Learning Away is a website dedicated to encouraging schools to provide high quality residential experiences for their students. They have previously worked closely with over 60 primary, secondary and special schools in 13 partnerships across the UK in developing, piloting and evaluating the impact of residential experiences.
Having already attracted the attention of BBC Breakfast, Learning Away’s campaign Brilliant Residentials kicks off on 26th September. The aim of the campaign is to increase the number of school residential trips across the UK and to improve the quality of residential experiences.
Learning Away avidly promote that school trips with an overnight stay can be life changing experiences for young people, with residentials improving achievements, relationships and behaviour. Evaluation data from students’ responses to residential experiences show that 75% of secondary pupils had a better understanding of what they were learning following a residential, 71% of primary pupils now get on better with other pupils in their class following a residential and 71% of secondary pupils feel more strongly motivated to learn since a residential.
Brilliant Residentials will provide information and support to teachers and residential providers in order to assist them in developing #BrilliantResidentials. There will also be talks and workshops across the UK, free resources and a social media campaign behind it. The campaign will also promote the work and findings of Learning Away, which includes advice, extensive planning tools and evaluation reports from previous residentials.
You can join the Brilliant Residentials campaign and pledge your support via the Learning Away website and by following them on Twitter and using the hashtag #BrilliantResidentials.
If you are planning a residential trip for the next school year but are stuck for ideas on where to go, HandsamSchoolTripsAdvisor has an extensive school trips venue list, including many residential venues. Handsam can help you organise safe but exciting school trips in a multitude of ways – please see here for details.
