Why you should be excited about school trips... not worried!

Shannon Staveley
Sep 23, 2016
2 min read

My inspiration for this post has come from my an impressive educationalist. I am thrilled that this thoughtful being allowed me to work alongside her during professional practice, I was even happier when this lady (Miss Hilton) recently contacted all excited, asking me I could support Year 5 on their next school trip. I was very intrigued and eager to be involved....

I personally love the thought of taking children on school trips! It gives children first hand experiences that create memories that last a life time and if they learn something on the way then hey, I'd say it was a success.

For the children, the location was top secret but I can now reveal that we went to ...

Other wise known as Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios London.

That's right... 6 adults supervised 30 children from their school to Warner Bros studio via 1 mini-bus, 2 trains and a shuttle bus and back- just for this magical trip. A once in a lifetime experience for the fabulous Year 5 children.

Pedagogy- This learning outside the classroom experience was invaluable, it acted as part of Year 5's current literacy and topic work. Year 5 had been reading the first book in the Harry Potter series and were half way through watching the first film.

However there was much was to be considered in preparation for this trip...

*Children required information tags with their teachers and schools phone number attached should they get lost

*Hi-Viz jackets needed to be worn at all times

*The cost of the trip

*Parental permission

*Risk Assessments

*Ticket bookings

*Detailed itinerary, for example-

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This itinerary was given to me on the morning of the trip along with the risk assessment, the parents contact details and the grouping of the children. Basically- it was the bible for the day... it allowed me to give the children the best educational but exciting trip whilst operating safely.

I was given the big responsibility of supervising 5 children throughout the day as I was considered a group leader. This meant completing constant head checks ensuring I knew where the children were at all times.

I can honestly admit that is was the best school trip I have ever been on... the studio was fantastic and the staff were very informative and supportive! An extra special thanks to the education officer! Why? - The children attended a costume design workshop hosted in a classroom built in the studio. They were given the chance to pick and use material left over from the fabrics of actual costumes used on the Harry Potter set, to design a costume for their own character. At the end of the session they were given badges and were allowed to take their designs home.

Definitely a trip worth every penny!