Why Are School Trips Important?

Are you finding that you’re increasingly being asked to justify school trips that you’d like to run for your students?

In the face of the cost of living crisis, are school trips more of a ‘nice to have’ than an essential part of the school experience?

In short, no.

Originally created by former teachers and with nearly 40 years’ of experience in providing school trips, we’ve seen the impact that they have on children.

Like you, we believe passionately that they’re an essential part of the school experience for students – so let’s make sure that they continue to be for many years to come.

Reasons to go on a school trip

Providing practical memories and experiences for higher achievement in exams

Even just from a purely academic point of view, school trips are really important – they give children practical memories and experiences of the subject.

And this will be much easier to remember under pressure in the exam hall than any revision notes, flashcards or passages from textbooks could ever be.

Plus, as well as making it easier to remember key points, students will also deepen their understanding of a topic and this can really bring their answers alive in the exams, helping them access those higher grades.

Students recognise this benefit of school trips themselves – according to the Evaluation of Learning Away Final Report, 2015, “the views of secondary students continued to be positive in the post residential context with two thirds or more thinking that…they: would make better progress in their subject (72%); had a better understanding of the subject (72%); were better at problem-solving (66%); and would do better in their exams/tests (66%)”.

And Ofsted, in their History for All report, 2011, said that “Wide-ranging out-of-classroom activities, including school trips, are cited as examples of outstanding teaching. Students are able to appreciate their studies from a different, and usually more active perspective. Trips to Berlin and the battlefields of Belgium are named as examples.”

Offering real-world experience of the subject

The academic benefits of school trips are pretty obvious – but important to remember.

But there’s so much more that school trips can offer students during these formative years.

For example, they give your students experience of the importance of your subject in the ‘real world’.

So? Well, pretty much every teacher has at some time or other faced resistance from kids who don’t understand why they have to learn about algebra, longshore drift or the difference between the French perfect, pluperfect and imperfect tenses. Your school trip is your golden opportunity to show them.

You may ignite a new passion. For some, you may even give them ideas for future careers they never would have considered before.

Improving the classroom environment

As you know, taking students out of the classroom can do wonders for the relationships between students and teachers, making the classroom a much nicer place for everyone to be.

According to the Evaluation of Learning Away Final Report, 2015, “84% of staff felt that the Learning Away residential had begun to achieve its aims in relation to improving relationships” and “71% of secondary students felt that, as a result of the residential, their teachers had a better understanding of how they liked to learn best”.

Your shared experiences and the opportunity to have fun together will improve your student teacher relationship. And this improves behaviour and engagement back in the classroom.

It can also make it easier for students to talk to you if they need to.  

Of course, students will also have the opportunity to get to know their peers better, particularly those outside of their usual friendship circles. And this can help them all to feel more comfortable in class.

More comfortable students means higher engagement and better learning for everyone.

Building confidence and developing independence

This is another often ignored but hugely important benefit of school trips.

According to the Learning Away – Brilliant residentials and their impact on young people and schools, 2015 study, 87% of secondary students felt more confident to try new things they would not have done before their trip.

The study also found that “prior to the residential only 40% of secondary students felt that they could be role models to others; after the residential, this figure rose to 67%”.

What a gift to give your students! The confidence to try new things and broaden their horizons will open up so many incredible opportunities for them.

And for many of them, your school trip might well be their first time travelling abroad without their families.

Although they'll be fully supported by staff on the trip, they’ll still have to take responsibility for themselves.

They’ll have to make sure they’re up and ready on time every day. They’ll have to look after their own stuff and behave sensibly so that they (and everyone around them) are safe.

So, your school trip won’t just be of educational benefit from an academic point of view, it will also help your students grow up and help them on their way to becoming independent, confident young adults.

Inspiring young people

At the end of the day, aren’t school trips really so important because they’re powerful, life-changing experiences that inspire young people?

They’ll be inspired to do the best they can in their exams, by drawing on real, practical experiences and memories.

They’ll be inspired to see the value of your subject in the ‘real world’ - helping them to unlock new passions or even a future career.

They’ll be inspired to develop crucial life skills, such as independence, intercultural understanding and tolerance.

And they’ll become more confident in themselves and in their interactions with other people and the world around them.

And by running your school trip, you’ll be the teacher that provides them with all of this.

Download the FREE presentation

We’ve created this FREE, editable PowerPoint presentation with all of these points. We hope this saves you time and helps you to make the case for your next school trip.

What's next?

If you’re ready to start planning your school trip, then take a look at our trip planning guides – there are loads of tips, tricks and free downloads to help save you time.

Already booked your trip and ready to crack on with launching your trip? Then you’ll want to take a look at our Trip Launch Pack.