Residential School Trips
If you take your class on a residential school trip, you'll open their eyes to a whole load of lessons and activities that just can't be taught in the classroom.
We've found that our trips can vastly improve personal and social development and wellbeing. Our mix of cultural, outdoor learning and real-world activities encourage students' confidence, resilience, and engagement - while allowing them to develop their relationships, independence, and sense of belonging.
What students think of our residential school trips
- 83% said residential school trips had helped them become a more confident person
- 58% said they were better at their school work
- 75% said they now get on better with other pupils in their class
- 71% said they are more motivated to learn after the residential school trip
Adventure activities and outdoor learning experiences not only build young people’s confidence but will create lasting memories for years to come. Rest assured that your experience will be enriched with outdoor education, activities and cultural tours.
You'll have our support from the minute you get in touch, to well after you get back home. You'll be assigned a dedicated NST contact for the entire experience. And on the trip itself, you'll have unrestricted guidance from our specialist reps - they'll be your on-hand local experts.
You'll even get a complimentary inspection visit to the location, so you can be sure it's the best option for your group or class.
We'll arrange your activity days. We'll deal with the logistics and travel. And we'll make sure your school group is in a safe and nurturing environment. You can focus completely on your students - helping them make the most of the residential activities and enriching outdoor education.
Struggling for inspiration? Take a look at Château d'Ebblinghem - NST's exclusive venue on the French Opal Coast. We can accommodate up to 250 students, and develop a complete itinerary, filled with lots of outdoor adventure and activities, which are based entirely on your group's requirements. Whether you're planning a residential trip for secondary or primary school groups, we can help to plan bespoke activity days for all young people to enjoy.
Want to discuss your options? Just call 0845 293 7970 to talk to one of our team of travel specialists. Or take a look at some of our more popular trips below.
Check out our residential trips below
Chateau d'Ebblinghem
Château d’Ebblinghem is perfect for school groups being set in a rural location just 8km east of St Omer in northern France, and just 45 minutes from the Channel ports.
The centre has four buildings designed with KS1 & KS2 groups in mind all accommodating student and teacher rooms together alongside dedicated dining and teacher areas. Our very on NST accommodation is a great place for young people to come and engage in team building activities, physical education and outdoor learning.
London
School residential trips to London offer young people a valuable new perspective outside of the classroom and a chance to experience the sights, sounds, hustle and bustle of a major global city. The capital also boasts a regular events programme that no other city can match, at least certainly not in the UK.
Find out more information about our London school trips here
Northern France - The Opal Coast
The Opal Coast is the perfect destination for groups seeking to enhance language skills through a range of educational and cultural visits. The area offers a range of seaside resorts, local markets, water and theme parks – so it’s perfect for French language groups to practise and enhance language skills, discover French culture and find time for a spot of group bonding too!
Find more information on our residential trips to the opal coast here
York
Residential school trips to York provide an incredible learning experience for children of all ages, particularly KS1 & KS2 school groups who are looking to learn more about one of the most iconic Roman cities in the UK.
Rich in ancient history, there seems to be a remarkable attraction at the end of every winding, cobbled street – from York Minster to The Shambles (famed setting of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley).
Find out more information about our residential trips to York here.
Edinburgh
Scotland’s historic capital city provides a unique learning experience for primary and secondary students, filled with quality sights, landmarks and outdoor adventure. That means there’s a lot to consider when planning your ideal school trip to Edinburgh.
Find more information on our residential trips to Edinburgh here
Isle of Wight
A school trip to the Isle of Wight is an exciting outdoor learning experience for primary school groups looking to explore rural life and enjoy activities outside of the classroom, perhaps for the first time.
Whether it’s exploring medieval castles, watching master craftsman blow decorative glassware or even analysing dinosaur fossils, you’ll certainly never be short of interesting things to do on this outdoor adventure.
Find more information on our residential trips to the Isle of Wight here.
Available at 12 PGL centres
Restart Adventure is available at 12 PGL centres
Suitable for KS3
This new programme is designed to re-connect students with you, each other and with the great outdoors.
Through our partnership with PGL, the UK's leading outdoor education provider, this exciting new 2-day programme offers fantastic value for money, and is designed to be a fun, uplifting and motivating adventure for your students.
Book your next school trip with confidence
With NST your peace of mind is guaranteed, thanks to our comprehensive package of financial protection. Our market-leading ‘Book with Confidence’ promise gives you all the reassurance you need when booking and paying for your trip and provide the full range of financial protection measures as recommended by the DfE.
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COVID Cancellation Protection - including full refund option
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Extended Payment Terms - to support with financial planning
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Financial Security - fully ABTA & ATOL protected
Meet the Experts
Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their knowledge to create an itinerary that’s tailor-made, perfectly timed and meets your exact school travel needs. They’ll be able to share their first-hand experience, suggest options you might not have considered and give you insight into the feedback other teachers have given us too.
There’s a lot to contend with when travelling abroad, and many teachers find the service of NST’s Representatives invaluable. We can arrange for your representative to meet you on arrival, assist you with hotel check-in, advise on points of interest and public transport and provide your group with 24 hour emergency assistance. With NST, you can be safe in the knowledge that you’ll never be on your own on your school tour.
