So, you’ve got approval to run your trip. The next step is to make sure enough students sign up so it can go ahead.
And that means you’ll need to create a bit of a buzz about it.
What do you need to do?
Announce the trip
The first thing you need to do is let everyone know you’re running a trip.
And the earlier the better, as it'll give parents more time to budget for it.
Make an announcement in class, hold an assembly or hold a meeting for the relevant students.
And don’t forget to pop something on your school’s website too.
You can even put posters up around school promoting your trip.
Not a design whizz? No problem, we’ve already created some for you.
You’ll also need to get parents on board, which usually means sending a letter home and running a parents’ evening.
Check out our guide to getting parents on board for a downloadable letter and PowerPoint presentation.
Get social
You can’t get students off their phones, so social media is a great tool for promoting your trip to them.
If you’ve run the trip before, why not post some pics and videos from past trips?
And if you haven’t, you can share content from other accounts that showcase the destination, or any activities included in the trip.
You’ll need to decide whether to use the school’s existing social media accounts or whether a trip-specific account makes more sense – it’s totally up to you.
And check out our guide to using social media on school trips for more information on how social media could be a useful tool for your school trip.
Video
Video is a great way to show everyone how exciting your trip’s going to be.
So, make sure you share any videos of past trips with the students you’re trying to sign up to this year’s trip.
If you haven’t got any video to share, head on over to our YouTube channel. We’ve got loads of videos showing real school trips - there may be a video for your destination.
Remember to emphasise the fun!
Parents and teachers will want to know the educational benefits of the trip, but the kids will be way more interested in how much fun it’ll be.
So remember to emphasise that when you’re talking to them about the trip.
If you’ve already decided on some activities, tell them about them.
And tell them about how this trip is a step towards independence (that’ll be a big deal for teenagers).
Better still, if you’ve run the trip before, get last year’s students in to tell them all this.
Struggled to get the numbers in the past? Try these tricks:
- Limit the number of students that can join the trip (it'll make them want to go even more)
- Team up with another department to make the trip cross-curricular
- If you put up posters, make sure you place them in high-traffic areas (so as many students as possible see them)
For more information or advice on planning your school trip, just get in touch.