Saint Augustine once said “the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
Here at Activ4, we couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. We believe that getting outside and practising your subject somewhere other than a school classroom or field has a slew of benefits: from relationship building to actual, measurable results inside the classroom!
Travel expands the mind, exposes children to cultures that are different to them and teaches resilience, common sense and team work. Our specially designed school tours give you the chance to explore your subject further, and in real life settings, as well as allowing students to test their boundaries and beliefs!
The unfortunate truth of the matter is that children are now only spending half the time playing outdoors as their parents once did according to a National Trust Survey. This was at odds with 84% of the parents’ surveyed who believe that outdoor play makes their children more imaginative and creative. While a staggering 96% who valued their children having a connection with nature.
As a member of the Learning Outside the Classroom Council, of course we would say the above – but you don’t have to just take our word for it!
The positive effects of learning outside the classroom
There is incredible research out there to support the effects of learning outside the classroom. A school education programme in Scotland recently published its final report after working with two primary school clusters. After 12 weeks of spending 2 hours outside of the classroom, the children gained on average 6 months of Mental Arithmetic and 2 months of General Maths against a similar cohort of children within control schools.
Supporting teachers organising school trips
And it’s not just the the LotC Council that is focused on the importance of outside learning. The School Travel Forum, of whom we are also a member, has recently launched a campaign to show teachers just how much support is available when organising school trips.
The campaign has highlighted research undertaken by the Education Company. It discovered that, for schools where students took an average of 2.7 residential trips a year, the following was true:
- 61% of students were achieving higher than their predicted grade
- 71% of teachers felt they knew their students better
- 70% of students felt they got on better with other students
- 87% of students felt more confident trying new things
- 60% of teachers noticed an increase in confidence for their students
However, although these positive benefits are clear, 84% of teachers wished that they could take more school trip but found fears of cost, safety and risk, liability and paperwork were putting them off.
Being accredited by the School Travel Forum, Activ4 are in place to help with any of your trip planning needs. The School Travel Forum ensures all of our trips meet rigorous standards in transport, accommodation and activities so that you can be assured of children’s safety throughout your tour.
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Want to give your students some of the benefits and opportunities listed above? Get in touch today!