Select Virtual Tours: Paris In these weeks of home learning, we're going to be blogging about some of our favourite educational school trip destinations and excursions so that you can take part in an educational virtual visit and find out about some of the wonders while safe at home. Next, we're taking a virtual visit to Paris! Here are three great Paris related attractions and some fabulous virtual visits, videos and quizzes for you to discover in French and English. Musée du Louvre The Louvre is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris. A central ...
Select Virtual Tours: Pompeii & Rome In these challenging weeks, we're going to be blogging about some of our favourite educational school trip destinations and excursions so that if you're missing out, you can take part in an educational virtual visit and find out about some of the wonders while safe at home. First up, we're taking a virtual visit to the site of Pompeii in Italy. In AD 79, Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was buried under four to six metres of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii is usually a ...
Why Normandy is a Perfect School Trip Destination There are few school trip destinations abroad that hit as many subject areas as Normandy in France. It's ever popular with schools because they are able to combine multiple learning experiences within the rich cultural and historic landscape, along withthe ease of access to the UK, and the fact that children can travel at an accessible cost. The subjects that are possible include: French language, history, art and design, geography, food technology and RE. Normandy is also extremely popular as a first residential trip for years 5/6 in Primary. ...
A Christmas Markets School Trip from a Teacher's Perspective It's a great time of year to think about a Christmas Market School Trip for 2020. Mr Graignic of The Charter School North Dulwich recently took a school trip with Select to the Christmas markets of Lille, and has kindly answered a few questions for us to give you a teacher's perspective: Can you give us an overview of where you went? On 5/6th December, forty of our Year 7 pupils took part in our annual French trip to Lille and Arras. On day one, we visited Lille Old Town, complete with waffle tasting, and the Natural History museum. On day two ...
Tips for Booking Your Next School Trip Abroad If you're new to taking school trips abroad but would like to take the plunge, we've collated TEN TIPS to help you on you in the initial stages: 1. Book as far in advance as possible to get the best options. 2. Talk thoroughly with the company staff. Make sure they know what you want with all the details. 3. Collate passenger information (passport, dietary etc) at the start when collecting deposits. This will save administration time later. 4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at any stage. Your tour operator is there to help and will never thi ...
School Trip Ideas - Germany! If you're looking for school trip ideas for the next academic year, how about taking time to EXPLORE AND LEARNE in GERMANY? Germany is ideal for a range of subjects (see below) and also has some fantastic Christmas market trips which are a great way to bring students together in a cultural experience with some festive cheer thrown in. BERLIN school trips > Language, Culture, History, and Art and Design, and STEM Tours RHINELAND school trips > Language & Culture, Activities Week Tours MUNICH school trips > History, Culture, and Cross-Curricular ...
School Trips to France: Adventure in Normandy! Our chateau in Normandy is a great location for a French trip, but if you're looking for some team-building fun, then an adventure school trip to Normandy, France, is perfect for your primary residential trip or for a secondary school trip to Normandy. Groups stay at our Chateau du Baffy which is centrally located just fifteen minutes from Bayeux and the beach. The chateau is owned by The chateau benefits from a secluded location with some great on-site facilities, including a sports hall, an outside all-weather games court, a large lawned are ...
School Trips to Iceland Team Select has just returned from a trip to Iceland, experiencing the very latest excursions on offer for school geography trips so that we can offer our party leaders the latest, first-hand expert advice. Here's why each of them think Iceland is a great choice for your next school trip destination: "This land of fire, ice and elves took my breath away as everywhere you looked there was something to make you say wow! You can actually feel this land living and breathing. From the staggering waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, explosive geysers, ...
Our Top Suggestions for Your Next Geography School Trip If you're looking to take a school geography trip abroad in the coming year, here are our top suggestions: Iceland From the hot springs at Geysir to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Iceland’s varied and stunning landscape is a geographer’s dream. A four or five day tour packs plenty in and is sure to enthuse your young geographers, providing them with life-long memories. All our tours to Iceland include a guide for your safety when visiting the various excursions. Here's an example 4 day geography school trip to Iceland: Day 1: Fly from the UK to ...
A-Z of school trip ideas An A-Z of school trip ideas A - Andalucia School trips to Spain offer rich cultural experiences and a vibrant artistic heritage. Andalucia has a range of destinations for Spanish trips with many beautiful cities to explore Córdoba, Granada, Málaga, Seville and a must see is the stunning Puente Nuevo of Ronda. We also offer a food technology trip to the region. B - Berlin School trips to Germany remain popular and historic Berlin has a variety of key sights that will give students an understanding of the city's history as well as the chance to ...
D-Day 75: The Chateau du Baffy during WWII On the week of the 75th anniversary of D-Day we look at the Château du Baffy's history during this period: Thursday 6th June marks the anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Landings. The Château du Baffy had an incredible history during WWII and is located only 15 minutes from the landing beaches. The following account of the chateau during WWII is translated from eye-witness accounts, and tells a little of its story... During the war, the town of Colombiers sur Seuilles and those surrounding it, were occupied by the Germans. However, in June 1944 ...
