Irish & UK School Trips
Irish and UK school trips are a valuable and often cost-effective way to complement your class curriculum and support practical learning outside of the classroom. We offer a range of Irish and UK trips for primary school and high school classes, giving young people of all ages a chance to have fun while learning about particular subjects and areas of the country.
Our range of English literature, drama and performing arts tours is second to none and features school trips to Stratford and London – a chance to visit the origins of Shakespeare, Dickens and many more UK cultural icons. The West End plays host to world-class productions and musicals which take centre stage on many performing arts tours too.
Pupils can also visit London to study art and design, science, business studies and much more.
We also offer UK theme park trips tailored for both secondary and primary school children which add a dash of fun to the learning experience.
It’s surprising how much is going on right on your doorstep – get in touch to find out more about planning your ideal UK school trip and take a look at our most popular options below.
All destinations can cater for day trips or longer durations.
Learn more about our Irish & UK school trip destinations
Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is quickly becoming an exciting city to visit - and with more and more exhibitions and cultural visits opening, it's a destination that's suitable for all ages. The newly opened Titanic Belfast® has brought a new life to the Titanic Quarter. With this and the wide range of visits for studying Politics and Society in Northern Ireland, Belfast is an excellent low budget visit for school groups.
Find more information about our school trips to Belfast here
Derry
Derry
Explore a variety of topics from historical, cultural and religious perspectives such as The Apprentice Boys of Derry, religious affiliation, cultural identity, ecumenism and cultural responses to “The Troubles”.
Dublin
Dublin
Why not take your school group to the Irish Capital? Enjoy the amazing visits that are educational, cultural and fun. With a diverse range of activities, museums and guided tours, this is an exciting destination with excellent access from all over Ireland.
Galway & Clare
If you want your pupils to experience traditional Irish heritage, a trip to County Clare and Galway is the perfect option.
Find more information about our school trips to Galway & Clare here.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Scotland’s historic capital city provides a unique learning experience for students of all ages, full of quality sights, landmarks and activities. That means there’s a lot to consider when planning your ideal school trip to Edinburgh.
Find more information about our school trips to Edinburgh here
Liverpool
Liverpool
Exciting things have been happening in Liverpool over recent years, and this vibrant city offers lots to see and do.
Find more information about our school trips to Liverpool here
London
London
School trips to London offer young people a valuable new perspective outside of the classroom and a chance to experience the sights, sounds, hustle and bustle of a major global city.
Manchester
Manchester
Exciting things have been happening in Manchester over recent years, and this vibrant city offers lots to see and do. Major touring musicals stop off at the Palace Theatre, MediaCity UK continues to grow, and the exciting tour of Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground is still our most popular visit.
Find more information about our school trips to Manchester here
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
With its remarkably diverse landscape of breathtaking coastlines and spectacular countryside, Northern Ireland’s North Coast is the ideal geography school trip destination to study both physical and human geography. The area is filled with field trip opportunities for budding geographers, with glens, lush forest parks, secluded coastal tracks and many quaint fishing villages.
Find more information about our school trips to Northern Ireland here
Stratford Upon Avon
Stratford Upon Avon
Thousands of school groups flock to Stratford Upon Avon every year to enjoy the iconic sights and shows found in Shakespeare’s home town.
Find more information about our school trips to Stratford Upon Avon here
The Midlands
The Midlands
Home to one of the UK’s leading theme parks, and world famous companies such as Cadbury, Jaguar Land Rover, Denby Pottery and JCB, a visit to the Midlands is a must for business studies groups for its diverse array of visits, with a chance to look at marketing strategies, production, logistics, business responsibilities and priorities.
Find more information about our school trips to The Midlands here
Wicklow
Known as the Garden of Ireland, County Wicklow is one of Ireland’s most beautiful areas with a great range of visits and experiences for your students.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire
If you’re planning an educational trip in Britain, then Yorkshire is one of our most popular primary educational tour destinations. The walled city of York is one of England’s oldest and is renowned for its heritage, exquisite architecture and tangle of quaint cobbled streets. There’s something around every corner in the grand old city of York, and with the coastal towns of Scarborough and Whitby only a short drive away, this is the perfect location for a primary school trip.
Find more information about our school trips to Yorkshire here
Work with our experts...
Hundreds of groups travel across the Ireland and the UK with NST every year, and members of our team are regularly travelling up, down and across to really get to know the ins-and-outs of each city and area, from logistics and visits to our range of student-friendly accommodation.
Your dedicated Tour Co-ordinator will use their knowledge of the Ireland and UK to create an itinerary that’s tailor-made, perfectly timed and meets your exact school travel needs.
They’ll be able to share their first-hand experience, suggest options you might not have considered and give you insight into the feedback other teachers have given us too.
Planning your first school trip?
If you're planning your first school trip, our essential guide will take you through each step of the process...
