Field Trips Accessible to All Schools

I am a 33 year old geography teacher who has taught for 11 years in Thornhill School, Sunderland. During this time I have become the Director for Learning – Geography and an Assistant Headteacher, however my Geography teaching and the wonders of the world are still at the heart of my day.

The school is located one mile from the city centre and currently has 1,053 pupils on its roll. The pupils are aged between 11 and 16 and are of mixed gender. A rising proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic groups is broadly average, although most of these pupils have English as an additional language. Our 2008 Ofsted report noted that almost a third of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Since 2000 I have attended a number of inspection visits with Discover the World; Jordan (2000), Malaysia (2004), Namibia (2007), Lapland (2008) and Iceland (2009). These inspection visits provide a valuable insight into how a trip may work, help foresee potential issues and allow you to work through the options available. As with any major trip local authorities demand detailed paperwork including itineraries and risk assessments. All of this is much easier to produce when you have first-hand knowledge about the locations, environment, culture and diversity, accommodation and of course the food you are intending to give the pupils.

From the inspection visits listed above I have successfully led 3 pupil-orientated visits; Malaysia in 2006 with 12 pupils, Namibia in February 2008 with 22 pupils and finally Lapland in February 2010 with 25 pupils. All of these trips have enabled my pupils to experience environments and cultures that they would never have had the opportunity to visit. The visits are not designed to be work orientated but fun, action-packed adventures which challenge pupils mentally and physically. Above all, they start to introduce pupils to organisation and independent travel.

As with any trip there are many issues to face, however they can all be overcome. I shall detail these various issues and how I dealt with each.

• Health and Safety Attend an inspection visit, as they really do support you and help you deal with the associated paperwork.  In addition, the local authority will look more favourably on your request to undertake the trip.
• Discipline I have taken a very wide mix of pupils as I have always believed that different experiences can change people. The only thing I insist on is that the pupils do exactly what I say, when I say it!
• Kit and Equipment Kit lists work well but I always include critical kit in the price of the trip and therefore ensure that all the pupils have the necessary equipment when it is needed. I also include a rucksack and fleece in the price as it helps with identification in airports and makes the group work together as a family.
• Finance The biggest problem - so start early. I launch my trips two years in advance. I set up a payment scheme and allow pupils to pay in instalments which spread the payments and make it more manageable for parents. I have also sought sponsorship from our school suppliers, after all, we spend a lot of money with these companies and I do point this out to them in a subtle way.
• Parental Support I hold at least two major briefing nights to explain the itinerary using pictures from the inspection visit. This really does help provide parents with confidence that their son /daughter is going somewhere safe with a person who knows what they are talking about. A detailed itinerary is also printed and provided along with travel tips, currency converters, additional kit suggestions and an opportunity to ask questions.
• Staffing Choosing the right staff is important as you must be able to work closely with one another. You will eat, sleep and delegate responsibilities to others who you must know and trust. Try and recruit like-minded people. Keep the Headteacher on your side and consider including him or her on you staff list.
• Academic Calendar Due to the nature of the school calendar, organising a trip during term time is always difficult because of cover and timetable restraints. To overcome this I usually take my trips away during February half-term with an additional day either side, with the agreement of the Headteacher.    

Read the following quotes from the pupils

"Thank you so much for taking me on the trip or even inviting me. Honestly it was amazing. I’ve had such a great time. I am absolutely shattered. It really was amazing though".
(Faye - Year 11)

"I could not thank you enough for the great experience you have given me. It was the best week ever and I don’t think anything else will ever top it. This trip has made year 11 for me. I’m coming on the next one".
(Jenna - Year 11)

"Thanks for taking me on another great life changing experience. I certainly would not be as outgoing and confident as I am if it wasn’t for you. You have allowed me to see parts of the world that I could only dream about, because of these opportunities I want to travel around the world".
(Katie - Year 11)

If you would like to talk to me about any of the trips, their educational value or anything else then please get in contact through Discover the World. They will pass on my details.

I don’t work for Discover the World and am happy to be frank and honest about my experiences.