School Science Trips Science trips are a great way for students to see the practical implications of science around the world and are an opportunity to see the applications to important international projects and centres such as CERN and NASA. Here is a taster of what's on offer for you to select for your next trip along with opportunities to consider joining up with other departments for boosting numbers. SCHOOL SCIENCE TRIP to CERN in Geneva With the European nuclear physics laboratory at CERN as the central highlight of your tour, this is sure to be a once in a ...
School Trips to Berlin: STEM Tour A STEM school trip to Berlin offers your students an outstanding opportunity to experience sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics in Europe’s modern top tech hub. Real life learning experiences in for instance the Deutsches Technikmuseum (German Museum of Technology) will further enthuse and inspire students for STEM subjects and present related career paths. Below are some of the STEM related excursions that can be incorporated into your STEM school excursion to Berlin: Berlin Cityscape On the first day a guided tour through Berlin ...
A Way to Improve the Chances of Getting Your Next School Trip Abroad Approved! Choosing a multi-subject destination is one way that you can improve your chances of getting your next school trip abroad approved by the head teacher. Joining up with other teachers is also a great way to boost numbers, and ultimately this helps you get the best deal for your students, especially when it comes to filling a coach for those destinations which are suitably accessible. If you've not considered this before, we've collated our top multi-subject destinations for you to consider: Normandy is one of the best destinations for a range o ...
Our most popular school trips to France France is continually our most popular destination and the team at Select School Travel offer a wealth of knowledge to help our groups get the best from their school trip. As our closest European neighbour, accessibility keeps the cost of trips down meaning more students get the chance to travel. There are numerous choices for teachers looking to take an educational school trip, in a wide range of subject areas. Here are some of our most popular choices: School Trips to the Opal Coast - only 45 minutes from Calais, this is a great choice for P ...
Christmas Market School Trips: Benefits & Favourites SCHOOL TRIPS TO THE EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS With all the excitement of the lead up to Christmas, December is a great time to promote a Christmas Market school trip for the next academic year (plus there are more benefits than you may have thought...) Develop greater cultural understanding A Christmas markets trip is a great way to promote an understanding of different countries and cultures. Consider how a Christmas Markets trip may fit into your PSHE curriculum. Language Learning Christmas markets are a perfect language learning opportunit ...
Battlefields School Trips from a Guide's Perspective This week, we've been quizzing expert Battlefields Guide and previous teacher Mike Scott about taking a Battlefields tour: What do you think are the benefits of taking a school battlefields tour? Battlefield's tours are a valuable teaching and learning tool. They enhance what is done in the classroom – this can be by developing on the work completed in the lessons. They help to raise aspirations as work done on tour supports improved learning which helps to feed into performance. They also encourage personal development and awareness which lea ...
The Land of Ice & Snow! Iceland from a school group's perspective. If you're thinking of a geography trip to Iceland, the best way to find out about the possibilities is from a group who have experienced it. This week's blog is by Hall Mead's Geography team who recently travelled with Select to Iceland: In the October half term, the Geography department, led by Miss Brighty took 45 Year 11 students to Iceland. The country’s majestic beauty, spectacular tectonic features and sustainable energy made it the perfect fieldwork for our budding geographers. The excursions included: waterfall drenching; tectonic-plat ...
It's all about the personal service Our team has over 200 years’ collective experience taking school trips abroad (we’ve stopped counting!), so you’re in capable hands. We strongly believe in the personal touch, which is why we have a team of travel advisors situated around the UK to visit you at your convenience, and to be on the end of a phone or email when you need. We’ve asked one of our fabulous team, Sarah Booth, to tell you more about what she does for schools, and how she can help make your trip organisation as smooth as possible: “I am from Bristol, born and bred, and I ...
New term - time to think about your next school trip abroad! Ten reasons for teachers to take the plunge and offer their students a school trip abroad When thinking of taking a school trip abroad there are many things that go through a teacher’s mind – first and foremost will it be worth the time and effort it will take on top of the usual teaching pressures, then all the other factors such as finding the right destination, having the trip approved by the head and governors, safety, administration etc. Aside from the wealth of evidence and research about the benefits of learning outside the classroom, t ...
Top 10 Tips for organising School Trips to Italy Hello UK school teachers! If you're planning a school trip to Italy, you're in for a real treat. Italy is a beautiful country with a rich history, culture and cuisine. Here are some top tips and destinations to help you plan your trip. We've also quizzed our experienced Local Travel Advisors for their tips on school travel to Italy to help you when considering your next school trip: 1. Start Planning Early It's obvious, it's general but it's essential. We've booked a thousand school trips from last minute dashes to years in advance, so we've c ...
Barcelona Q&A with a School Rep - get some insider tips! Recently, a member of the Select Team, Rose, travelled with a school to Barcelona. Find out some great insider tips from her travels! Where did you stay and how was the hotel suited for school groups? We stayed in the Hotel Garbi in Calella. The group were very pleased with the location. Calella is a peaceful little seaside town with a good selection of shops and restaurants. The prices there were more reasonable than in Barcelona, so if a group wanted to make their own arrangements for lunch this could be a good alternative to La Ramblas. Hot ...
