Two fifths of parents can’t afford to send their children on school trips that could boost their curiosity and happiness, according to shocking research by Hyundai Motor UK.
Research by Hyundai Motor UK claims educational excursions can increase kids’ attention by 80%, their curiosity by 75%, and their happiness by 60%.
However, two-fifths (40%) of UK children have either missed out entirely or nearly missed out on these experiences due to their parents’ financial constraints.
Teachers also identify cost as the biggest issue for schools (82%) and for parents (77%) – despite 81% of them saying school trips are vital to their child’s wellbeing.
Hyundai claim their nationwide study of thousands of children, parents and teachers has identified what creates a positive school day. This has formed their School Experience Index (SE Index) and is said to combine wellbeing and engagement into a single score.
It’s hoped to help schools measure how experiences like school trips improve children’s learning and wellbeing compared to a typical classroom day.
The experiment was conducted by University of Greenwich behavioural scientist Dr Martha Newson and assessed more than 100 children’s feelings both on a trip and during a regular school day.
It claims to show that children experience a noticeable boost when learning outside of the classroom. Results also included a 71% increase in excitement, 70% in memory-making, 62% in inspiration, and 40% in self-esteem.
Dr Newson said: “We measured how the same children felt and behaved on a normal school day versus a school trip day.
“By doing this we found significant uplifts in curiosity and self-esteem on trip days, which are factors closely linked to engagement and learning.
“Our research means that we can see how the trip impacted factors like wellbeing, confidence, self-esteem and focus.
“We tracked the same pupils on both regular and trip days across a range of school trip types. The SE Index turns what teachers have long observed into quantifiable evidence.
“It’s designed to support education providers to plan experiences that will have the most positive impact.”
In the poll of more than 100 teachers, 93% said trips should offer new experiences, 91% said they should prioritise learning new facts and 89% said they should value developing skills beyond the classroom.
The study even revealed 77% of children say a school trip is their ‘best school day ever’.
The research marks the fourth year of Hyundai’s Great British School Trip programme, which provides vital funding for trips to schools across the UK.
Hyundai’s Great British School Trip initiative claims to have invested more than £3 million in bursaries to send over 200,000 children on school trips since 2022.
They say it’s reached almost a third (30%) of schools across the UK and they plan to invite parents to get involved and help bring more school trips to life.
Ashley Andrew, who is President of Hyundai Motor & Genesis UK, said: “Hyundai’s Great British School Trip programme is all about giving children access to truly memorable learning beyond the classroom that they may not have had otherwise.
“And now, with the School Experience Index, we’re able to give teachers rigorous, science-backed data that they can use to plan really impactful school trips.”
To find out more about the programme and to apply for bursary funding, you can visit https://greatbritishschooltrip.com/
