Five Top Tips for a Successful Outdoors School Trip 

Last year we spoke about the need for the outdoor classroom to be a permanent feature of school life. Since then, schools have embraced being able to return to outdoor environments and expose students to a new way of learning through fresh challenges and organised adventure programmes.

As we approach Outdoor Classroom Day 2022, we consider five Top Tips designed to help teachers maximise the success of their next outdoor learning trip or school residential.

Top Tips:

1. Consider what you are looking to get from your school trip. Is there a skills gap amongst your students, or are you looking to build interpersonal skills or cohesion between a new cohort? A good provider should be able to design activity programmes around your wider learning objectives, consulting in advance and assessing progress for post-trip evaluation.
2. Transport the learning gained back into the classroom. The outdoors can act as a springboard for a wide range of subjects and can help embed knowledge in new areas of learning. Students can put the new skills they have learnt into action, through presentations for next year’s visiting year group, leading classroom discussions, or creating a visual piece for the wider school to enjoy in some form.
3. Manage student expectations. Make sure students know what to expect and how to behave ahead of time, so that they are prepared both practically and emotionally. This will bring the best out of individuals when they arrive on-site.
4. Give students agency. Allow them opportunities to lead and also to reflect, both during and after the trip as this can help with attainment. Be sure to encourage all personalities to thrive – the informal outside environment tends to lower barriers and encourage a sense of equality; students that may be quiet in the classroom may be more forthcoming outdoors.
5. Use an accredited provider. Look for the LoTc Quality Badge, endorsed by the Department for Education and the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel (OEAP). This is the only national accreditation which provides assurance of the quality of the educational provision and effective risk assessment, enabling you to plan with confidence.

Active Learning Group (ALG) celebrates 5 years in 2022. As a provider of experiential education its brands collectively offer over 70 years of educational experiences.

Delivering premier educational experiences to young people through outdoor learning, language schools and school holiday provision, ALG enables access to transformational experiences through its safe, inspiring locations and teams of remarkable people.

ALG follows and adheres to the same rigour of safeguarding and health and safety standards as its parent company, Cognita Schools, meaning that every school visiting our sites can be confident in our standards of operation.