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.
Get your hands inky at this living museum of a thriving printing firm in the Borders, whose premises were more or less unchanged for over a century.
Try your hand at being a printer's apprentice to learn the almost forgotten art of letterpress printing and typesetting.
Schools are welcomed and visits are very much tailored to suit the needs and requirements of the school.
Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau high above the Northumberland coastline, Bamburgh is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.
Bovey Castle is history, excitement, glamour, adventure and the perfect retreat.
Where else can you wear your Hunter wellies at 8am, golf spikes at 3pm and Manolo Blahniks for dinner? But while we offer our guests luxury and indulgence, this isn't a stuffy hotel where you can’t sit on the furniture or let your kids enjoy themselves.
This is where the Shakespeare story began.
Shakespeare's Birthplace has been welcoming visitors for over 250 years. This is the house where William Shakespeare was born, grew up and played. He ate meals in the hall and he slept and dreamt in these rooms. Shakespeare also spent the first five years of married life in this house with his new wife, Anne Hathaway.
The Natural History Museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology.
This restored historic 18th-century cottage near Glasgow vividly recreates the living and working conditions of a typical handloom weaver. See how a traditional tartan was made 200 years ago, completely by hand using original equipment in a unique setting.
Christ Church Cathedral on Ross Road, in Stanley, Falkland Islands, is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world, consecrated in 1892. This is the parish church of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the British Antarctic Territories.
Built in 1753, Lawrence House is leased to Launceston Town Council and used as a local museum and civic centre.
The museum is spread over three floors with exhibits that focus predominantly on local history including Launceston's intriguing association with Australia.
Dramatically sited on a wooded hill, a castle has existed here since at least Norman times, with an impressive medieval gatehouse and ruined tower giving a reminder of its turbulent history.
The castle that you see today became a lavish country home during the 19th century for the Luttrell family, who lived here for 600 years.
This park provides an attractive gateway into Sandwell being located off the busy Hagley Road Junction, with beautiful Shakespeare Gardens. Work on a national lottery application is currently underway to restore the Grade II listed bandstand, Grade II listed house and the landscape.
Penyrheol Theatre is situated in the heart of Gorseinon and forms part of Penyrheol Leisure Centre, which is heart of Gorseinon with direct and easy links to Junction 47 of the M4.
Widely acclaimed as one of Britain's finest historic houses, Erddig is a fascinating yet unpretentious early 18th-century country house reflecting the upstairs downstairs life of a gentry family over 250 years.
Compton Verney House is an 18th-century country mansion at Compton Verney near Kineton (between Stratford-upon-Avon and Banbury) which has been converted into the Compton Verney Art Gallery.
Visitors of all ages are warmly welcomed to Warwickshire’s award-winning art gallery, housed in a Grade I listed mansion and surrounded by 120 acres of stunning 'Capability' Brown parkland.
Enjoy the tale of Beatrix Potter by visiting Hill Top. Full of her favourite things, this house appears as if Beatrix had just stepped out for a walk. Every room contains a reference to a picture in a 'tale'.
Minchinhampton Common is a large swathe of open grassland on the hill top and slopes of the Cotswold escarpment. It is a really important archaeological landscape, with prehistoric field systems, burial mounds and the remains of a defensive earthwork, known as The Bulwarks. In the summer the common is grazed by local commoners' cattle.
It’s fair to say that Melford Hall has had its share of trials and tribulations, but it’s thanks to many generations from medieval monks to the Hyde Parker family who still live here, that this home still stands.
In the early 19th century Joseph Williamson (1769-1840), a Liverpool businessman known as the Mole of Edge Hill, paid for a vast network of tunnels to be constructed, probably to provide employment for the poor of the area.
J M Barrie (1860-1937), the creator of much-loved character Peter Pan and a celebrated novelist and dramatist, was born in this two-storied house on 9 May. School visits are welcome by appointment.
Join us in the historic Potteries: take a tour of our atmospheric Victorian factory, see our beautiful wares being made, then try your hand at decorating your own pot in our studio. Relax in the cafe, wander in the walled garden, then shop for factory seconds or delightful gifts.
Factory Tours
The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style.
Clarence Pier Southsea is one of the largest amusement parks on the south coast and boasts all manner of amusements, rides and activities for all the family.
The Arcades and Pirate Pete's Indoor Adventure Playground are open all year. We also have plenty of food and drink outlets including our 100 seat Wimpy Express fast food restaurant.
We look forward to entertaining you!
Established in 1986, Newry and Mourne Museum aims to provide a dynamic and inclusive recreational and educational resource reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the local area. The Museum is located at Bagenal's Castle, an early example of a defended residence.
Rediscovered in 1996, Bagenal's Castle survived enveloped in the premises of the former McCann's Bakery on Abbey Way. The rediscovery has been an exciting opportunity for Newry and Mourne to preserve and restore one of the most important aspects of local heritage.
Charlecote has been home to the Lucy family since the 12th century. Their stories are told throughout the house with their portraits as well as through the objects they collected from around the world. See the design influence they had on the house and parkland. Step into the house today and you will see how Mary Elizabeth Lucy spared no expense furnishing it in Victorian times.
Kirkleatham Owl Centre is home to one of the U.K.'s largest collection of owls. Located in the historic and tranquil village of Kirkleatham in the grounds of Kirkleatham Old Hall (Grade 2 Listed Building).
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.