Hyundai launches National School Trips Week
- 78% of teachers believe school trips are key for their pupils’ creative education and development
- Yet 27% of pupils haven’t experienced a trip outside the classroom this academic year
- Nearly 9,000 children will take part in school trips during Hyundai’s National School Trips Week
- To provide further support, Hyundai has added an extra 25,000 places to its Great British School Trip programme, supporting 90,000 pupils altogether since launch in January 2023
With just a few months left of the current academic year, over a quarter (27%) of pupils are yet to experience a trip away from the classroom.
Funding (64%) and staff shortages (40%) top the list of the most significant barriers for teachers when it comes to booking trips. In response, and in a bid to get even more children on trips this academic year, Hyundai is boosting its commitment to school trips through its Great British School Trip (GBST) initiative with the launch of National School Trips Week.
The company has added an extra 25,000 school trip places to the GBST programme, pledging to support 60,000 children across the 23/24 academic year. This will mean that the total number of children supported across both Year 1 and 2 of the initiative is 90,000.
National School Trips Week, kicking off on Monday 29th April, will play host to over 40 of these essential educational experiences, across the full length of the country, supporting nearly 9000 pupils across the week. Venues signed up to take part include, English Heritage, PGL, Eureka! and the Royal Air Force Museum London.
Our research has shown that the need for extra investment in these fundamental learning opportunities is vital. The hope is that the experiences taking place during this week help play a part in unlocking creativity, confidence and new skills that can be difficult to tap into in a classroom environment.
The research, commissioned by Hyundai Motor UK, also revealed that 97% of teachers consider school trips as positive for fostering creativity, yet over three quarters (78%) admit that it’s harder to organise a trip with creativity as a focus. When surveying recent school leavers at the end of 2023, it was revealed that 72% wish they’d done more creative subjects at school, with 18% citing ‘creative thinking’ as a key quality they lack.
Creativity is something we truly value at Hyundai, with design, innovation and technology at the core of the business. By focusing on trips that draw on our Imagination & Curiosity pillar, we’re hoping to help teachers plug the ‘creativity gap’. National School Trips Week is all about putting these experiences back on the agenda on a national scale and showing the unparallelled importance of learning experiences outside of the classroom.
As part of National School Trips Week, Long Mead Community Primary School from Tonbridge attended the Turner Contemporary in Margate, which was the first time some of the Year 4/5 children had ever been to a gallery or the seaside.
Lots of our families struggle financially and can’t afford to contribute to the costs of trips. So, being part of Hyundai’s Great British School Trip programme has been amazing and enabled us to take our children out of the classroom, something that we wouldn’t have been able to do without this support. The children loved their trip to the Turner Contemporary. They were so enthusiastic about the art they saw and really grew in confidence as the day progressed. Since being back at school, we have talked about the courage it takes to do something outside of your comfort zone: many have never been away from the local area, let alone had the opportunity to visit an art gallery before. This is why school trips are so important. They give children the courage to try things that they didn’t think they could do, they give them aspirations, they inspire, they develop knowledge and spark new interests – they break down barriers to learning allowing everyone to succeed.
We’re really proud to be a partner of Hyundai’s Great British School Trip programme. At Turner Contemporary, we welcome thousands of school students every year to experience creative, hands-on, activities and work with artists. School visits are a vital part of young people’s education that can help develop creative skills and imagination; build confidence and grow aspirations. We hope that by raising awareness of the importance of school trips through National School Trips Week many more children can attend these trips in the future.
When I was younger, I couldn't stand being cooped up in a classroom. I craved action outdoors. In fact, a particular trip that sparked me wanting to get into the career I do now was visiting the Natural History Museum, followed by a trip to the cinema to see Jurassic Park! Kids learn best by doing and therefore we mustn't underestimate the value of hands-on learning experiences, which is why initiatives such as The Great British School Trip are so important.
Reggie Yates
With this increased commitment, Hyundai will continue to offer bursaries to help schools most in need fund their trips, which will cover booking fees and travel costs. To find out more about the programme and how you can get involved, please visit: https://greatbritishschooltrip.com.
Press contact
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Natasha Waddington
Head of PR
natasha.waddington@hyundai.co.ukRobin Hayles
Head of Product & Technical PR
robin.hayles@hyundai.co.ukEmma Illman
Product Press Officer
emma.illman@hyundai.co.ukHarriet Ward
PR Coordinator
