While organisation skills are an integral part of any teacher’s job description, even the most thorough of educators will have his or her hands full when planning school trips for their pupils. Travelling with children can be challenging at the best of times, and school outings add a whole different dimension to the proceedings, with countless tasks needing to be micro-managed, provisions made and things organised.
Plan Ahead and Make Life Easy
That is why, when planning school trips, teachers should remember to secure a number of essential items and measures which, if not provided for, can make the entire trip experience unnecessarily difficult and frustrating (and conversely might make it that much easier if they are observed.)
An example of an indispensable item to have handy on school trips, for instance, is a pack of bottles of water. Most schools and teachers will tell students to bring bottled water as part of the essentials for the trip, but having extra bottles handy can prove crucial. This is especially true during the summer, when temperatures in certain parts of the world can reach extremely high levels and teachers will want to prevent dehydration and heatstroke among their pupils.
Another important accessory to remember to stock up with on school trips are reflective vests. Nowadays, most schools demand that parents and guardians wear these vests, so that children who potentially straggle from the group will be able to find it again easily. Other establishments go a step further and actually make the pupils wear reflective gear, making life easier for the adults supervising them.
Finally, it is important that teachers get a few parents to volunteer as ‘assistant’ adults on the trip. Even multiple teachers may have difficulty handling a relatively high number of children, and the more grown-ups there are to help keep order, the smoother the overall experience will be. Teachers fearing that it will be hard to find volunteers should also remember that the parents get a free, all-expenses-paid trip to an interesting location and are often more than happy to help.
All in all then, life can be made much easier for teachers planning school outings if they remember to take some basic precautions in the days before departure. While not every eventuality can be planned for, these basic tips will enable those in charge to be sure they have as many avenues covered as possible. Enlisting the help of a reputable and experienced school travel service will negate many of the issues involved in the organisation of school trips.