What type of school trips do pupils go on? Typical educational day trips range from The National Gallery, Battle Abbey, Eastbourne Jazz Festival, Olympic Park, Richborough, The Science Museum, Herstmonceux Observatory and every year our Year 8 children visit the Houses of Parliament. If a trip deepens the children’s understanding and love for a subject – we schedule it in.
Are there trips available for every subject? We offer a broad range of trips that will enhance learning potential across the whole school curriculum. Those that provide opportunities for cross-curricular learning are particularly special. Music plays an integral part in school life so we are currently researching an overseas trip for our choirs.
Do pupils get to travel abroad? Absolutely. Most recently, our Spanish pupils took in the sights and sounds of Madrid, our Latin students visited the wonderful archaeological sites and paths less travelled through Medieval Rome and our Senior School geographers have been lava tubing and geyser watching in Iceland. Our annual Ski Trip to Switzerland and French exchange trips are always popular.
Do they always take place during term time? Not always. We run an action-packed Leavers’ Programme in the summer term, which includes a week of team-building and high-energy physical challenges at Skerne Lodge in Devon. When exams are over, Year 6 cycle also get to bond with the peers outside the classroom when they try their hands at canoeing, mountain biking and orienteering on Dartmoor as well as boogie boarding and a visit to Boscastle in Cornwall.
What type of trips prove to be the most engaging? Those where pupils can interact with pupils from other schools and countries. Recently, our Spanish students spent a day in a large primary school in Madrid. Our children also love living history and any opportunity to ‘experience’ learning. This year, our children have tried on space suits at Herstmonceux Observatory, learnt to tie a Roman toga, re-enacted the Battle of Hastings and ventured 30 metres underground in a tin mine in the South West.
Dulwich Preparatory School
What type of trips do pupils go on? A vast array of trips, linked to the curriculum, from a visit to a local fruit farm in Nursery to a one week residential outward bound course to Snowdonia in Year 8. Our boarders enjoy regular outings and trips ranging from an evening at the beach at Camber sands to visits to Climbing Centres and Gravity Trampolining. We have a progressive programme of residential outdoor activities from Years 5-8 where the children stay away from home, camping and exploring the great outdoors.
Are there trips available in every subject? Yes, ranging from visiting Lullingstone Roman villa for our Latinists, to trips to the West End for Drama, a residential trip to Felixstowe studying coastal erosion for a Geography project. We make use of the fantastic countryside closer to home as well with walks in the bluebell woods, pond-dipping at Sissinghurst etc. We visit Cranbrook town regularly, to learn about the history of the church, visit the museum and study the different types of business and industry available in our local town. Recently Reception looked at the different shops on offer in Cranbrook and visited the butchers and other local shops.
Do pupils get to travel abroad? There is a whole year group trip to Paris in Upper School, with children visiting famous Paris landmarks and practicing their French over a 3 day period. There are optional trips to a chateau in France for total language immersion, having fun with outdoor activities such as canoeing, and even learning to make bread – all in French! There is an annual ski trip every Easter which is very popular, particularly the après ski activities. And the annual trip to Wales for the outward bound activities has been a fixture in the Dulwich calendar for over 20 years.
Do they always take place during term time? No, the optional ski and French trips are at Easter.
What type of trips prove to be the most engaging? Anything which helps to bring the topic to life, such as our visit to Battle, where the children re-enact the Battle of Hastings. Visits to art galleries to see a picture close up, listening to live music in a large venue, singing in the O2 stadium with thousands of other school children, these are all experiences that children will remember for years to come.
The King’s School
What type of school trips do pupils go on?
There are a variety of school trips on offer for the children including ski trips to Europe and our ever popular sports tours. There are foreign exchange programmes for our linguists. We also run the Milner Challenge Expedition, which is our very own version of a mini D of E and our younger pupils visit many of the wonderful locations a bit closer to home.
Are these trips available for every subject?
There tend to be day trips for most subjects and year groups. Our Pre-Prep children go on trips to Canterbury Cathedral, The Marlowe Theatre and Tonbridge Castle and Years 3 & 4 head off to the British Museum, The Beaney Institute and The Roman Museum. The Milner Challenge is available to Years 5-8 and they all undertake a challenge, ranging from a 1 to 5 day residential trip.
Do pupils get to travel abroad?
Yes, we actively encourage our pupils to take the opportunities available to experience and enjoy new surroundings and cultures. Recent sports tours have travelled to Holland and France, the Spanish Exchange visited Madrid and our Chapel Choir recently enjoyed a tour of Northern France.
Do they always take place during term time?
Whilst our day trips often occur during term time in order to link with our curriculum, the majority of our longer trips take place during the school holidays in order to have the least possible impact on our academic timetable. Our Milner Challenge Expedition, however, does take place during term time.
What type of trips prove to be the most engaging?
All of our trips offer something unique. The language trips present opportunities to transfer the skills from the classroom to the real world. Our sports tours promote camaraderie, teamwork, sporting activity and include cultural experiences too. The Milner Challenge brings out leadership, teamwork and co-operation. There’s something for everyone.
