Educational trips are invaluable for the progression of real world learning for students. Students learn so many life skills from travelling, regardless of where they travel to. In particular, if the visit involves use of public transport and visiting different countries where English may not be the primary language spoken.
1. Health and Safety
When planning any educational trips there are numerous important considerations to be aware of both in terms of the staff and student cohort going on the trip, the journey to be taken and the destination. Paramount for all trips is the health and safety of both staff and students. As such drawing up a risk assessment is a vital part of the process. The person carrying out the risk assessment must be suitably qualified to assess all risks and should also involve other members of the team for a 360 degree view of health and safety issues. The risk assessment should cover the trip from home/school base to destination and return journey and any in-between legs where sightseeing maybe involved. This is a complex process and requires in-depth planning and consideration.
2. Medical emergencies
A medical issue which has been in the press a lot recently is the risk of serious allergic reactions from common allergens such as nuts and dairy products. This risk can be compounded by language barriers in an unfamiliar country where ingredients may not be in English. As such it is vital that students with potential allergies are identified to staff members and the appropriate measures taken to ensure their safety. This may include the carrying of spare epipens by staff members and ensuring that staff are trained to deal with such medical emergencies. Moreover, it will require other students to be informed of the risk and potentially banned from eating foods containing allergans in the presence of students with allergies.
Anything can happen on trips and often does, so the message is be prepared and ensure that you have designated first aiders in your staff team should a student require resuscitation or indeed administration of drugs such as insulin or adrenalin. Knowing how to react in an emergency is key and staff should be fully cognisant of the risks and how to minimise them for both themselves and their students. Good communication with parents and guardians is also vital should anything untoward occur. Moreover, putting in place a plan of action for all possible eventualities and ensuring that the trip is fully insured are vital considerations for ensuring student and staff safety. Having a list of medications, student illnesses etc and any GP contacts back home is a good insurance policy which can mitigate risks. The trip manager should be provided with a full list of medical issues for students who are participating in the trip.
3. In loco Parentis
When students are away from their family on school trips, staff take on a legal responsibility known as in loco parentis. This means that, for legal purposes the teacher or staff member is “standing in for” the parent/guardian of the students in their care. The adult who is given such responsibility, must act with the same due diligence in the care and welfare of the child as the parent or guardian. If teachers fail in their duty of care to students, they may leave themselves open to litigation from parents. As such, it is vital that all members of staff who are in loco parentis are aware of their full responsibilities and are in possession of all the potential risks to which they and their students may be exposed. This will enable them to make informed decisions and take decisive action should something untoward occur.
4. Language barriers
Visiting a different country may involve exposure to at least one other language. It is obviously preferable if at least one member of staff is fluent in the language, but a good working knowledge of the host country’s language is essential to ensuring a smooth trip. Language knowledge will ensure there is less confusion on every level, whether this be interpretation of menus, directions or general negotiations throughout the trip. It is also important should an accident or emergency occur where you need to communicate with medics or indeed the police. If there is not a fluent speaker of the languages of countries you visit or pass through on your staff team, you should consider hiring an interpreter or ensuring that a member of the host school is able to fulfil that role successfully.
5. Transportation
Use of private transportation to ferry children should be avoided unless this is a private arrangement among parents and as such this should be stated to parents. Pick up and drop off times for students should be clearly advised to parents and guardians and contingency plans put in place for any potential delays. Staff should take possession of any travel documents for the group and act as the point of contact for check-in. If required, relevant travel documents such as boarding passes should be printed for airlines for all members of the trip and held by the trip manager along with passports. Group check-ins can generally be arranged in advance of travel.
6. Safeguarding and Child Protection
The key consideration for all trips is the safeguarding and protection of all students within the care of the staff. This means that child safeguarding and protection legislation need to be applied on the trip as they would be in school. Child protection policies approved by the governing body need to be adhered to at all times. For example, more than one member of staff should be in charge of one student or a group of students. Ratio of teachers to students should be adhered to. Such measures are there to protect the student and staff members from the risk of spurious allegations or indeed actual harm. All staff members should be aware of school safeguarding and child protection policies so that they are able to apply them during the course of their work when safeguarding children. There should be an identified member of staff who is the key contact for parents should they need to raise any concerns before during or after a trip.
7. Parent/guardian briefings
It is important to understand the concerns of parents and guardians and to ensure that their views and worries are taken into consideration during the planning of the trip and indeed during the trip. Parents know their children best and are aware of their foibles and most importantly any dietary or medical needs, so it is always a good idea to have parental input into the planning of any trip. This will ultimately reassure the parent that the staff have their student’s best interests at heart and also that they are able to influence decisions made. It will also assist in building relationships with parents prior to commencement of the trip which could prove vital during the trip to minimise any problems and flag up any issues prior to departure. It will also provide an opportunity to explain trips itinerary and make tweaks should issues be raised. Discussing the itinerary will lower any anxiety that parents have and reduce the number of concerns and potential phone calls that would otherwise arise. It will also reinforce any expectations that teachers have of student and parent behaviour. For example, in relation to their child taking part in activities or excursions. Moreover, it will detail any expectations parents should have of staff should their child fall ill or require medical treatment and will obviously detail any transport and insurance arrangements.
8. Accommodation
Suitable accommodation in a hotel or hostel should be arranged and discussed with parents and students at the earliest opportunity. Use of private accommodation should be avoided to ensure maximum child protection. Overnight accommodation should include one female and male supervising adult for mixed groups. Whilst children and adult accommodation should be separate, it should be close by. Using the whole floor of a hotel or hostel to ensure students are kept in one area is preferable. If children’s rooms must be located on different floors, an adult supervisor’s room should be located on each floor. If homestay exchange visits are being organised, those homes and adults should be appropriately vetted to ensure that parents and guardians are satisfied with the safeguarding arrangements. Students should be made aware of how to keep themselves and others safe whilst on the trip. In some cases, particularly for very young children, private accommodation may not be appropriate and should be discouraged. Ensuring that children are fairly selected to share with their friends and that no child feels left out of accommodation arrangements, will go a long way to making children feel safe and happy on their school trips. Also ensuring that students are given full directions for their local area and are told where toilets and facilities are upon arrival will help them settle in more easily helping the trip to get off to a good start.
Overall, asides from planning for worst case scenarios, ensuring that there are appropriate levels of activities and excursions and that students are relaxed, happy and engaged by fostering good relationships with staff, will all help to ensure a successful trip. Most of all, having experienced staff who are adept at spotting issues and mitigating before they arise will be an invaluable asset.