At KS4, there has been a gradually burgeoning number of types of educational visits – foreign language school exchanges, cultural visits all over Europe and further afield, sports competitions, youth conferences, winter sports and adventurous activities in more extreme environments. The Duke of Edinburgh Award becomes available at 14 years old and continues to be offered for those up to 24 years of age, and pupils of many ages start work on specialist awards in areas such as mountaineering, sailing and river sports. This increase in venue variety has led to a proliferation of specialist companies catering for these activities.
The aims of history trips tend to be more focused in KS4, with study trips to the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation and the 1944 Normandy Landings often proving popular along with the 1815 Waterloo battlefield. Venues of this type are often catered for by specialist travel companies to ensure participants get the best experience available.
A lot of schools have a tradition of school trips with their choirs, orchestras and musical/theatre students. There are specialist companies that can help any school wishing to explore this possibility, and many venues have tailored activities for groups that can help improve performers’ confidence and motivation.
British schools have been the forerunners in Europe for undertaking challenging outdoor activities both at home and abroad (you can visit here for good list of activities and gateway sites) but there is a notable increase of interest at KS4 in science-based trips – most notably the Science and National History museums in London, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, the National Railway Museum in York, Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre in Macclesfield, Techniquest in Cardiff, and the Bristol Science Centre, all of which have reported an increase in visitors in recent years.
St David’s Hall is Wales’s largest performing arts venue.
Home to the annual Welsh Proms Cardiff, a world-class Orchestral Concert Series and the biannual BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition St David’s Hall also plays host to jazz, soul, pop, rock, dance, children’s theatre, ballet, musicals and stand-up comedy.
Twickenham is home to the England rugby team and its museum celebrates the players' successes.
The World Rugby Museum, in the East Stand of Twickenham Stadium, formerly opened as ‘The Museum of Rugby’ in 1996. It became the World Rugby Museum in 2007.
The leisure pool has a 65m snake slide, wave machine, waterfall, volcano, water jets and five lane waterslide! Standard swimming facilities also available.
Leisure pool features a wave machine, a 50 metre flume, interactive water features, baby pool and beach entry. Soft play facility and other sporting opportunities also available.
If you love Performing Arts we offer top quality training taught by industry professionals at Pineapple Dance Studios.
At Pineapple Performing Arts we have something for everyone! Our classes range from children aged three to teenagers and also adult courses for any age from beginners to advanced.
In the heart of Stratford-Upon-Avon you will find Stratford Leisure and Visitor Centre. The leisure centre offers a great range of activities to both local people and visitors to the Warwickshire area with a gym, swimming pools, sports hall, all weather pitches, group exercise programme, café, meeting room, sauna and crèche.
In the picturesque county of Devon just north of the city of Plymouth you will find Plympton. This is where Plympton Swimming Pool is situated.
Offering a range of water based activities including our award winning swim school, Swim 4 Fitness, Swim 4 All and fitness classes such as Aqua Fit, there is always something going on in the water at Plympton Swimming Pool.
Has a separate swimming pool and a wave machine that's switched on at regular intervals. There is an outdoor Lido pool which is worth a visit when the mercury rises.
Wyndley Leisure Centre offers a heated main pool divided into a 25m deep water area for lane swimming and diving plus a 22m shallow water area and separate shallow teaching pool.
Child friendly swimming facilities with diving and kids' fun pools. Diving area has 1 and 3m springboards and a 5m platform.
In addition to the main pool we also offer a 7 x 12.5m teaching pool, great for beginners. The main pool has a superb spectator gallery and many large championship galas are held here.
Leisure Lagoon features include Wave Machine; 50m Twister Flume; Geysers and Water Cannons; plus Falling Rapids Ride and Fast Drop Flume!
There is a 25m x 6 lane Competition Pool provided for serious swimmers too
Set in a picturesque park location, Stratford Park Leisure Centre in Stroud, Gloucestershire offers a fantastic range of indoor and outdoor facilities.
Waltham Abbey Swimming Pool offers members more than just a pool. Set in the Roundhills estate in Essex, Waltham Abbey Swimming Pool features a gym, group exercise studio, a range of children’s activities as well as two swimming pools.
The swimming pools offer water based activities that are suitable for all the family as well as our award winning swim school.
A stark symbol of power, Chirk Castle was completed in 1310 during the reign of the conquering Edward I to subdue the last princes of Wales. Built on an outcrop above the meeting point of the rivers Dee and Ceiriog, the imposing silhouette of the castle was a brooding statement of English intent in these disputed lands.
Every year hundreds of school parties from across the country visit Blackgang Chine. Childrens' imaginations run wild as they enjoy the many themed areas around the park.
Coughton Court has been the home of the Throckmorton family since 1409. It holds a unique place in English history with its close connections to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
The Manx Museum is bursting with artefacts and treasures unique to the Isle of Man. The Island’s 10,000 year history is presented through film, galleries and interactive displays. The perfect starting point on your journey of discovery around our Island and its Viking and Celtic past.
With Traditional, Thrill and Kids Rides, Brighton Pier is the perfect venue for a great fun day out for any age of student.
Our favourite resort to explore the great outdoors. Minehead is a beautiful seaside town in the heart of Exmoor in Somerset. Here’s where you’ll find our contemporary Blueskies Apartments, some lovely new restaurants and a beautiful sandy beach right on your doorstep.
Dudley Leisure Centre is a modern leisure complex centrally situated in the town of Dudley. Comprising of pools, sports halls, fitness suite, squash courts & rooms, the centre caters for sports, fitness and recreation activities. Our facilities also allow us to cater for meetings, birthday parties & functions.
Gym
Beautiful lakeside park offering, windsurfing, sailing, canoeing, water skiing, wakeboarding, cycle hire, fishing, miniature railway, mini golf and playground! Wow!
There are beginner and improver tuition sessions available for every kind of activity, plus taster days and other options so you can try your hand at several new skills before deciding which to pursue with full gusto!
Seasonal pool offering an interactive water feature in the main swim area plus learner pool for kids, plus changing with showers. Tennis, mini golf and playground nearby.
The Abbey Meadow Lido is a heated 40m outdoor pool situated in scenic surrounds on the bank of the river Thames, accessible by boat if you happen to have one, with moorings adjacent.
A great park with a formal area, plus a wildlife conservation area. It also has a brook, duckpond, bandstand, and playgrounds with separate areas for different ages. Splashpad for kids in the summer. Free to visit.
Enjoy beautiful Stratford from the river with us at Avon Boating.
The Avon winds gently through the town, surrounded on both banks by green parkland and flower filled gardens.
Leith Hill is the highest point in Southeast England and is set within the beautiful Surrey
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.