Risk and the school trip

School trips have always provided students with valuable opportunities for “hands-on learning”, ranging from local trips to learn about the history, geology or geography of a local area, to long-haul journeys in order to experience the cultures and ways of life of those with whom we share our planet.

By Tom Trueman.

When I was at school in the 1960s, trips were largely confined to the UK, with the occasional foray to European destinations that could easily be reached via a cross-channel ferry. The purpose of these trips primarily focussed on language learning, and they were strictly controlled, with risks largely limited to those which we faced in the UK during our daily lives. However, since those balmy days of my youth, the opportunities to travel have increased dramatically, and there are now very few destinations around the world which are not accessible to school groups.

The responsibilities of organisers and leaders of trips has also developed over the last six decades. To a large extent this has simply been a codifying of responsibilities which have always been there for those in charge of young adults, but we have also seen a focus on the formal identification of risks, which is now a legal requirement of such trips.

As the legislation developed some teachers’ unions felt that the legal requirements for those organising school trips had become too onerous. However, in the last ten years, great strides have been made to ensure that by properly assessing providers, teachers can once again allow students to take balanced risks and open their eyes to the world beyond the classroom. A trip to Everest Base camp is a prime example of how using a provider, like True Adventure, can allow students to challenge themselves and build resilience in an environment where everything from crossing the road to altitude has been fully assessed and plans put in place to mitigate against major risks.

When I moved some twenty years ago from primarily running adult expeditions to being responsible for organising over 500 school overseas trips a year, the concept of “risk assessments” was somewhat daunting. quickly realised, however, that the process was no different from the way I had previously organised ventures. It was simply a case of ensuring that written procedures were backed up by the appointment of competent, and adequately qualified and experienced staff.

A well-organised school trip offers benefits in many forms. Some of these benefits will be extensions of skills learned at school, whilst others will be new to the participants, varying from the opportunity to participate in community projects to discovering the way of life of other cultures, to more challenging physical activities, such as trekking, or a combination of projects and challenging activities. Such ventures can introduce students to the environmental challenges faced by other nations and provide a greater understanding of how different cultures are so important in the world we live in.

In recent years, technology has also impacted on the way we manage school trips and the risks involved. At one end of the spectrum, teachers leading groups on a venture close to their school can use mobile phones, whilst at the other end expedition leaders can now use satellite communications and the internet. We live in a 24/7 global environment and the management of developing technology requires sophisticated operations facilities, such as the one at True Adventure, from where groups can be tracked, and whatever support is needed can be provided whatever the time of the day. For example, trip leaders as far afield as destinations such as Nepal, can now readily access support which can provide timely assistance, such as medical support. To some extent, a driver in an unfamiliar area in the UK will probably not know where the nearest medical facility is; however on expeditions, they will know at all times where the facility is, and what is available, and if needed the operations room will tell them you are on your way.

When students are given the opportunity to lead and take calculated, assessed risks, teachers can sit back and watch them step outside of their comfort zones, become global citizens and develop life changing skills.