They’ll also be happy to discuss your programme of visits, offer an insight into your destination and suggest popular evening activities too.
Planning your educational school trip?
If you're planning an educational school trip, our essential guide will take you through each step of the process.
- Choosing your destination
- Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
- Promoting your tour in school
- Confirming your booking
- Tailor-make your tour
- Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
- Quick reference timeline
- Pre-tour checklist
Additional support, resources & information:
Tour planning service
Tour planning service
With NST, you’ll get your own dedicated, knowledgeable Tour Co-ordinator who’ll work with you from start to finish. You’ll benefit from their unrivalled destination knowledge, and their experience gained from working with many other groups too. They’ll tailor-make your itinerary from scratch and take care of everything for you:
- Pulling together an itinerary that runs smoothly
- Planning the right balance of visits every day with realistic timings
- Pre-arranging and pre-booking your visits, entrance tickets, passes and meals
You’ll receive your final itinerary a full 4-weeks before you travel too.
FREE school trip promotion pack
FREE school trip promotion pack
We’ll support you and provide everything you need to advertise your school trip around school and to parents. Our free school trip promotion pack consists of:
- Parents’ letter & permission slip template for you to complete
- A3 posters to promote your trip around school
- PowerPoint presentation templates which you can tailor to your own needs
- Parents’ leaflets covering how NST manage safety, financial protection and details of our travel insurance
- Online parents’ video which showcases the benefits of taking a school trip
For selected destinations, we’ll provide a trip launch web page using video footage and imagery. This web page is provided by a weblink and can be shared with pupils and parents in many ways.
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment plays a vitally important part in the planning and organisation on any school tour.
Our risk assessment guide aims to help you understand more about your obligations and how you can more effectively manage group safety on your next educational visit and provide you with risk assessments for your trip.
Planning first school trip
Planning first school trip
Organising your first school trip can appear to be a daunting process. If you're planning your first school trip, our guide will help to take you through each step of the planning process, answering frequently asked questions and providing tips and support along the way. Our helpful guide covers the following:
- Choosing your destination
- Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
- Promoting your tour in school
- Confirming your booking
- Tailor-make your tour
- Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
- Quick reference timeline
- Pre-tour checklist
Get live updates on your group's tour location
Get live updates on your group's tour location
Locate My Trip uses GPS technology and is the easy, convenient way for your school to follow your location whilst on tour. Specifically designed to provide reassurance to both parents and teachers, NST will know where your group are 24/7. If your schedule needs to change, we’ll put plans in place to keep your tour on track.
With Locate My Trip your group can also share photos and videos with the school and parents, via a secure link, to keep them updated on your experience whilst you’re away.
Watch our short Locate My Trip video here.
Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager
Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager
Save time and stay on track with your school trip admin with our online orgnaniser - designed to help busy teachers like you.
With My Tour Manager, you'll be able to download FREE resources and access trip paperwork online and in one place. Your personalised checklist details what you need to do and by when, plus you'll receive fortnightly reminders too.
What's more, you can take all your trip documents on the go whilst on your tour with our app, My Tour Manager-On-the-Go.
Find out more and watch out short My Tour Manager video here
Free classroom resources
Free classroom resources
We've created a range of free resources and educational posters to brighten up your classroom!
Take a look at our downloadable posters here
Why choose NST...
Here's why thousands of teachers choose NST each year...
- Unrivalled knowledge
Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their unrivalled local knowledge and expertise to create a tailor-made, curriculum-linked itinerary to meet your group’s exact needs.
- Making it easier for you
With our online school trip organiser, travel app, free classroom posters and trip launch resources to support your in-school promotion.
- Free group leader inspection visits
We offer a free inspection visit to your chosen destination to support your risk assessment planning.
- Value for money
We’re committed to bringing you the best possible value trips to help make every penny count.
- More than 50 years’ experience
With over 50 years’ experience, with NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.
- Risk assessment guidance
Our risk assessment guidance will help you to manage group safety on your next educational trip.
- Peace of mind
Your group’s location can be followed with our trip tracking device - Locate My Trip - plus you’ll have 24/7 support from us whilst you’re away.
- Offsetting carbon emissions
For every trip taken, we'll plant a Maya nut tree in Peru to support reforestation, local communities & biodiversity. Plus, we'll offset an additional tonne of CO2 to guarantee carbon emission reductions.
Looking for protection on your next school trip?
Booking with a school travel company is the best way for you to protect parents’ money and give yourself peace of mind.
Don’t forget – if your school arranges transport, accommodation and other services directly, you’ll be liable under the Package Travel Regulations – meaning you’ll have all the responsibilities of a travel company, both legal and financial.
Financial protection from the moment you book
NST are fully bonded:
- ABTA
- ATOL
- IATA
Managing safety on school trips
For your protection, NST's independently audited Safety Management System covers:
- 24-hour emergency cover
- Audited accommodation & transport
- Excursions & school visit assessment
- Group leader preview visits to assist with risk assessment planning
We're LOtC Council’s Quality Badge assured
The Department for Education advises schools to always look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing a school travel provider.
