School Trips Shouldn’t Be Scrapped

School Trips Shouldn’t Be Scrapped – They’re Essential to a Child’s Growth

While some may question the value of school trips — even suggesting they should be scrapped — I couldn’t disagree more. As an early years teacher in Bradford, I’ve seen firsthand the rich and meaningful experiences that outings provide for young children. These are not just “days out”; they are deeply educational adventures that nurture curiosity, confidence, and connection.

One of my most cherished annual trips with my Reception class was a simple visit to a local farm to pick strawberries. It might sound small, but to the children, it was magical. Imagine little ones picnicking beside the strawberry runners, barefoot and beaming, selecting the juiciest berries to take home.

But beneath the joy was powerful, discreet learning:

• Discussing where food comes from

• Observing how strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside

• Weighing and comparing quantities

• Counting one more, one less, combining punnets for totals

• Painting watercolour strawberries under the summer sun

• Making up whimsical tales about the Strawberry Mouse

• Simply sharing laughter with peers and forming lasting memories

  

These moments outside the classroom often provide the most profound learning. For many of my children, these trips offered opportunities they might never otherwise have — to connect with nature, experience life beyond their neighbourhood, and discover something new that excites them.

This is what growing the whole child looks like.

It’s also the essence of my Hygge in the Early Years approach: nurturing warmth, wonder, and a sense of belonging through real, sensory, and joyful experiences. These outings are not extras — they are essentials.

So when I hear suggestions that school trips should be scrapped, I think not only of what would be lost, but who would lose the most. Our children deserve more than just curriculum coverage. They deserve to live their learning — barefoot in a strawberry patch, paintbrush in hand, heart full of joy.

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