When learning about the Second World War, overseas educational visits provide young people with an excellent opportunity to learn about key historical events, often in the places where they actually took place. However, these types of visits are not limited to the study of history and can often have varied cross-curricular applications, as well as more general benefits for participants.
The opportunity for young people to experience other cultures and cuisines, and different races and religions, is an important part of their broader development, and often helps to underpin the more traditional learning that takes place inside and outside of the classroom, focussed more closely on developing knowledge and understanding.
However, as with all organised residential visits for young people, detailed planning is essential, especially if the visit is going overseas. Young people may be travelling abroad for the first time, or visiting destinations that they know very little about. Therefore providing background information on what to expect helps to ensure that the participants feel as relaxed as possible. Efficient background briefing can also cut down on administrative time for the group leader as it pre-empts many questions from pupils and parents and saves answering the same questions repeatedly.
During visits organised as part of Their Past Your Future all participants were issued with a background information pack in advance of their trip. You can download a sample pack developed for our trips to France and Belgium below
Practical Background Information for Educational Visits (Word)
Practical Background Information for Educational Visits (PDF)
Background information included in these packs included:
- Group leader contact details
- UK contact details
- Detailed itinerary, including addresses and phone numbers of all sites and accommodation
- General information about the country to be visited, including making phone calls, currency, likely weather conditions, language, time difference, emergency services
- All travel times and flight details
- Guidelines on health and safety considerations
- Code of Contact
- Advice on what to pack
With a thorough approach to providing as much general information as will prove useful on the visit itself, teachers or group leaders can avoid many of the small but time-consuming issues and questions which inevitably arise when planning such a venture.
