Are you a teacher looking for a brilliant school trip or residential? With so many options available, it can be difficult to narrow it down to the best choice for your students. Here we speak to two teachers, Ally and Bev, about their experiences and how to choose your next outdoor activity residential.
The Value of Outdoor Learning
Outdoor education is a key part of a young person's learning experience and ensures they build confidence, resilience and improve life-skills. However, a recent report showed that one-third of Key Stage 2 (KS2) pupils in Wales didn’t have the opportunity to attend an outdoor education residential in the 2022-2023 academic year (Evolve, 2023). This could be for many reasons but at Mendip Activity Centre, we are keen to ensure that as few barriers stand in the way as possible.
How to Choose an Activity Residential
We'll break the process down into easy steps and you'll get some top tips from Ally and Bev on what to look out for when planning a school trip.
Consider your budget
Your budget will influence where your choose, due to factors such as transportation and accommodation style. Some questions to answer are:
How many students are attending?
What kind of sleeping arrangements do they need?
How many coaches will you need for transport to and from the provider?
What type of activities do you feel would be beneficial to your students?
Communicate and plan ahead
Confirm dates as far in advance as possible, and inform parents and guardians of anything they need to know. Ally suggests maintaining a working document for your reference, with key dates and deadlines highlighted. Some things they suggest organising in advance are:
Kit lists and what to pack
When to conduct risk assessment briefings
Actions that parents or students need to take before the event
Research activity centres
Word-of-mouth recommendations are a great way to find out about reputable providers, and online research will give you more detail on what they offer and where. Bev recommends visiting potential providers before booking, and features they both look for include:
Thorough safeguarding systems
Appropriate sleeping arrangements
Qualified and experienced staff
High quality activities
This is just a basic overview of what to do when planning a residential trip. Each student is different and you will know what to look for to get the best experience for them. For Ally and her residentials with Mendip, she appreciates that '...the activities on offer are good quality and [the] children will get the most out of their experience...and that the staff running them are well-trained and experienced in working with young people...'.
Why Ally and Bev Always Choose Mendip Outdoor Activity Residentials
Ally and Bev were kind enough to share their thoughts with us on why Mendip always delivers excellent school residentials.
Efficient, experienced and inclusive
Ally: Mendip is a well-oiled machine! The staff employed there are incredibly well trained and are not only experts in their particular activity fields but great when working with children. The activities on offer are varied, well run and offer a variety of challenges. They are incredibly inclusive - I have taken children with a range of needs from long-term medical to short-term bone breaks and each time, children have been able to access activities and succeed.
Bev: Over many years of taking Year 6 children on a residential trip and staying at many different centres, Mendip Activity Centre is above the rest in terms of ease of booking and what the centre offers for the children as a place away from home/amazing staff/great facilities/great activity opportunities/yummy food – and plenty of it. The children love the whole experience and this is why we keep on coming back year after year.
Favourite moments
Bev: Seeing the children enjoying being out in nature and away from technology. The freedom the week offers to children who at home have limited life experiences. So many personal memories too as an adult supervising the children- it is the best week of my year!
Ally: Some of my Mendip highlights include pushing myself out of my own comfort zone with 'caving'. Unexpected weather meant we had to make a last-minute change to our activities; our group leader was fantastic in providing an alternative day which led to children (and adults) really pushing their limits. Abseiling with terrified pupils is always a real buzz - knowing that between the instructors' encouragement and seeing their class teacher hanging off a cliff edge, children really can achieve anything they want is just fantastic.