Coach travel costs will be included in the bursary-based Great British School Trip programme that automotive giant Hyundai is to launch from January 2023.
The company is putting £1 million towards the scheme. Hyundai says it is committed to sending 25,000 pupils on trips via the programme. The bursaries will go to schools that are most in need of funding towards excursions, including for booking fees and travel costs.
Hyundai adds that research it commissioned among parents and teachers has shown that school trip plans “remain on the decline with the cost of travel, parents not being able to afford to cover additional expenses, entry fees, and lack of staff being listed as the key factors.”
Among teachers, the findings demonstrate that of those who organise trips, 61% are less likely to do so now compared to five years ago. Over half have seen outings cancelled or not approved over the last 12 months. Three in 10 parents surveyed stated that finance “is the main barrier to sending their children on school trips,” Hyundai continues.
The automotive OEM’s initiative is aimed at children between seven and 14 years of age. Over 200 venues have shown support for the scheme by signing up as trip locations so far. They include the RAF Museum Midlands, activity course and camp provider PGL, the YHA, Disney Theatrical and Nottingham Playhouse.
Hyundai says that the Great British School Trip programme “will support the curriculum by covering important subjects such as art, maths and STEM, as well as being centred around four themes: Imagination and curiosity; people and the planet; journeys and adventures; and breakthroughs and discoveries.”
Teachers should be advised to register their school’s interest in the scheme via a dedicated website. That will enable them to access the full programme when bookings open in 2023, Hyundai advises.
