Tips on Planning Your Next School Outing

Are you a teacher’s aide, teacher, or school administrator? Are you dreading the next school trip with your class – a long day, unruly students running everywhere, unhelpful museum staff or gallery attendants? Well, if you follow these suggestions, you can help ensure your next group trip will go more smoothly – I can’t promise it will be pain free, but hopefully you can avoid unplanned surprises.

1) Make sure your students and their parents are well-informed about the trip and any activities ahead of time. This includes any necessary permission slips, money, lunches, or equipment that will be needed for the outing, contact information, etc. Make sure any student going on the trip has everything he or she will need for the duration of the trip, and make sure YOU have a mobile phone and the contact information for your school, the children’s parents, your destination, and emergency services.

2) Discuss with your students and agree on expectations and behavior ahead of time. If necessary, have any ‘problem students’ and their parents sign a behavior contract.

3) Contact the venue ahead of time, and confirm your trip the day-of. By coordinating with your destination, you can ensure that they and their staff are prepared to handle your group. Also, requesting any supplemental materials the venue may offer can help you prepare your students for the trip and maximize the effectiveness of your visit.

4) Recruit helpers. While a classroom of 20 or 30 students might be manageable for one teacher in the classroom, take them to a museum, play, or theme park, and suddenly they’re infinitely harder to wrangle. Plan on having at least one adult per ten students. If you cannot get additional help from your school or place of employment, think about asking some of the students’ parents to help. They often will enjoy the chance to participate in their children’s education and may even enjoy the trip themselves.

5) Make sure you have reliable transportation. Can you imagine anything worse than being hours late with 20 or 30 of your students? You’ll have a big group of worried administrators and worried parents to call and explain yourself to. Ensuring you have reliable transportation for your trip can ensure this doesn’t happen. Especially if you’re located in London, coach hire can greatly simplify your transportation and planning for your outing.

No matter where you and your class or group of children are going, some good planning ahead of time can save you a major headache later. Above all else, make sure you and your students will have everything you’ll need for the trip before you leave.

J Mikula is an educator, consultant, and writer.