Top School Trips -Issue 7

30 | www.teachwire.net/school-trips PSHE, geography, and science, while also developing teamwork, wellbeing and independence. A safe space for bravery For many children, a residential trip is their first taste of independence – “I CAN DO IT!” Activity residentials build confident, connected learners – here’s how, says Duncan Kemp … Learning Away and the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom show that residentials help pupils build confidence, improve peer relationships, and make stronger connections between learning and real-world experience. When thoughtfully planned, these trips can reinforce curriculum areas such as Expanding education Activity residentials are not just about outdoor fun – they are powerful learning experiences that support academic, emotional, and social growth. Away from the familiarity of school, children encounter new environments that demand problem-solving, collaboration, and communication. “Outdoor learning isn’t about taking a break from education, it’s about T he most powerful lessons don’t always happen at a desk,” says Matt Smith, compliance and operations manager at school residential provider JCA. “Sometimes they happen halfway up a climbing wall, when a child realises they can do something they didn’t think they could.” It’s a moment many teachers recognise – that spark of courage and pride when pupils push beyond their comfort zones. Whether it’s tackling a team challenge, paddling across a lake, or spending their first night away from home, activity residentials give young people the chance to test themselves in ways that can’t be replicated in the classroom. expanding it,” says Simon Potter, activity manager at Croft FarmWaterpark, who has worked with thousands of pupils on school residentials in the Cotswolds. “When children are encouraged to make decisions, take supported risks and work together, they develop skills that feed directly back into their classroom learning.” Research supports this. Studies by “It’s not about climbing walls – it’s about building confidence. Every child leaves a little taller than when they arrived.”