‘Expecting a child to learn only from a textbook is like asking them to look at a travel brochure and calling it a holiday’ – author unknown.

Learning outside the classroom. Everyone knows it works. It’s memorable, engaging, motivating; everything education should be. The pinnacle of this experience is the school trip. Think about your memories from primary school. If they’re anything like mine, almost all have faded but school trip memories remain a highlight.

As a teacher I love to take my class on trips for those same reasons. Finding the best trip and making the most of it however can sometimes be a challenge. Take my experience as an example:

Several months ago I found a venue that seemed a perfect fit for our topic. However I’d never been before; the website had some good information but still left me with questions and the venue was well over an hour away from my home. I felt anxious about taking 30 children around a venue I wasn’t familiar with and unsure how to get the most out of our visit. My familiarisation visit could only be taken once the trip was booked.

This got me thinking. What if there was a website that could help with this? Surely I couldn’t be the only teacher that wants the school trip process to be more teacher-friendly? I searched the web and found nothing so, rather than giving up entirely, I decided to create one myself! That’s how www.learningjourneys.co.uk was born. It’s a forum for teachers to share advice and tips so that they can feel prepared and get the most out of their day. The questions we ask teachers to consider when writing their ‘reviews’ include:

• How well did the trip support your objectives?
• Were there any particular parts of the venue that were more or less useful for this?
• What were the adverse weather facilities like?
• Do you have any advice/comments about the facilities e.g. lunch arrangements?
• What was the quality of the staff led guided session like?
• Is there anything you wish you’d known before your trip?
• Do you have any good ideas for relevant pre/post visit activities?

Here’s an example review from www.learningjourneys.co.uk :

Just like Pedagoo, we are all about the positives and sharing advice to get the most out of your day rather than being a typical review of the venue. Together we can create a resource that saves teacher time and helps teachers and pupils to enjoy and learn from their visits even more. You might even find a venue you’d never considered before!

This October, we’re asking you to submit a review of the best venue you’ve ever taken a class to on www.learningjourneys.co.uk . You’ll even be in with a chance of winning a £25 Amazon voucher with each review you submit! Follow us on Twitter at @LearnJourn and use the hashtag #besteverschooltrip to share your reviews with others. We look forward to reading them!