School Trips, Their Realities & Responsibilities

🏁 Opening Chit-ChatHannah and Lucy reunite after a busy few weeks. From London visits and filming to strange hotel murals and missing phallic-shaped bottles, they share a few laughs.

🏕️ Let the Trip Talk Begin!With summer term underway, residential trips take centre stage.

The hosts reflect on:

• How trip season is oddly timed (often just before the end of term), despite potentially making more sense at the beginning for community-building.

• The logistical burden of organising residentials: paperwork, risk assessments, permission slips, transport, accommodation – all on top of teaching.

• The invisible labour involved, especially for those juggling home life. Many teachers do this unpaid.

❗“It's just expected… and that’s a huge issue.”

🛠️ Planning Pitfalls & Parental PressureFrom surfing trips to school visits abroad, Hannah and Lucy dissect common myths and mishaps:

• Parents questioning costs, unaware that staff often subsidise trips or run them at a loss.

• The reality of recce visits and preparation – which some schools expect staff to do in their own time, uncompensated.

• Lack of understanding that even “fun trips” are intense and non-stop responsibility.

🤯 Trip Stress: “You're Not Just a Teacher – You're a Parent, Medic, Counsellor…”

The conversation covers:

• The emotional weight of being “in loco parentis” – especially overnight.

• The guilt teachers feel when they step away from their own families.• Single staff members often expected to go simply because they’re ‘available’.

• Dangers of minimal staffing – including real examples of trips with just one or two leaders for large groups.

😬 “What Actually Happens on Trips…”

Yes, some stories from their own school days come up – drinking, sneaking around, dangerous stunts – and the contrast between past and present expectations is stark.

Today:

• Teachers are held to much stricter safeguarding standards.

• The line between fun and risk is increasingly blurred.

• Tech (e.g. phones) adds new complications.

⚖️ Case Studies: When It All Goes WrongThe episode unpacks real incidents:

• 🏨 Narrowly avoided a teaching ban, a teacher on a Belgium trip allowed students to drink alcohol at 15–16 and repeated “what happens on tour stays on tour.”

• 🏕️ A head of year got so drunk on a Year 7 trip she was sent home.

• ⛷️ A school principal lost her job after serious safeguarding breaches on a ski trip with vulnerable pupils.

💬 “The line between mate and mentor can disappear fast… and that’s dangerous.”

📚 Reflections & WarningsThe takeaway? Trips are invaluable – they offer lifelong memories and meaningful experiences for children.

But:

• Staff should feel safe and supported, not coerced.• SLT (senior leadership) must take ownership of proper planning and staffing.

• Teachers must feel empowered to say “No” if something doesn’t feel right.

🔚 Final ThoughtsDespite horror stories and challenges, both hosts believe in the power of school trips. They simply want a realistic conversation about boundaries, responsibility, and support.

💡 “Kids may forget your lesson, but they'll remember the trip forever.”

📝 Key Messages for Educators:

• Don’t be guilt-tripped into saying yes.

• If your gut says “this isn’t safe” – listen to it.

• You are not a party host or a peer – you are the adult in charge.

• Advocate for time off in lieu or formal recognition if you lead trips.Follow us, we're worth it:🔗 Website🔗 Spotify🔗 Instagram🔗 Bluesky🔗 X (Twitter)#leadership #education #teacher #school #schoollife #inspiration #support #podcast #video

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