Essential Items Teachers Should Take On School Trips

While they hold undisputed educational value, school trips can sometimes be discouragingly difficult to organise. Scheduling and legal arrangements aside, there is a sometimes overwhelming number of small details teachers must remember to ensure the smooth running of the tour. Travelling with children is, after all, a huge responsibility regardless of how well prepared the guardians may be; there are many unknown variables to consider, and parents and teachers need to be on their toes when taking minors even a short distance away from the classroom.

Plan, plan, plan

As such, there are a few essential items teachers preparing to take their students on school trips, whether within their own country or abroad, must always account for in their planning. It is not enough to have a meticulously planned schedule, suitable accommodation and emergency phone numbers; there are a number of smaller things that will prove problematic if forgotten. Examples include:

• Reflective vests. It is not an infrequent sight on the streets of European capitals: a group of schoolchildren flanked by adults wearing bright yellow reflective vests. These are important for a number of reasons: should the group scatter, they are a great visual indicator to help the children locate the nearest guardian; to passers-by, they indicate the person or people wearing them are in charge of that particular group of children, and should be addressed with any concerns or issues. More infrequently, the children themselves will be seen wearing these, in order for the teachers and parents accompanying them to be able to locate them at a glance.
• First-Aid Kit. No one is exempt from suffering a minor injury, least of all children. The active nature of most young people can leave them prone to injuring themselves in. While it is the job of the parents or guardians to ensure this does not happen, a basic first-aid kit is nonetheless a necessity for most school trips of any length.
• Water. Sensible teachers will always remind their students to drink plenty of liquids (preferably water) at all times, but whenever possible it is recommended that the organisers themselves take care of providing enough bottled water to ensure students are keep hydrated. This is especially important in the summer, when children are exposed to high temperatures.
• Extra adults. When planning school trips, one of the most important things a teacher can do is reach out to the parents and guardians of his or her students and try to amass volunteers to accompany the tour. This helps improve the ratio of students-to-adults and prevents the head teacher from having to be responsible for everything.
• Entertainment. You don’t need to carry Disneyland in your pocket, but providing enough entertainment to keep the children engaged during their ‘off-hours’ can avoid a lot of problems for all involved.

As you can see, then, planning for travel with children or young adults can often be a chore of micro-management. Regardless of how busy you are, however, make sure not to forget these essentials.

Angela Bowden works for STS (School Travel Service), the UK's largest educational travel company, providing tours for secondary schools, primary schools and colleges. School trips with STS can encompass a focus on art/design, foreign languages, history, science/nature, geography and more, to worldwide destinations.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.