A huge part of your child’s development and education will happen outside the classroom, and thus there will need to be safe and secure transport for them to attend all these additional activities and lessons. School trips can be anything from a short visit to a local museum to a week’s exploration of castles in Wales or a school ski trip in the Alps.
This article will look at the diverse options for school trips and also the considerations that you should make in this regard. It is a travel sector that not much is written about as it’s not us doing it, so it’s quite out of mind. Yet, it is a vital aspect of school children’s safety and as such must be discussed and explored to ensure we have the safest and most eco-friendly, environmentally protective forms of school transport.
- A school bus
A branded school bus used to be the norm and is still used by many schools for large school events and trips away. For many children, it is an enjoyable experience, yet for some, it is simply too many children in one place to be able to monitor and control behaviour on a longer trip. A school bus, however, can be fitted with additional safety features or bought with these, and as such, the school bus is still one of the mainstays for the school trip.
- A chartered/hired bus
Here your school can choose exactly what they need from the range of options that are available. Focus on the safety aspects such as seatbelts and then features that will make a school trip easier to control and manage. You will also be able to get to choose from the latest models, which will have updated safety and comfort features.
- Private vehicles
Allowing students to be ferried to sporting, cultural and even external educational events is something that a number of schools have trialled and it seems to work well. However, it does require that all the parents should have reliable and roadworthy vehicles,
- Minibus
The minibus is the perfect option for countless school trips, providing for comfort, space and safety. It is also perfect for sporting teams and comes in several assorted sizes and designs. Look for opportunities to hire from companies that offer specific school minibus leasing solutions, as they will already have the required safety measures in place.
- Public transport
Yes, it is still an option. It may not be the best option, but an option, nevertheless. Catching the train, or a series of buses to get to your school event is possible if the group is small and mature enough to navigate public roads and traffic.
There are certain background considerations to take into account in the final choice of one of the aforementioned options, such as how many people are travelling, the length of the journey travel, the route, the roads, and the costs. The final selection must be based on the specific trip and the specific children that are being transported.
The prerogative of a parent or guardian, as well as the staff involved, is to ensure that such school trips happen in as safe a manner as possible, and yes, that begins the moment children step onto the means of transport that you have chosen or has been chosen for them. As a parent or carer, you are well within your rights, and in fact, it is your responsibility to question the transport selected.
