To ask what and how many school trips private schools go on?

[MixWhisk]

I was just wondering what the difference was in educational trips between state and private schools?

My DD is in a state primary and goes on one trip a year in the summer term. First year was the seaside, second year was the zoo, third year was a viking museum.

What types of trips and how many a year does your private school child go on? Pre-covid, obviously

Having worked in schools of both sort I'd say more trips isn't necessarily better. Some state schools try to compete with private schools and have as many 'extras' as possible. To be honest to have too many extras in either setting can be as bad if not worse than too little. Children who do, tend to do everything, and these are the ones who will struggle with mental health when they can't possibly meet all the demands put on them - and yes, trips will start to seem like a demand on their time when they also have to cope with homework, social life and so on. This is not to mention the effect on teachers who will be worn out, resentful and therefore not able to give of their best to your child. To be able to cope with the workload, especially in the later years of secondary, a moderate number of trips is best in my opinion. Teachers spend an awful lot of time making what happens in the classroom valuable. Trips are just jollies most of the time.

DS2's private school has a residential week in June, Year 4s go for 3 nights, Year 5-8 for 4 nights. Year 7 also has a week residential in September.
On top of this they also have 1-2 day trips per term.

DDs school had a one night camp in Year 3 (that was cancelled due to bad weather), the re-scheduled one night camp in Year 4 and that's been all. They do have extensive grounds though.

State school owned by private school 🤣not sure that helps haha

They have “ outdoor learning trips “ regularly with same year group from the private schools.
Erm and then maybe 1 other trip a year but again educational or to the local park.

End of year they have a
Trip to kidzania available to only those of course who have been luck enough not to get sick that year or have medical conditions or bad parents who don’t send them school 🙈

Dd was meant to go on a residential trip to Bath in May (Yr 5 at the time) for a school week. Hopefully they will go this academic year. Usually there is a joint yr 5/6 residential - one year they do the sights of Bath and the next year they go somewhere in Norfolk for activities and suchlike.
We aren't in the senior school yet but her best friend's sister is year 8 - so far they have had France, Pompeii and I think skiing

Oh sorry i forgot day trips. Usually 2-3 per term

Private primary- probably a couple of compulsory local trips each term such as the zoo, rainforest centre, Usk to see the formation of a river (was not popular!), theatre and so on.

Not compulsory trips: annual ski trip, an amazing History trip plotting Dunkirk day by day (so cool), French exchange, Spanish trip to art museums in Barcelona, rugby tours etc.

The state (Catholic) high school is amazing for enrichment trips. There is always something going on from DofE, music tours, geography trips to Iceland, history to the battlefields, physics to Cerne, religious retreats, skiing etc.

I think thats my old school!

I went on the battlefield trip and to Spain. DBro wanted to go to Russia for Alevel history but then a teacher got mugged and the insurance went up loads.

Two DC's went through KS2 at independent schools and third DC remained in state, there wasn't much difference to be honest. State school did amazing trips as well as the private ones - but a lot of that was helped by the fact that we are in Central London (eg. sculpture workshop and tour of Anthony Gormley exhibition at the Royal Academy, a day producing a front page of a newspaper at the Guardian HQ, workshop at Sir John Soames museum - all free and free travel on the bus to get there).

My privately educated kids go on one every half term in a normal non-COVID year. Between the local museum round the corner, a residential, a day trip doing something sports related, panto - it really varies. And we still pay for them but it's never very expensive. Museums are free, panto we pay for the reduced ticket cost, and her last overnight residential in year 2 cost £45

Year 3 even

State primary, infants go on one trip each year, should have been a farm this year but got cancelled.

it really depends. usually 1-2 trips per term (reception to year 2), plus a longer trip in the summer term
(3-5 days). all included in fees.
they’ve been to farms, historical sites, zoos, theatre, musicals etc.

Private primary.

Probably 1 a term plus residentials in year 5 and year 6.

However they also had an awful lots of experiences come into the school to do workshops: archaeologists, bread making, Scottish dancing, reptiles, owls often to do with whatever topic they were studying. They also had a day out at a local outward bounds centre each year to do activities.

we also normally have about 1-2 visits to the school per term: scientists, dancers, architects, artists (flower arranging, woodwork etc), a judge, ...

I remember my friend whose 3 x dc go to private school proudly telling me how great the school was as it was always organising trips, this particular one was to the local cinema which still took almost all day. It's £60 per day to go to that school. £200 to go to the cinema!!

In public primary, DD went on various outings during the year, so generic permission slips were sought at the beginning of the year. Lots of these were 1 class at a time rather than both classes in a year - sometimes 1 class was more interested in a topic, space reasons sometimes (and often the other class got there as well on a different time), and there were different levels of interest to going out in different teachers (and some particular class groups were better able to be brought out than others - but all got some outings).

