Why Are School Trips So Important?

National Express is one of the largest coach operators in the United Kingdom, providing express coach services to major cities and towns across the country. Founded in 1972, National Express has grown to become one of the most popular ways to travel around the UK, with over 19 million passengers using its services each year. The company’s fleet of over 1,800 coaches is among the largest in Europe, and its network of routes covers over 3,800 miles. In addition to its regular coach services, National Express also operates a number of other businesses, including airport transfers, rail replacement services, and school transport. With a strong commitment to safety and customer service, National Express is the first choice for many when it comes to travelling around the UK.

So many students have missed out on school trips this year as they’ve been cancelled due to the pandemic. But how much does it really matter? After all, aren’t school trips a bit of a jolly? More of a ‘nice to have’ than an essential part of the school experience?

What is the point of school trips?

It allows young people to interact with other cultures, learn to appreciate and understand individual differences, and make new friends within their own age group. It is easy to make connections between what you learn on a tour and your everyday life, making it an effective method for consolidating knowledge.

Explore outside of the classroom with our coach & bus hire options

When our passengers board one of our buses, the journey begins. From the top of a double-decker to the comfort of an executive coach, they will be treated to a unique perspective on the globe. In addition, you can rest easy knowing that the entire trip will be safe, secure, and within your budget thanks to the audited coach operators and DBS checked drivers.

 

School trips Fuel your students’ imagination with a fun-filled coach trip

As a company that was founded by educators for the purpose of assisting other educators, we have direct experience with the positive effects that field excursions can have on kids.

We are vehement in our belief that field trips are a necessary component of the educational experience for students, not only because of the positive effects they have on students’ academic performance but also because of the positive effects they have on students’ personal growth.

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They provide practical memories and experiences to recall in exams

A significant benefit of field trips is that they give students the opportunity to get first-hand knowledge and experience related to the curriculum being studied. In the exam hall, these are going to be lot easier to recollect than any revision notes or excerpts from the textbooks.

In addition, students have the opportunity to enhance their comprehension of the subject matter through field trips, which enables them to provide far more comprehensive and well-considered solutions to exam questions.

And students are aware of the benefits of school travels for themselves; according to the Evaluation of Learning Away Final Report, 2015, 66% of secondary students said that after going on a school trip, they were better at problem solving and would perform better on their exams.

They offer real-world experience of the subject

An additional significant advantage of field visits is that they provide students with the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the relevance of the topics being studied in the “real world.”

But why exactly is that significant? We’ve all been put in the position of having to refute the claim made by pupils who aren’t very interested in a topic or subject that they will never use again in the future.

Your next field trip provides you with a priceless opportunity to show them that they are wrong.

You might even be able to pique their interest in a topic that they weren’t previously aware of simply by demonstrating how applicable it is in the “real world.” You might even inspire some of them to pursue a line of work in the future that they had never even considered before.

They improve the classroom environment

We have a tendency, when contemplating the significance of school field trips, to centre our attention on the ways in which the trip has a direct bearing on the education of the students, such as enhancing their knowledge of the topic at hand, providing them with first-hand exposure to the topic, and supplying them with relevant anecdotes from which they can draw when answering exam questions.

But were you aware that bringing children on field trips outside of the classroom setting can work wonders for the setting of the classroom itself?

Your student-teacher relationship will only improve as a result of the shared experiences you have and the opportunities you have to have fun together. When you return to the classroom, this might assist improve your behaviour and your level of engagement. It may also make it simpler for kids to approach you with any questions or concerns they may have.

In addition, the students will have the chance to develop deeper relationships with their class mates, particularly with those who fall outside of their typical social groups. Even the most reserved students may become more engaged and contribute more to the discussion if they all felt more at ease in the classroom as a result of this, which would benefit the class as a whole.

They build confidence and develop independence

This is another advantage of field trips that is often overlooked despite its significance.

Eighty-seven percent of secondary school students reported increased confidence to try something new after returning from their trip, as stated in the Evaluation of Learning Away Final Report, 2015.

What a wonderful present for your pupils! Your pupils’ lives will be transformed when they gain the courage to attempt new things and widen their perspectives.

Moreover, many of the students on your trip may be doing it independently for the first time in their lives.

While you and the rest of the crew will be there to back them up at all times, they still have to do their part by getting themselves up and ready for the day on time, safeguarding their belongings, and acting responsibly to ensure everyone’s safety.

Your field trip will benefit your kids not just academically, but also in their development into self-reliant, self-confident young adults.

And they inspire

They sent out a customer satisfaction survey in the summer of 2017 to get feedback on how they could better assist educators planning and executing field excursions. When they asked what you hoped to accomplish in your role as a teacher, some of you mentioned inspiring your students.

And that is precisely the purpose of field trips for schools. By providing them with meaningful life experiences and memories, you will motivate them to achieve their full academic potential on their upcoming tests. You will motivate them to see the relevance of your topic in the “real world,” and you may even be the key to their future success professionally.

You will encourage children to grow in important ways, helping kids become self-reliant and tolerant of those from different backgrounds. And you’ll help kids feel better about themselves and more assured in their relationships with others, whether those others be people they already know, like you and their classmates, or those they have never met before.

So, don’t give up on school trips!

Get on the next school trip for less of a down payment and with no penalties if anything comes up and you can’t go.