Find out about… the ‘My Best School Trip’ Award

It could be a day trip, UK residential or overseas adventure. We want to hear about something your school or academy has organised that has provided a rich experience, achieved a range of objectives and helped embed learning back in school.

The 2026 finalists are…

• Baxter College, Worcestershire, for their Key Stage 3-4 trip to Toronto, Canada.
• Bradford College, West Yorkshire, for their Key Stage 5 STEM trip to Texas and Florida, USA.
• Bredon Hill Academy, Worcestershire, for their Key Stage 3 art visit to Compton Verney in Warwickshire.
• Chestnut Park Primary School, London for their Key Stage 2 residential to Henley Fort Outdoor Education Centre in Surrey.
• Featherstone Primary School, Middlesex, for their Key Stage 2 residential to Sayers Croft Field Centre in Surrey.
• St Basil’s Catholic Primary School, Cheshire for their Key Stage 2 geography trip to Hightown in Merseyside.

You can read more about the finalists here.

The winner will be announced at the School Travel Awards lunch and ceremony in London on Friday 20th November. 

What type of trips have won before?

The roll call of winners has been varied since the first award was presented in 2016, from Key Stage 1 residentials through to city day trips and week-long adventures.

The 2025 winner was St Woolos Primary School, Newport, Wales, for their Year 5 residential to Lower Treginnis Farm. Head teacher Rhian Milton entered the trip, describing it as a “deep and immersive learning experience that has created a long-lasting legacy”. 

The children spent a week at the Farms for City site in Wales, taking on responsibilities including milking the goats, tending to the animals, fixing buildings, harvesting produce and preparing and cooking meals. 

Rhian told us: “Treginnis Farm is, without doubt, the most powerful residential experience our children could ever have. It goes far beyond a week away. It immerses them in real work - caring for animals, growing food, cooking meals, and understanding the rhythms of nature. No other residential has the same depth, impact, or authenticity.”

The judges praised the trip for how it allowed pupils to grow and develop as well as strengthen relationships between staff in addition to the relationships with pupils.

The experience was described by one judge as “detailing everything I would hope to see in a ‘brilliant residential’. It demonstrated so clearly learning objectives and links to the curriculum, and most importantly the learning was firmly embedded once back at school.”

To hear more about what the judges thought, click here. 

The school won £2,000 prize money to spend on an educational visit and decided to use it on taking a new group of pupils back to Lower Treginnis Farm to experience the great outdoors, farming and the journey that takes the food to our plates. You can read about what they did here. 

Other previous winners

Carisbrooke College on the Isle of Wight won in 2024 for their Year 10/11 trip to Vietnam. Mandarin teacher Joe Briscoe felt it important to offer a trip that not only embedded the learning that had taken place in class, but to do something that expanded the perspectives and horizons of the group, particularly following the lack of international trips during the pandemic. 

The starting point was a package offered by a tour operator; Joe altered the itinerary, made suggestions based on his experience and knowledge of the area, and tailored it to suit his particular group of students. 

The winning school in 2023 was Langdale Primary School in Cumbria who entered their Key Stage 1-2 ‘Our Place in Space’ trip to Liverpool. They took 20 children to the city to take advantage of an art installation which allowed them to embrace their curriculum topic which included Earth, Space and the Solar System.