I’m planning a school trip! Where do I start?

Organising a group of people is already a daunting task, let alone when this group is made up entirely of school children! As well as this, the pressure is on to make the trip fun and educational for your class whilst sticking to a strict schedule for the parent pick up time. If this is your first time planning a school trip or you’re looking for a new way to organise one, we’ve put together our best tips, from planning travel, to help you out.

When should I start planning?

First thing's first, if you're going to plan a new school trip, you ideally need to start the organisation process around 12 months in advance for a UK based day tip. However, we all know that teachers just don’t have that much spare time, so here at Centaur Travel, we can aid that planning process and make your trip a reality in much less time.

Where should I start?

You need one clear, main objective when planning your school trip, as this will make decisions later down the line a much simpler process. Ideally, you need this objective to focus on one particular area of your curriculum, as this trip will help expand that knowledge. As your class may not have a chance to take notes, you only need one focus, so they have a higher chance of remembering what they have been taught and connecting the classroom learning with the real-world experience.

Think outside of the box

The best way to create a memorable school trip is to have the best activities planned. In a 2008 Ofsted report titled, "How far should you go?" they concluded that school trips not only enhancepupils’ learning but can also re-engage those who are hard to motivate, so this trip must be as memorable as possible. Ideally, we would suggest that you inspect the location you’re planning on taking your class. When working with Centaur Travel, we provide teachers with free travel to inspect a new site in advance or alternatively you can leave this part out as we regularly work with many educational attractions and will only recommend them if we know them to be appropriate and safe.

Itinerary Planning

As well as general educational needs, you need to ensure that your itinerary suits your classes' general needs too. For example, if you have a child with a severe nut allergy, is there a food option close by that can guarantee a nut-free environment for a lunch break? Or, if you're looking to have more than one stop on your trip, what's the best order to visit? Are you going to walk, take public transport, or use a travel provider? It's also sensible to think about back-up plans if something doesn't work out on the day. Our experts are experienced in school trips and will be more than happy to suggest locations and even help plan the itinerary with you!

Travel

If you're looking at using a travel provider, ensure that you ask the company to provide their safety credentials, especially a valid DBS check. You will also need to check with them that the transportation they provide is fit for purpose and they hold a Green Department for Transport safety score. For example, if you have a young class, it might be worth checking these things and ensuring the vehicles have an onboard toilet that you can use. In addition, do they have the support and vehicles to cater for your needs? With 150 vehicles and 24/7 support you can relax and focus on your trip knowing we’ve got the options and support available for you. Public transport is another option; however, transportation via coach is an all-over better choice when you bring child safety into consideration. Having your class all in one place and visible not only gives you peace of mind but parents too. You’ll never have to worry about a child getting off at the wrong stop! In addition you can share your vehicles location so parents can see updates on their child's progress home.

Why choose Centaur Travel for your School Trips

With over 45 years of experience, we’ve done our fair share of school trips all over the country and abroad. We’ve provided coach hire to many fantastic attractions, so we can also advise you on what’s worthwhile for your visit and even what order to plan your stops on the itinerary to ensure your class gets the maximum out of each location. On top of that, we’re happy to manage as much or as little as you would like of the planning process. For your classes safety, all of our drivers are DBS checked and have training on safeguarding, disability awareness, and data protection. You can have peace of mind that everyone will be safe and looked after properly. When planning your school trip, we’re more than happy to route plan multiple drop-off destinations for student safety and comfort. Finally, we offer a tailored risk assessment for your trip so that you can confidently conclude that everyone will be safe. Our prices are competitive and fair. We're an operator, not a broker, so when you work with Centaur, you're hiring your coach direct and avoiding unnecessary and expensive brokerage fees. You can also be sure of who you are hiring and avoid any nasty surprises on the day with substandard coaches and drivers. We're also a respected independent operator, which means we don't use different brand names owned by one big Company to increase your quote artificially. Furthermore, we will ensure the price you see is the price you pay and won’t use small print to make you pay to discuss or plan your trip with us. To ensure your trip is a success, our friendly expert team are happy to offer as much or as little advice as you need, completely free of charge.

If you'd like more information on how we can help plan your school trip, get in touch today!

Sources:

https://educationbusinessuk.net/features/school-trips-help-schools-succeed

https://www.lotc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Ofsted-Report-Oct-2008.pdf

https://www.centaurtravel.co.uk/hire-a-coach/educational-travel

https://www.nstgroup.co.uk/your-first-school-trip

https://www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/school-trip-tips-effective-planning-and-organising-1/