Roadmap for reopening school trips submitted to DfE
UK Outdoors and the School Travel Sector Stakeholder Group (STSSG) have written a letter to the DfE with a roadmap for the phased restart of domestic educational visits after Easter, over a year after visits were suspended by government guidance in March 2020.
The proposals, which have been developed by a consortium of 12 industry groups, seek to ensure that the sector is able to safely restart school visits.
They have requested amended guidance to allow domestic day and overnight educational visits to resume in the summer term, in line with background transmission rates in Tiers 1, 2 & 3.
Other request include the development of a COVID-safe operations protocol in consultation with Public Health England to allow centres to operate safely and within existing school bubbles, as well as the development of a Government-backed Insurance Policy to reinstate COVID-19 pre-trip cancellation cover in both commercial insurance policies and the Department for Education’s Risk Protection Arrangement.
The group also calls for access to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Culture Recovery Fund, the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to 30 September 2021 and improved access to existing BEIS grant funding through Local Authorities.
Andy Robinson, Chief Executive of Institute for Outdoor Learning and Member of UK Outdoors, said: “The pandemic and the Department for Education’s guidance have been catastrophic for the sector, with thousands of jobs gone and a worrying acceleration in the number of centres closing forever. Our £700m industry is on a knife edge. But with the right support and guidance, the sector can still be saved. Our Roadmap to Restart provides a clear and prudent proposal for a phased restart of the outdoor education sector in time for the critical Summer Term, giving providers a sustainable path to survival. If no action is taken and no additional support is provided, the sector stands to lose all its 16,000 jobs, snuffing out a vital British industry.”
Jim Whittaker, Chair of Association of Heads of Outdoors Centres and UK Outdoors Member, said: “Outdoor education is a vital resource for all schools with over two million children a year taking part. At a time when COVID has so disproportionately affected the nation’s children, outdoor education has a unique role to play in helping to restore and rebuild their confidence and mental health. This is particularly true for disadvantaged children and the thousands of inner-city schools, students and parents for whom outdoor education is a unique and life changing experience. Without meaningful action by the Government now, this invaluable resource risks being lost forever.”
Latest News
21/10/2025 - 09:56
Free specialist training is being made available to teachers in Wales to give them the knowledge to understand and respond to the challenges faced by adopted and care experienced children.
20/10/2025 - 09:52
Members of the newly formed Youth Select Committee have launched a call for evidence as part of their inquiry into Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education in secondary schools.
20/10/2025 - 09:37
A new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) warns that the current system for registering children for Free School Meals (FSM) is failing to reach many of the most disadvantaged pupils.
17/10/2025 - 10:25
The government has announced a mandatory reading test for all children in year 8, which it says will help identify gaps early and target help for those who need it, while enabling the most-able to go further.
16/10/2025 - 12:47
Research reveals there's a “fundamental misunderstanding” among 16 to 18-year-olds about the skills required to support the UK’s net zero transition.
