who have given their time to provide evidence and share their experiences.

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