A look at the finalists for the ‘My Best School Trip’ Award 2018

Here’s a reminder of who is in the running…

BBG Academy (part of the Rodillian Multi Academy Trust), Birkenshaw, Year 7 French Resilience Trip

Teacher Tanya Binns: “The learning objectives for the trip are simple – to develop resilience in children in a challenging, but supportive, environment - so that when they are faced with challenges in a different setting, they can draw on their memories and fight back.  

“We are aware of the steep hill that students have to climb academically, and whilst we do all we can to prevent students from feeling overwhelmed when it comes to 100 per cent exams – at the end of the day, they are still 100 per cent exams.

“The high-stakes nature of GCSEs and A-Levels, and indeed, University finals, mean that the lessons students learn at Resilience Camp can potentially last a lifetime.”

Llanwern High School, Wales, Year 11 – 13 trip to Kenya

Teacher Anthony Beard: “Having lamented over the fact that our students had very little experience of life outside South Wales we decided we would take them abroad and started looking at opportunities to do so.

“We wanted to give our students, who come from a socio-economically deprived area the experience of life outside their local environment and give them the opportunity to develop skills such as leadership, teamwork and resilience.

“All students took a full and active part in the trip and made a huge contribution to the lives of the young people we went there to help.”

Lyndhurst Primary School, London, Year 4 trip to York

Teacher Helen Savvides: “Overall, this was one of the best trips we, as a school, have ever organised!

“Vikings and Anglo Saxons are a key strand of the KS2 History curriculum. The Viking influence on British culture and language is significant and often misunderstood. This trip helped address those misconceptions and give children the vital insight into Britain of 1200 years ago.

“It also allowed children to become fully immersed in the topic and we knew that this type of trip would engage, inspire and excite our children in their learning.”

Moorside Primary School, Lancaster, Year 1 residential to FSC Malham Tarn

Teacher Jonathan Whitwell: “Throughout school, we have many outdoor and adventurous visits that are progressive in terms of skills and resilience-building. This year, we piloted a winter residential visit for Year 1 children; next year we have doubled the uptake, proving its success.

“This trip was planned to engage our younger children in our adventure curriculum earlier, to build their resilience, develop their relationships and give them a positive first residential experience.

“My personal highlight was seeing a group of children, who were academically working below expected attainment in school, becoming animated, engaged, enthused and ‘growing’ with pride as they realised that outdoor adventure was their ‘thing’ and they were experts at it.”

Nelson Mandela School, Birmingham, Year 5 trip to Dovedale in Derbyshire

Teacher Kevin Jones: “The main reason for this trip taking place is because the year 5 children were studying a river topic and it is an opportunity for them to experience many of the river features that have been learnt about in class. Statistics show that our school is in one of the most deprived areas in England and many of our children do not have the chance to visit such places.

“As well as a river study, before and during the trip we also consider a range of other physical and political geography topics including contrasting locality, land use, mapping and health and fitness.

“The children’s knowledge of rivers and how they affect the land has increased considerable because of this trip. It’s definitely one we will be doing again!”

About the judging

The five finalists, and ultimate winner, were selected by a panel of experts at a judging day in London. The judging panel consisted of Kim Somerville from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC), Gill Harvey, CEO of the School Travel Forum, Peter Carne, OBE, Learning Away National Adviser, and Rob Yandell and Keeley Rodgers from School Travel Organiser magazine.

The winner will be revealed at the School Travel Awards lunch and ceremony on Friday 16th November.