A guide to your child's educational visit

To discover more about taking an NST tour, watch our video which follows one group on their tour to Spain.

School trips can provide a learning experience of a lifetime…

An educational tour with NST opens up a whole world of learning for your child. With the opportunity to explore some of the most intriguing destinations in the world, our tours have been created to enrich classroom-based learning and inspire a deeper interest in their studies – all at great value for money.

We believe that there’s no substitute for being there. That’s why, since 1967, we’ve been helping to create tours which educate, inspire and enable children to develop a sense of independence. Teachers and parents often tell us that a school trip with NST really helps to enhance knowledge by placing classroom learning in context. A school tour will also introduce your child to new cultures and experiences, whilst helping to build confidence and develop key life skills that they’ll need in the future.

All of NST’s educational tours have been designed to support the National Curriculum and will make an invaluable contribution to your child’s education. We were one of the first UK school travel companies to have been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Council’s Quality Badge – your guarantee that we offer high quality teaching and learning experiences, and manage safety on school visits effectively.

Safe in our hands

NST has an excellent reputation and an outstanding health and safety record based on over 55 years of operating school tours. As a fully assured member of the School Travel Forum – the benchmark provider for good school tours – NST adheres to a rigorous Code of Practice and safety management standards which meet the requirements of Government guidelines and are externally verified each year by independent health and safety professionals.

Your money

Your money will be protected from the moment your child’s tour is booked with NST, because we’re fully bonded through ABTA and ATOL. This means your payments will be insured and you’ll have peace of mind too.

School tour accommodation

During a school trip with NST, your child will stay in school-friendly accommodation, selected and audited by us. Our audit checks cover the following elements, ensuring that we’re confident the accommodation is suitable for your child’s group to stay there:

Fire safety
Security
Hygiene
Utilities and swimming pools

Coaches

Safety is our upmost priority at NST. That’s why we can assure you that your child’s coach operator will meet the following minimum standards:

All British coaches are fitted with seatbelts
All British coaches conform to Government safety standards
All of our British coach operators conform to the European laws and regulations concerning
drivers’ hours and regularly monitor tachograph records
Our British coach operators must have a system in place to ensure drivers are Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked

Visits

Where visits and excursions are arranged by NST, the risks have been evaluated and are regularly reviewed

NST insurance cover

Insurance cover and 24-hour medical assistance cover is included in the price you pay for your child’s trip.

Type of cover	Value of cover
Cancellation / Curtailment of Activity / Abandonment	Up to £5,000
Medical Expenses	Unlimited (outside of country of domicile only)
Personal Belongings	Up to a limit of £3,500. Single article limit of £1,000. All electronic items excluded.
Personal Money	Up to £250
Personal Accident	Up to £25,000
Personal Liability	Up to £5 million

Please note that there is an excess up to £50 for some sections of cover.

Passport, visa & health documents

Passports:

British Passport Holders - Passports should have at least 6 months validity remaining on them from the date of travel and be less than 10 years old (except for travel to Ireland). If the traveller renewed a 10-year adult passport before it expired, extra months may have been added to the passport’s expiry date: these extra months will not count.

Remember that it can take up to 10 weeks to get a new passport, and it will take longer for postal applications. We advise travellers to check the validity of their passport at the earliest opportunity.

British passport holder will no longer be able to use the EU or EEA passport lanes, therefore longer border control queues at the airport should be expected. In addition to their passport, travellers may be asked to show:

A return or onward ticket
That they have sufficient money for their stay

We also recommend that all non-British passport holders have a minimum of 6 months left on their passport when re-entering the UK.

Visas:

Full details of visa and entry requirements for all countries can be found at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. NST recommend that all visa requirements are completed at least two months prior to departure. N.B. Non-British nationals/non-British passport holders may require visas/transit visas and it is the responsibility of the individual to check all passport and visa requirements with the Embassy of the country (or countries) to or through which they are travelling.

Health:

Any current European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) will continue to be valid for travel in the EU and travellers will only need to apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) when their current EHIC expires. Both cards will offer equivalent protection for emergency and medically necessary healthcare needs when in the EU on a temporary stay. The new GHIC card is free to obtain from the official GHIC website.

Further information about GHIC can be found here