Key Stage 4 (15-16)

Key Stage 4 (15-16)

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.

Suitable Venues

Large park with adventure playground, offering geocaching, rich woodland walk audio trail and visitor centre.

Gauntlet Birds of Prey, Eagle & Vulture Park is the largest zoo of its kind in Cheshire and the North West.

We specialise in education, conservation, protection and we have an excellent Bird of Prey breeding scheme.

At the Royal Victoria Park there are a wide range of activities that you can enjoy.

Wildlife and Habitats

Extensive coastal area famous for wild birds, sandy beach and Roman Fort

Famous for its mussels, the fishing village of Brancaster Staithe lies on the shores of the beautiful north Norfolk coast. Follow the history of the fishing industry at Brancaster Quay, enjoy one of the many courses available at the flagship Brancaster Activity Centre.

Dramatic and stunning chalk escarpment with panoramic views

With views towards Leith Hill, the highest point in south east England, Denbies Hillside is a great spot for wildlife-watching.

Named after John Denby, a 17th-century farmer, the hillside is home to a great variety of plants and animals, including adonis blue and chalkhill blue butterflies.

A legendary beauty spot on the South Downs

Devil’s Dyke, just five miles north of Brighton, offers stunning panoramas, a record breaking valley, a curious history and England’s most colourful habitat.

Rolling countryside with small fields and woodlands divided by hedges and sunken lanes

Escape to a rural retreat just a few miles south-west of Bristol, where'll you discover fantastic views from the ridge across the Severn estuary to Wales and north back to Bristol. Enjoy peaceful woodlands and babbling brooks.

Stunning coastline and England's only natural World Heritage Site

The great rocky shoulder of Golden Cap offers magnificent views at every compass point. On a clear day you can see across Lyme Bay to Dartmoor - well worth the effort of the walk uphill.

Stonebarrow Hill is a great starting point for 25 miles of footpaths around the Golden Cap estate. An old radar station houses a National Trust information point, shop, toilets and a basecamp.

Palladian mansion and world-famous landscape garden

When Stourhead first opened in the 1740s, a magazine described it as ‘a living work of art’. The world-famous landscape garden has at its centrepiece a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, and rare and exotic trees, and offers a day of fresh air and discovery.

With an enviable setting in the ancient precinct of the magnificent 12th-century Melrose Abbey, this delightfully rustic walled garden has three distinct areas to explore.

18th-century Welsh gentry estate - with house, walled gardens and home farm

This rare example of a self-sufficient 18th-century Welsh minor gentry estate has survived virtually unaltered.

The villa, designed in the 1790s, is the most complete example of the early work of John Nash. It has its own service courtyard with dairy, laundry, brewery and salting house, and walled kitchen gardens (with all its produce for sale when in season).

Golders Hill Park’s landscaped grounds contain beautiful plant displays including the peaceful Mediterranean and water gardens, a popular café and a bandstand.

Zoo

Golders Hill Park is home to a free zoo, with a growing collection of rare and exotic birds and mammals such as laughing kookaburras, ring-tailed lemurs and ring-tailed coatis.

This hidden treasure is a walled garden surrounded by woodland, found just outside Balerno, a suburb of Edinburgh.

The garden is a haven for plant lovers thanks to its large variety of colourful and fragrant flowers, plants and trees.

For school visits please phone or email in advance to arrange.

The Royal Burgh of Culross is a unique survival, a town that time has passed by. It is the most complete example in Scotland today of a Burgh of the 17th and 18th centuries. The Town House was built in 1626 and was the administrative centre of Culross with a tollbooth and witches' prison. The old buildings and cobbled streets create a fascinating time warp for visitors.

Archetypal 14th century moated castle with ruined interior - a glimpse of medieval splendour

Set in the heart of an historic landscape, with spiral staircases, battlements and a portcullis, 14th century Bodiam Castle is one of Britain's most picturesque and romantic ancient monuments.

Striking 13th-century ruined castle

This striking 13th-century castle is perched overlooking the spectacular Teifi Gorge and has inspired many artists, including Turner.

Located on the South Bank, London County Hall is not only one of the city's most iconic landmarks but is also fast becoming a key hub for entertainment, culture, the creative industries, education and sustainability in the capital. 

Take in an enormous sweep of Scottish history as experienced by the Irvine family who lived in Drum Castle for over 650 years, from the 14th century onwards.

Guided tours are available for school groups in the Castle and gardens. The ranger service also provides a service for the Old Wood of Drum.

Ben Lawers is Scotland's tenth highest Munro and the central Highlands' highest mountain, stretching 1,214m (3,984ft) above Loch Tay. Ranger-led activities to meet curriculum requirements can be organised by arrangement.

We have a Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve Information Sheet written for teachers, which you can download (PDF format).

Notre-Dame de Paris, also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a historic Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France.

Standing on a rocky promontory guarding the lovely anchorage between Bryher and Tresco, this round tower is one of the few surviving Cromwellian fortifications in Britain, built after the conquest of the Royalist Scillies in 1651.

Enter a world of pirates, cowboys and explorers and enjoy a fantastical adventure at the Heide-Park Resort. With 40 rides to choose from, you can shoot down the Colossos, Europe's highest and fastest wooden rollercoaster; be exhilerated by the world's highest Gyro-Drop-Tower, 'Scream'; or experience the perilous adventures of pirates on the Lake Stage.

Techniquest gives visitors a hands-on approach to science and includes a science theatre, a 

Tavistock Museum is a town museum which has permanent exhibitions relating to its monastic, market, and mining past. It is also a community museum and each year has new exhibitions relating to different community interests and organisations.

Europe's Largest Naval Aviation Collection

The Museum comprises four large halls. Each hall has ground floor and upper levels telling the stories of naval aviation from the first manned kites towed behind naval vessels, to helium filled airships, seaplanes, bi-planes and the carrier borne aircraft of WW2 and modern Sea Harriers and helicopters. We also have an original Concorde 002.

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