Walsall Academy Expedition to Everest Base Camp - PART THREE Read PART THREE of our special guest blog post by Jon Clarke, Shadow Headteacher at Walsall Academy, on their fantastic Everest Base Camp expedition. The reasoning, the challenges, and the student learning experience... Catch up on Part 1 Catch up on Part 2 Part 3 As we progressed higher and higher we found costs rose up to $5 for a bottle of water. We were fortunately boiling water and treating it due to ethics on plastics and also to stay within budget. Food became more expensive and due to altitude you couldn’t taste it even when it had sev ...
Walsall Academy Expedition to Everest Base Camp - PART TWO Read PART TWO of our special guest blog post by Jon Clarke, Shadow Headteacher at Walsall Academy, on their fantastic Everest Base Camp expedition. The reasoning, the challenges, and the student learning experience... Catch up on Part 1 here Part 2 This was 2 years before we set a boot in Nepal – as I have already stated, it takes time preparation and training. So money, ‘Yes it costs a lot to go to Nepal’. I managed to secure some funding from a certain schools specialist travel company whom we use for all our Battlefields tours, languages an ...
Walsall Academy Expedition to Everest Base Camp - PART ONE Read PART ONE of our special guest blog post by Jon Clarke, Shadow Headteacher at Walsall Academy, on their fantastic Everest Base Camp expedition. The reasoning, the challenges, and the student learning experience... Part 1 Planning and then managing a school visit to the vast majority of Britain’s population fills them with a sense of horror. Luckily for young people, there are dedicated and hardworking teachers who believe in learning outside the classroom and the benefits it brings. When I talk to friends and fellow educationalists about t ...
Cost-effective school trip solutions that don't compromise experience At Select we know the great benefit that well thought out, quality residential trips abroad have in a variety of areas. Amongst the benefits are: learner motivation; providing new, meaningful and memorable learning; facilitating a range of first-hand unique experiences; planning for specific learning goals; curriculum integration; developing new relationships in both peer and pupil teacher bonds, and motivation that lasts long after the trip which leads to exam and career success. Therefore, the importance of being able to provide as many pupi ...
Key Historic places to visit in Normandy Key Historic places to visit in Normandy If you’re looking to explore historic sites in Normandy there’s a fantastic selection to choose from. With so many options, it’s no wonder that Normandy has long been a favourite destination for UK schools looking to link to their history curriculum. The D-Day Beaches The D-Day beaches are the historic site of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Western Europe during World War II. Utah, Omaha, Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach were stormed by Allied soldiers in the morning of June 6th 1944. ...
New Term, New School Trips to Spain! This Autumn Term, Select has some exciting new destinations to offer teachers! First on our list of latest additions are our new tours to Spain with Madrid, Cantabria and Andalucía joining Barcelona as part of our programme. Within Andalucía, teachers can choose from bases in Seville, Granada, Córdoba, Malaga and the Bay of Cádiz. A trip to Spain offers students a unique opportunity to experience a variety of cultural aspects such as the beautiful historic architecture, along with Spanish traditions including flamenco and tapas. It is also a s ...
What Makes Sicily a Geographers' Dream? Sicily is separated from Italy by a strait just 1.9 miles wide at its narrowest point and is the largest island in the Mediterranean. It is also one of the most diverse in terms of flora, fauna and geography. The volcanic landscape is unlike any other, with the skyline dominated by Mount Etna - Europe’s largest active volcano. A visit to Mount Etna gives students a rare opportunity to get close to an active volcano. With a guided tour an expert will discuss volcanic processes and landforms along with showing examples on site, and you can explo ...
NEW Unique Excursions in Iceland Geography! Iceland, with its stunning landscape, volcanoes, geothermal features, waterfalls and glaciers,is an excellent destination for a geography school trip. Select has two exciting new additions to the Select Iceland excursions not to be missed: Glacier Walk on Sólheimajökull Glacier Groups now have the opportunity to walk through the dramatic glacier valley and black sand flood plains to the Sólheimajökull Glacier where they’ll put on their crampons and explore the crevasse riddled outlet glacier with its stunning ice formations, sinkholes and jagg ...
5 reasons to try Barcelona for your activities week An activities week offers your students the opportunity of unique and memorable experiences, and a chance to mix with other pupils and build confidence. A trip to Barcelona is a great choice to offer as part of your activities week programme in 2017. Below are five great excursions that your students can experience: Camp Nou Stadium Camp Nou has been the stadium for FC Barcelona since 1957. The Camp Nou Experience gives students the opportunity to visit the playing field, visitors' dressing room, players' tunnel, commentary boxes, pressroom, m ...
Our Top Berlin Excursion Lucy from the Select team has recently returned from a trip to Berlin and was especially enthused by one particular excursion, which in her words was ‘relevant, interactive, fantastic!’ The DDR Museum takes visitors on a jouney to Germany's Socialist past. It's a hands-on museum, and the only museum in Berlin which focuses on everyday life in former East Germany. The DDR veers away from the usual museum experience of exhibits remaining hidden behind glass, and visitors are actively encouraged to engage with the historical artifacts. The museum ...