- Choosing your destination
- Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
- Promoting your tour in school
- Confirming your booking
- Tailor-make your tour
- Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
- Quick reference timeline
- Pre-tour checklist
Additional support, resources & information
Tour planning service
Tour planning service
With NST, you’ll get your own dedicated, knowledgeable Tour Co-ordinator who’ll work with you from start to finish. You’ll benefit from their unrivalled destination knowledge, and their experience gained from working with many other groups too. They’ll tailor-make your itinerary from scratch and take care of everything for you:
- Pulling together an itinerary that runs smoothly
- Planning the right balance of visits every day with realistic timings
- Pre-arranging and pre-booking your visits, entrance tickets, passes and meals
You’ll receive your final itinerary a full 4-weeks before you travel too.
Free school trip promotion pack
Free school trip promotion pack
We’ll support you and provide everything you need to advertise your school trip around school and to parents. Our free school trip promotion pack consists of:
- Parents’ letter & permission slip template for you to complete A3 posters to promote your trip around school
- PowerPoint presentation templates which you can tailor to your own needs
- Online parents’ video which showcases the benefits of taking a school trip
Risk assessment support including preview visits
Risk assessment support including preview visit
Risk assessment plays a vitally important part in the planning and organisation on any school tour.
Our risk assessment guide aims to help you understand more about your obligations and how you can more effectively manage group safety on your next educational visit and provide you with risk assessments for your trip.
Planning first school trip
Planning first school trip
Organising your first school trip can appear to be a daunting process.
If you're planning your first school trip, our guide will help to take you through each step of the planning process, answering frequently asked questions and providing tips and support along the way.
Our helpful guide covers the following:
- Choosing your destination
- Gaining approval from your Local Authority and/or your Head
- Promoting your tour in school
- Confirming your booking
- Tailor-make your tour
- Completing your risk assessments (including a sample risk assessment)
- Quick reference timeline
- Pre-tour checklist
Get live updates on your group's tour location
Get live updates on your group's tour location
Locate My Trip uses GPS technology and is the easy, convenient way for your school to follow your location whilst on tour. Specifically designed to provide reassurance to both parents and teachers, NST will know where your group are 24/7. If your schedule needs to change, we’ll put plans in place to keep your tour on track.
With Locate My Trip your group can also share photos and videos with the school and parents, via a secure link, to keep them updated on your experience whilst you’re away.
Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager
Your online school trip organiser - My Tour Manager
Save time and stay on track with your school trip admin with our online orgnaniser - designed to help busy teachers like you.
With My Tour Manager, you'll be able to download FREE resources and access trip paperwork online and in one place. Your personalised checklist details what you need to do and by when, plus you'll receive fortnightly reminders too.
What's more, you can take all your trip documents on the go whilst on your tour with our app, My Tour Manager-On-the-Go.
Find out more and watch out short My Tour Manager video here
Free classroom resources
Free classroom resources
We've created a range of free geography resources and educational posters to brighten up your classroom!
Take a look at our downloadable posters here
Why choose NST...
Here's why hundreds of teachers choose NST each year...
- Unrivalled knowledge
Your dedicated art & design tour co-ordinator will use their unrivalled local knowledge and expertise of Ireland and the UK to create a tailor-made, curriculum-linked itinerary to meet your group’s exact needs.
- Making it easier for you
With our online school trip organiser, travel app, free classroom posters to support in-school promotion.
- FREE group leader inspection visits
We offer a free inspection visit to your chosen destination to support your risk assessment planning.
- Value for money
We’re committed to bringing you the best possible value trips to help make every penny count.
- More than 20 years’ experience
With over 20 years’ experience, with NST you can rest assured that your group is in safe hands.
- Risk assessment guidance
Our risk assessment guidance will help you to manage group safety on your next educational trip.
- Peace of mind
Your group’s location can be followed with our trip tracking device - Locate My Trip - plus you’ll have 24/7 support from us whilst you’re away.
- Offsetting carbon emissions
For every trip taken, we'll plant a Maya nut tree in Peru to support reforestation, local communities & biodiversity. Plus, we'll offset an additional tonne of CO2 to guarantee carbon emission reductions.
Looking for protection on your next school trip?
Booking with a school travel company is the best way for you to protect parents’ money and give yourself peace of mind.
Financial protection from the moment you book
NST are fully bonded & licensed:
- ABTA
- ATOL
- IATA
- Commission for Aviation Regulation
Managing safety on school trips
For your protection, NST's independently audited Safety Management System covers:
- 24-hour emergency cover
- Audited accommodation & transport
- Excursions & school visit assessment
- Group leader preview visits to assist with risk assessment planning
Package Travel Regulations 2018
Don't forget - if your school arranges transport, accommodation and other services directly, you’ll be liable under the Package Travel Regulations – meaning you’ll have all the responsibilities of a travel company, both legal and financial.
We're LOtC Council’s Quality Badge assured
For groups travelling from Northern Ireland... the Department for Education advises schools to always look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing a school travel provider.