The local library often had interesting seminars and events for schools and our school took advantage a lot (often they would walk down, or else get the regular scheduled bus).

There were also often interesting schools performances in the local theatre next to the library that the school went to.

Most years, 5th class would take a trip to see the Parliament (from suburbs to city centre - so regular bus in the opposite direction).

The school is set on the campus of a 3rd level Art and Technical college, and there would be some outings to the college as well - always the 6th class got a trip before leaving as part of doing their "Leavers' Project", and there would be various collaborations with other classes depending on the years. There were also sometimes visitors to the school because of their location - a NASA astronaut visited both the College (main reason) and also the school - doing age appropriate presentations to both.

Every year, there was a school trip for each year - most of those were between 60-90 minutes away by bus. 6th years had a 2 night residential trip to the Gaeltacht (4 hours by bus, but still in the same country) as well as the school tour.

There were also lots of outings for sports - various teams, from 2nd class upwards, in various sports - both team sports and athletics.

The PTA did a lot of fundraising to keep costs low and facilitate those in need still going on tours/trips. They are advantageously situated to be able to walk to lots of interesting and educational facilites nearby. There is a good scheduled bus service from right outside the school to local town centre or to city centre that worked well. So hiring buses was only needed for the annual big trips, the Gaeltacht trip and the very odd match/sports events. Most sports events were done by teachers and parents car-pooling, and sometimes even walking to the other school (for 1 sport, training was in another school about a mile away and 5th and 6th classes were allowed, if parents gave permission slips, to walk together from 1 to the other after school for training once a week rather than parents driving from 1 to the other, then collecting again an hour later - so most of them were very happy to walk similar distances to other local schools for matches).

All trips were in this country, no overseas travel in primary.

Dd is in year 10 independent. No trips at all. Local state comp has loads.

Last year my D’s was Year 2, they went to the seaside twice, a local nature reserve, the wildlife park and the pantomime. State school.

Lots of independent schools list their trips on their websites as a good trip is a massive selling point. I did some work on this last year (I work in a senior school) and some of the schools around us do amazing trips.
The junior schools tend to have one residential per year group (year 3 upwards) plus a ski trip and lots of day trips/theatre trips...

Private primary

Averages about one per half term.

Plus an event at the local church (Christmas /Easter etc) at the end of each term.

In addition is beach school (like forest school but on the beach!) once or twice per per term.

The big thing for my dds is the sports and they have at least one fixture a week (in normal times) sometimes two, varies between home and away.

They also do a residential each year from Yr 3 upwards, increasing in length to a week in Yr 6.

Academy school. Year 10 and not 1 single trip since he started the school in year 7. Primary school there was loads.

Private school.
Year 7- one joined history and geography trip to castle and beach (in the same day )
Year 8-they forgot to book the bloody thing
Year 9-trips depending on subject choices as we narrowed down our (creative) subjects and two DofE
Year 10-three trips; subject dependant again + Two DofE expeditions.
Year 11-one trip

And there was also the annual ski trips which I didn’t go on. They used to do exchange students in year above but didnt with my year. Also did several trips to countries abroad for languages and depended on the subjects really, more creative ones tended to do more trips. Beginning of year 7 had a trip to make us all bond. School also did world challenge trips.

Also had many sports fixtures etc. Church services at Christmas.

Private primary - probably averaged two trips a term.

• week long trips to the schools' house in France.
• week long residentials at PGL or similar.
• day trips to the Norfolk broads/Suffolk coast
• trips local zoos, farms and museums.
• pantomime or trips to the nativity.

Private secondary

• a week long skiing break every February.
• a week long trip at Easter - sometimes to North America, sometimes to places like China.
• foreign language trips if you did modern languages at A-level
• theatre trips for English.
• trip to France every year to see the Battlefields.
• DofE expeditions.
• weekends away with cadets.

If you were a boarder, most weekends involved trips out - anything from bowling to rock climbing to indoor skiing. Not compulsory but most people went.

Independent prep schools, Latin teacher- 3-4 trips a year. Day trips to numerous local Roman sites, such as Vindolanda, St Albans, Burgh Castle, Venta Icenorum, Colchester, Littleborough, Lincoln, a metal-detecting day out, British Museum, overnight trip to Portchester/Portsmouth. Most fun of all - a day trip to Rome! DH (ex Royal Navy) ran a Roman Legion in the evenings - uniform, weapons drills, fun and games running through the woods in the dark, defending the school against barbarian tribes. Boarding schools offer so many opportunities for evening activities and fun.

@NetflixWatcher

Academy school. Year 10 and not 1 single trip since he started the school in year 7. Primary school there was loads.

This would point to either the academy having a no trips policy, or the staff being so miserable, overworked and underappreciated that no-one wants to organise any.