The Great British School Trip

Partnership 

This is more of a public service announcement than an encouragement to lease a particular car. Although, if you have children of school age it may end up encouraging you to lean towards a Hyundai for your next family car. That’s because Hyundai has recently announced a £1 million investment to send your kids on a school trip in 2023. Whether it’s to the zoo, a theatre trip, or a museum visit, school trips can be immensely valuable educational tools.

A study involving 2,000 teachers and parents across the UK has revealed that school trips 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. The study was directly commissioned by Hyundai, and as a direct response to the findings the Korean carmaker has announced its 'Great British School Trip’ programme.

As part of the research, it was revealed that of 1,600 parents of school aged children over half (52%) of UK children have intentionally not told a parent about an upcoming trip, with a further 54% of parents admitting it was over their child’s concerns about money. Almost one third of parents revealed that finances are the main barrier to sending their children on school trips. When the teachers who organise school trips were questioned, 61% admitted they were less likely to plan trips now with more than half (56%) having had outings cancelled or not approved in the last 12 months.

School trip - “exciting and memorable”

Ashley Andrew, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor UK, said: “School trips should provide some of the most exciting and memorable times for our young people. They help to bring their learning to life, encourage greater engagement and inspire their future ambitions. I know that’s what they did for myself and for my children.”

There’s no doubt that getting out of the classroom has a positive impact on children’s education, giving them the opportunity to put their lessons into a real-world context as well as creating memories and building confidence. However, 39% recognise there is a chance their youngsters won’t be offered the opportunity to go on school trips during the 2022 to 2023 academic year because of a lack of school funding and volunteers.

With this £1 million initiative, Hyundai is committed to sending 25,000 pupils on school trips across the UK over the next academic year, kicking off in January 2023. The company will offer bursaries to help the schools most in need to fund their school trips, including booking fees and travel costs. The Great British School Trip has been shaped around Hyundai’s vision for the future, Progress for Humanity.The 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.

Over 200 venues have already shown their support for the initiative by signing up as trip locations. Children will be able to explore locations including RAF Museum Midlands, PGL, The YHA, Disney Theatrical and Nottingham Playhouse, amongst others. This activity has been designed to inspire school children aged seven to 14 and to help them to shape their future goals.

Teachers can now register their interest in the programme to be among the first to access the full programme when bookings open in January 2023. Details can be found on the programme’s website  – www.greatbritishschooltrips.com.

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