Erasmus+ return offers ‘huge opportunity’ for school trips

Speaking after a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on modern foreign languages at Parliament, Philip Harding-Esch, the group’s secretariat said: “The return of the programme is very welcome because it taps into such a wide infrastructure and it’s not just the EU but other countries too.”

He added: “It’s a huge opportunity for teachers and EVCs with millions of pounds available from November. Yes, as with any European project there is paperwork that may take a bit of getting used to but it’s there for the taking and the British Council provide guidance.”

STO reported in February that the Government was rejoining the programme from 2027 after withdrawing from it in 2020 following Brexit and replacing it with the Turing scheme.

Teachers previously benefited from the Erasmus+ scheme, being able to secure funding for taking pupils abroad. The funding for the 2027-28 academic year will be approximately £570m.

At the meeting held at Parliament, the British Council, which is administering the scheme, provided an overview of Erasmus+, setting out the differences, opportunities and potential challenges.

Members also heard from a school about how they used the original scheme for teacher training and immersion opportunities.

Plea to reduce the complexity around visas

The School Travel Forum attended the meeting with representative Justine Lee asking about the challenges relating to visas. Justine said: “Baroness Jean Coussins said she would be pressing the Government to ease travel requirements for school groups and therefore reducing the complexity to ensure all pupils have the chance to benefit from these experiences.”

The UK is no longer part of the EU’s “List of Travellers” scheme, which allowed school groups to travel within the EU without visas and sometimes without passports. In July 2020, the European Commission confirmed British schools would “no longer automatically benefit from visa‑free access” for trips to the Schengen Area.

“Yes, as with any European project there is paperwork that may take a bit of getting used to but it’s there for the taking and the British Council provides guidance.” 

Philip Harding-Esch, the secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on modern foreign languages

As a result, school trips have become harder to organise. All pupils now need passports, increasing costs for families. Non‑British pupils may also need Schengen visas, adding further expense and paperwork. Organisers say these changes have made trips more complicated, time‑consuming and, in some cases, less accessible.

Free online events for schools to find out more

The British Council is running a series of free online events to help schools find out more about the scheme including what has changed, more about the opportunities, how your pupils and staff can benefit and other aspects of Erasmus+. 

Schools can register to attend the events here. 

How schools can use Erasmus+

Guidance set out on the Government website states that funding is provided for schools “to take part in learning mobilities in another country”. These can involve travelling to a different country to study at a partner school, taking part in group learning activities, attending training or job shadowing.

It adds that “a class or group of pupils from a UK school can travel to a host school in another country to take part in learning activities. They will be accompanied by a teacher or another member of school staff. This type of mobility can last from 2 to 30 days.”

Applications for Erasmus+ funding must be made through your school and schools can either apply for funding directly or through a consortium of schools.

EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds previously said that rejoining Erasmus+ was a “huge win for our young people, breaking down barriers and widening horizons to ensure everyone, from every background, has the opportunity to study and train abroad.”