Why do we have School Trips?

At St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, School trips and educational visits are viewed as powerful, positive teaching tools that help enhance the social, personal and emotional development of our children. Extra stimulation in new environments can help teach life skills, build on social skills and improve independence and self- confidence.  They also provide wonderful enrichment opportunities for our children to gain first hand knowledge of the world.  

School trips provide unique opportunities for children to learn by 'doing things’ and encourages our children to engage with people, places and buildings in new ways.

Learning knowledge outside the classroom is rewarding and enriching for both our teachers and pupils alike. Discovering new places such as churches, museums, galleries and castles undoubtedly adds extra depth to our children’s learning and experience.

Learning Outcomes for individuals

Learning outside the classroom provides a vast learning experience with a variety of positive outcomes including:

• improved self-confidence and self-esteem

• Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development

• ability to empathise and understand new perspectives

• increased aspirations and motivation

• enhanced team working and communication skills

• broader understanding of society

Curriculum Links

For each subject in the curriculum there is a corresponding programme of activities (which includes visits to the school by specialists).

Here is an example of the type of enrichment opportunities your child may experience on a school trip during their education at St Thomas More Catholic Primary School.  

• English – theatre visits, visits by authors, poets and theatre groups;
• Mathematics – use of shape and number trails in the local environment;
• Science – use of the school grounds, visits to botanical gardens;
• History – castle visits, study of local housing patterns, local museums;
• Geography – use of the locality for fieldwork, village trails;
• Art and design – art gallery visits, use of the locality;
• PE – a range of sporting fixtures, extra-curricular activities, visits by specialist coaches;
• Music – a variety of specialist music teaching, extra-curricular activities, local schools’ orchestra, concerts for parents to hear;
• Design and technology – visits to local factories or design centres;
• ICT – its use in local shops/libraries/secondary schools etc;
• RE – visits to local centres of worship, cathedral, churches
• PSHE and citizenship – visit to the fire station or an old people's residential home, visits by local police officers and health workers.