Going outdoors on field trips have long been a staple of the history curriculum. From Warwick Castle of the Battlefields of Flanders, history teachers have always sought to enrich their curriculum by getting their students hands-on in the places where history happened.

What follows are 6 points to guide anyone who is planning on venturing outdoors with their students.

1. Why bother with history field trips?

If you are new to the profession and trying to decide if it’s worth putting yourself through the stress of a history field trip, we’d say yes.

How much better will your students understand a medieval killing ground than when they are standing inside one in, for example, Warwick castle?

How better to get a sense of the importance of the ground in WWI battles then walking from the front line of the Accrington Pals on the Somme?

Not only will your students return with a better sense of History but you will also have given them a sense of historical place. This was an idea first suggested to me by Dr. Michael Riley of SHP. It is mirrored in several of our enquiries:

• Where was the Industrial Revolution?
• How should we remember the Peterloo Massacre?
• Where was the Cold War?
• What happened at Cable Street? (See the fab mural above right)

2. Consider how the visit will be integrated into your Scheme of Work

As you can see from the examples above we have attempted to weave a sense of place into our curriculum. This is only going to be developed further if students get boots on the ground.

We are fortunate that one of our schools sits on the site of an Iron Age Hillfort but we have also attempted to create lessons based upon telling the history of Britain through one street in Basingstoke.

If we can do that in a round-about addled new town then in other places we imagine the possibilities are endless.

3. Decide what needs to be learnt prior to the visit.

Taking your students to the Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum as an introduction to that period of WWII history might seem like a good idea but students will get a lot more form a visit if they have some prior learning to draw upon.

A visit to the battlefields will reap greater rewards if students know something of WWI tactics, of trench warfare and conditions.

By doing this  ground work we are genuinely giving students a sense of place as well as a sense of time. Seeing something that they have learnt about in the classroom genuinely resonates with many.

4. Do a pre-visit.

Sometimes it isn’t always possible to visit a site prior to a school trip. I once took students to Beijing and Xi’an and couldn’t just pop over to China. However, wherever possible you should try to visit in advance. A pre-visit will give you a sense of what you need to teach as preparation as well as an appreciation of practicalities such as toilets and disabled access.

5. Consider what you want students to do on-site.

Personally, I hate the thought of students wandering around desperately trying to complete a worksheet. I think they should be there to experience the site. Now, this can require more of us as teachers- for we will need to help them to interpret the site through discussion. Your job is to point out salient features, to explain significance and link to classroom studies. This is another reason why a pre-visit is so important.

One way I have seen support material used very well was by guides on a battlefields tour who would ask students to read a specific part of a work book as they were being driven to the next site. This allowed students to access the basics of the site and thus freed up the guides to help with the interpretation and reading of the site.

Another clever idea is to provide students with an artists impression of the site, or part of the site. Ask the students to decide how accurate the artists work is? This can lead to some great conversations about how and why the past has been constructed in this particular way.

6. Sort the practical stuff.

Your school will have a written policy for off-site activities. You need to read this and follow the guidance laid down by your particular school and/or local authority. This will give you specific guidance on all of the practical necessities- off site activity forms, medical information, contact numbers etc. There is often a member of SLT who has responsibility for trips. They are your first point of call.

We do hope that colleagues will embrace the challenge of off-site visits. Your curriculum will be enhanced. Your students will develop a better sense of historical place and you might just light some sparks of imagination and interest.