Running a School Trip: A Guide for New Teachers
For kids, the day of a school trip can be the most exciting day of the year! For teachers, however, these days can be very stressful. It can be difficult to hold all the elements together and organise a great day out. Organising events comes naturally to some people, but for the rest of us, having a checklist is a real help. To get your list started, think about these things as you put together plans for your school trip.
Transportation
You'll certainly remember to book the activity your kids are going to do, but you also can't forget to book transportation. It's best to do this at the same time as you book the activity so that you are able to book your dates and times well in advance. The most convenient approach is to contact a coach-hire service and charter as many coaches and drivers as you need for your trip. This might also be a good time to think about the journey, depending on the age of your class. If you're going on a long trip, will you need to consider getting something for the kids to do on the way?
Permission Slips
Get these slips sent out as soon as you know dates and prices, as parents like to be informed well in advance. And as you likely already know, young children especially can be a little uncooperative in handing over important messages. Give as much chance as possible for these permission slips to be brought back so you won't be chasing up so many at the last minute. Along with the permission slip, be sure to include a list of any equipment the child will need to bring with them, including information about what kind of clothes they should wear.
Groups
Chances are that your entire class won't be able to walk around the place you're visiting as one unit. In order to streamline your time, you'll want to decide on how to divide up your class well in advance. This also allows you to ensure that any kids who are partners in crime can be kept apart if necessary. Nothing can cause a trip to go haywire faster than bad behaviour.
Food
If food will be provided at the location itself, this is less of a concern, but if you'll be bringing the food with you, make sure you get it organised well in advance, with things such as spare meals and vegetarian alternatives taken into account. Also be sure to take children's allergies into account. (It may be helpful to ask parents to list these on the permission forms.)
Of course, there are plenty of other things you'll need to consider depending on the specific trip you're planning, but you can add those things in as you find them. With luck and careful planning, your school trip will run as smoothly as anyone could hope. Enjoy!
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