School Trips: France – A Brave New World?
September 30, 2022
When Aldous Huxley wrote his classic dystopian novel, Brave New World, he wasn't imagining a port crossing with 45 year 6s or 7s needing individual passports. While we might feel as if our own country right now is a (very) far cry from his Island, certainly we might be forgiven for feeling ship-wrecked - so getting on ferries for school trips to France could be a timely antidote.
Certainly there are changes at the port - checking individual passports compares unfavourably to trips to France before 2020, but that's a result of Brexit, not Covid. We believe that over time this will improve as France will want to make it easier for pounds to be spent inside its borders. There are lingering concerns over Covid and its uncertain what the winter will bring, but school trips to France have successfully gone ahead this year and that's very positive. If the passports are a bit annoying, they haven't stopped anything from what we've seen.
So to the question: School Trips: France - a brave new world? Or merely an effect of schools building and adapting a new curriculum over the past two years? If those new ways of achieving outcomes have been successful and hard-fought, then the thought of planning and running a trip abroad may now sound unappealing in comparison. Schools are out of the habit of travelling; lost is the "rite-of-passage" element of residential created as one year group's memories weave the expectations and hopes of the next.
It feels like the boulder is starting to roll and will soon gather momentum, but three things need to happen:
- Schools need to hear about successful trips again. All of our schools this season have loved the fully-bilingual team and the new evening entertainments. The new menu and new excursions have received great feedback. The growing presence of French schools onsite has added an extra layer of authenticity and a feeling of "exchange."
- Teachers need to feel supported. We've always had a good office team that plan and coordinate with teachers, and our centre staff have always been attentive and helpful - but Local Authorities and Advisors must start evangelising the benefits of school trips to France; Boards of Governors need to be bold, not fearful. Good relationships with Advisors and Providers will ensure that bold doesn't become reckless.
- Centres that have been fortunate enough to survive the previous two years need to show that they've used the time wisely to evolve their ethos and their offering.
A Brave New World requires people to be brave across the board - teachers, authorities, operators. It is not a time to recoup costs so much as it is to build back trust, relationships and opportunities.