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Secondary School Trips

Secondary school trips are a golden opportunity to inspire curiosity and stronger relationships among teenage groups beyond the four walls of their usual classroom. 

These trips build interpersonal skills by encouraging young people to step outside of their comfort zone, meet interesting people, try new things and understand more about the world we live in. The connections made on secondary school trips – whether personal relationships or cultural understanding – often last for far longer than the time actually spent away.

Why book a secondary school trip with NST? 

The memories elicited from secondary school trips often live with teenagers for many years beyond their school days. It can be a real highlight of a student’s school experience, the combination of educational opportunities with visits to see and do some amazing things. We’re sure you want to plan the best trip possible for your group, and that’s why we’re here - to make sure that happens! 

We know that organising a school trip for an entire class or more can be quite a challenge. Having worked with thousands of schools over the years, NST relies on this experience to support schools before, during and after their tour – and take the hassle out of the teacher's hands.

We offer first-rate secondary school trips to over 150 destinations worldwide. Get in touch and request a quote today to find out how we could help you. 

Our secondary school trip highlights include…

Whether you want to stay in the UK, or jet off to the continent and explore a little history and culture, here at NST, we provide a wide range of fabulous trips for secondary schools. We receive excellent feedback from lots of groups who book with us. Here is a selection of the secondary school trip highlights that we offer. 

Secondary school trips in the UK                       

  • Secondary school trips to London
  • Secondary school trips to Edinburgh
  • Secondary school trips to York
  • Secondary school trips to Wales
  • Secondary school trips to Cornwall

Secondary school trips to Europe

  • School trips to Paris
  • School trips to Rome
  • School trips to Barcelona
  • School trips to Berlin
  • School trips to Krakow

 

School Trips to Barcelona

School Trips to Barcelona

School trips to Barcelona offer a diverse experience to students of all ages and subjects – from the modernist architecture of Gaudi and surreal art on show at the Museu Picasso.

Learn more here

School Trips to Berlin

School Trips to Berlin

We pride ourselves on designing Berlin school trips that ensure young people get the absolute most out of their visit and that make life easier for teachers. 

Learn more here

School Trips to Iceland

School Trips to Iceland

School trips to Iceland offer a wonderfully unique experience for student to bear witness to rare phenomena.

Learn more here

School Trips to Krakow

School Trips to Krakow

Krakow is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Poland, and a fantastic school trip destination for any class.

Learn more here

School Trips to London

School Trips to London

A cultural capital by anyone’s estimation, London is one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan cities on the planet.

Learn more here

School Trips to New York

School Trips to New York

There is so much to see and do in New York, which means a well-planned trip is essential to get the most of your visit. New York school tours are a fantastic option for so many reasons.

Learn more here

School trips to Northern France 

School trips to Northern France 

Northern France is an ideal location for a range of subject trips including French Language Enrichment & WWI battlefields trips

Groups can stay at NST’s exclusive school group accommodation, NST’s Château d’Ebblinghem, set in a rural location just 8km east of St Omer on the Opal Coast in northern France, and just 45 minutes from the Channel ports.

The centre has four buildings designed with school groups in mind all accommodating student and teacher rooms together alongside dedicated dining and teacher areas and can accommodate year groups of up to 250 students

Learn more here 

School Trips to Paris 

School Trips to Paris 

Paris’ reputation as a global centre of culture is much deserved, and a school trip to Paris is a fantastic option for a number of reasons.

Learn more here

School trips to the Rhine & Moselle 

School trips to the Rhine & Moselle 

The wonderfully diverse setting of the Rhine & Moselle is home to beautiful valleys, ancient castle and Gothic churches – the perfect location for students to develop their German language skills and a picturesque destination for music groups to peform. 

Learn more here

School trips to Rome

School trips to Rome

When you ask somebody to list the world’s greatest cities it’s probably not long before Rome is mentioned. Incredibly rich in architecture, culture and history, the Italian capital really is a magnificent destination for school trips of all ages and sizes.

Learn more here

School Trips to the WWI Battlefields

School Trips to the WWI Battlefields

Our established WWI battlefields tours programme covers the events of WWI in the Ypres Salient and Somme regions, enabling your pupils to learn from a wealth of important historical sites and excursions.

For groups studying Medicine and Surgery on the Western Front,  our WWI Battlefields tours will allow pupils to gain understanding of medical treatments, developments and historical context of medicine in the early 20th Century.

Learn more 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.

 

UK LIVE! Student Events

UK LIVE! Student Events

Inspire their future career at LIVE! - Immersive student events for KS4 & KS5 learners

UK LIVE! combines a conference led by expert speakers, workshops & talks, team-based challenges and outdoor adventure activities.  A three-day weekend event which brings together the best possible learning experience for your students in a fun, memorable and safe environment.

UK LIVE! takes place at our activity centre Liddington near Swindon.

See our full range of events here.


Our most popular secondary school trip destinations...

Our most popular secondary school trip destinations...

London 

Whether you are planning a farewell tour, a reward trip or simply to give your pupils the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom, we can create a tour to London suit your needs and support your curriculum. Our very own capital city is an exciting and inspiring destination for secondary school children studying all kinds of subjects with endless opportunities for learning, fun and group bonding. 

Find out more here

New York

Whatever your focus there’s so much for young people to learn from a school trip to New York, whether it’s arts and drama on Broadway, exploring the heart of US finance or the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Iconic attractions such as Times Square, the Statute of Liberty, Empire State Building, Metropolitan Museum of Art and much more are known all over the world. You can guarantee that New York will be an unforgettable and incredibly valuable experience for any pupil. 

Learn more here

 

 

Take a look at one of our secondary school trip experiences

Planning your secondary school trip?

If you're planning your secondary 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 


View our essential guide to a successful school trip here

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

Speak to one of our secondary school travel experts

Our team of secondary school travel experts have unrivalled destination knowledge and experience so they can help to bring your tour ideas to life and might even suggest options you hadn’t already thought of too! So get in touch today and we'll help to create a bespoke, budget-friendly tour itinerary to meet your specific learning requirements.

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.

  • Risk assessment guidance 

Our risk assessment guidance will help you to manage group safety on your next educational trip. 

  • FREE group leader inspection visits

We offer a free inspection visit to your chosen destination to support your risk assessment planning. 

 

 

  • Offsetting carbon emissions

For every school 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. 

  • Value for money

We’re committed to bringing you the best possible value trips to help make every penny count.

  • 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.

  • More than 50 years’ experience

With over 50 years’ experience, with NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.

 

 

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.