Plan a curriculum-linked STEM school trip with ease

All children should have opportunities to cement their learning with real-world experiences outside the walls of the classroom. But we know that for busy teachers, finding the right place to balance exciting, enjoyable activities with reliable, high-quality learning, and planning a day out, can be challenging.

So, our Science Oxford Centre Lead (Deputy) Bex Williams has done much of the hard work for you to make it as easy as possible for teachers to plan a school trip to the Science Oxford Centre.

Read from Bex what Science Oxford’s Learning Outside the Classroom badge means.

The Science Oxford Centre has the ‘seal of approval’

We are proud that the Science Oxford Centre was re-awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality badge earlier this year for the third consecutive time since the centre opened in 2019.

This nationally trusted assurance scheme, managed by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, helps schools identify providers who meet the highest standards across all types of learning outside the classroom.

In order to obtain our LOtC quality badge, Science Oxford went through a stringent process to demonstrate that we are committed to providing safe, high-quality activities for children that enrich the curriculum. This included:

• Having risk assessments in place for all our activities
• Having appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures
• Having appropriate insurance in place
• Being able to demonstrate how our activities enhance the learning of key concepts within the curriculum.

What does this mean for teachers?

With all this in place, the burden of paperwork most schools need to complete when planning a trip is greatly reduced, making it a much smoother and easier process for booking a trip.

The badge assures schools that we have passed a robust assessment and that we can meet their learning needs and risk management, including safeguarding, requirements.

In fact, the Department for Education’s guidance on Health & Safety on educational visits recommends that schools look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing external providers of educational visits.

Getting the balance right

I’m reminded daily about what a special place the Science Oxford Centre is with our 15 acres of woodlands and ponds and our amazing indoor spaces with a dedicated classroom, theatre, and our ever-popular Exploration Zone.

With a diverse range of indoor and outdoor activities, including interactive shows and hands-on workshops aligned with the curriculum, children are given the opportunity to truly engage with science in an exciting and memorable way.

But the benefits of a school trip extend beyond curriculum learning. The Department of Education’s new guidance highlights to importance of enrichment. Enrichment activities give children opportunities to explore their interests, try new things and have fun, while developing skills such as teamwork and problem solving. Evidence also suggests that taking part in enrichment can support confidence, resilience, wellbeing and children’s sense of belonging.

This is the balance we aim to achieve at the Science Oxford Centre. These experiences inspire curiosity and wonder, allowing pupils to make their own discoveries while connecting classroom learning to real-world applications and the science that surrounds them every day.

Teachers have said:

The exploration room [was a highlight]. But all of it was fantastic. A great trip. Really smooth and easy organisation. We have just done Light and Shadows topic so the show supports that really well.

They [the pupils] enjoyed it all! I think the highlights were the inflatable planetarium and the exploration zone.

When we got back to school, we asked each pupil for their favourite thing about the day and everyone gave a different answer. The variety on offer, the topics covered and the interaction from staff made it memorable and special for each child.

Book your next school trip

Our calendar fills up incredibly quickly, so we encourage teachers to get their booking in now for the autumn term. Head over to our Science Oxford Centre Schools webpage to explore your options and secure your date or drop our friendly team a line at [email protected] with any questions.

We can’t wait to welcome you and your class!