Education Destination - Isle of Wight School residential trips

Another excellent experience. We loved seeing the donkeys and walking round the grounds and playing on the cannons and trying out the armour and the instruments in the museum. The demo of the well house was again pitched just right for our children and they loved it. I think they rather liked the fact that our children chose to sing Happy Birthday to Jigsaw too :) The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful and it was nice for us to be able to do what we wanted as we chose to do it.

Lorraine 5

KS2 SEND Teacher

We would definitely recommend the workshop downstairs ‘Waiting on hand and foot’ with Miss Pilkington. This was brilliant! The guardians of the house were friendly to our school party and shared in the information about the house.

Wendy 5

Head Teacher

The students all had a fabulous time and recommended to our years five and six the trip who have now booked up to go. We produced some great display work and poems as well as improving our knowledge of the IOW fossil scene.

Dave 5

Deputy Head

Sooooo enjoyable - by all staff and children! Boat staff were also very patient with a particularly nervous pupil who decided not to travel in the end but they waited nearly 15minutes and tried to persuade him. The guide was informative with appropriate information for the children.

Joanne 5

KS2 Teacher

This was WONDERFUL. The children enjoyed it so much.... as did the adults. It was perfectly organised and each activity just the right length of time for our children. The pitch was just right too.

Lorraine 5

KS2 SEND Teacher

The theme park provided an excellent welcome and customer service session for students which gave them an insight into how they maintain standards and train staff, students were able to ask previously prepared questions and make notes during this session. The theme park arranged a private session on the water slide which meant students had lots of fun. The theme park is a little young for Yr11 students but they made every effort to accommodate them on the rides that were more suitable. All students were provided with a gift bag which included a book about the history of the park, DVD and leaflets. This was extremely useful for completing work back at the academy.

Roxanne 5

Head of Travel & Tourism

We had a great day on Monday the children really enjoyed it and we had lots of positive feedback from parents saying how much the children had talked about it when they got home. The timings and activities were perfect. I will be recommending it to fellow staff. It was their first trip out and we were really pleased at how they behaved. Thank you once again for a great day and please say a big thank you to Oliver for all his hard work.

Maria 5

KS1 Teacher

Worked really well having the trip to Yarmouth - saw more of the island and got more of a sense of the geography - I have done the trip before but returned to Alum Bay, it seemed a little short whereas the trip to Yarmouth was perfect.

Luke 5

KS2 Teacher

I think the best thing about the trip was that it was different and exciting to be on a boat and the children didn't realise they were learning!!

Jennifer 5

KS2 Teacher

I'd say this was nearly every child's highlight. They were absolutely buzzing. The food made it feel like one big happy party. The whole thing was so exciting and unique and full of wow factor after wow factor. It was also a real bonding time between adults and children and nice for everyone to all let their hair down together.This also brought some children out of themselves in a way they had never been before and they have been the better for it ever since.

Amy 5

KS2 Teacher

The ferry crossing was efficient and the staff friendly and patient with school parties of children. The ferry was spotlessly clean.

Wendy 5

Head Teacher

10/10 without your help, advice and the brilliant educational resources, this trip would not have been anywhere near as good. You responded immediately to all of our many questions and produced an excellent itinerary for our week. Having not taken our school to the Isle of Wight before we did not really know what to expect and how it was going to turn out, but everyone said what great week it was and there was a good mix of activities and something for everyone to enjoy. We have had good feedback from the parents who have said how much the girls enjoyed themselves.

Karen 5

Housemistress

Lots of fun and a great way to wear out the children!

Karen 5

Housemistress

Oliver was brilliant with the children he had a good balance of information sharing, exciting facts and beach combing for fossils. At the museum the activities were pitched well for age 11 pupils.

Wendy 5

Head Teacher

Many of the children had never been on a boat. Instead of this being part of a long journey it really was made into an exciting part of the trip! The fact that we were crossing the sea made the adventure very real! Everyone was friendly and nobody seemed to even blink when 30 children descended on them. The activities provided for the ferry crossing were fantastic. The tallying of the different vessels kept them highly engaged and helped them to really appreciate their surroundings. This was easy to do at the time despite the high excitement levels of everyone. It also helped create order.

Amy 5

KS2 Teacher

What a great way to end the week the girls had a lovely time and the staff were well organised and very helpful

Karen 5

Housemistress

Osborne was great and all enjoyed it. We had some difficulties with our wheelchair user in the gardens.

Pauline 4

Head of PSHE & Citizenship

Osborne house was good and very educational. Staff allowed students to walk around at their own pace in the self led tour. There is quite a walk to the beach but the weather was perfect and students enjoyed completing some tasks at the beach before walking to the cottage. This had interactive games which students enjoyed a lot.

Roxanne 5

Head of Travel & Tourism

We visited laser storm of an evening, students were very excited and loved the laser session. On first arrival it looks more suitable for younger children but as soon as the lights go off and game begins it was perfect for all ages. Staff enjoyed taking part as much as students. There were 3 very competitive games. We arrived a little early so staff let us have an extra game, this was fantastic as students loved every second.

Roxanne 5

Head of Travel & Tourism

Was fantastic - perfect for rainy day

Luke 5

KS2 Teacher

The ferry crossing was smooth and timely. Once we were on board we were taken to a private suite, this was ideal to give students space to leave their belongings and to complete activities away from the general public. We had a customer service talk from 3 members of staff which was very informative and detailed. Students were able to ask questions and staff gave really useful and honest answers back. In small groups students were then taken to meet the captain, this was an exciting opportunity and students appreciated seeing behind the scenes.

Roxanne 5

Head of Travel & Tourism

The disco was perfect.. just the right amount of fun and music for their age.

Maggie 5

KS2 Teacher

Nice enough hotel - food was great and packed lunch was suitable for all the children.

Luke 4

KS2 Teacher

The children loved this! A lovely mix of enjoyment with the attractions and learning about the erosion displays and viewpoints. It worked really well having a time slot for the water ride.

Joanne 5

KS2 Teacher

The learning at Carisbrooke Castle..war and weapons ... was pitched perfectly with games and activities to stimulate their thinking.

Maggie 5

KS2 Teacher

Osborne House provided them with an insight into life downstairs through "waiting on hand and foot" which they thoroughly enjoyed and then we went to Swiss Cottage and the beach, ate ice creams and paddled in the water - a perfect day!

Maggie 5

KS2 Teacher

Extremely good value for money! They were buzzing with enthusiasm and really engaging with the hands on museum. The guy leading us was very knowledgable and appeared to enjoy the interest of the children and the chance to share his knowledge. The children enjoyed the chance to ask him questions. Passing things around brought the 'talk' to life and they really enjoyed the time to examine the artefacts for themselves.

The actual museum was well designed... Increasing in the 'wow' factor as you go through. Children varied in their degree of enthusiasm towards the worksheets as they were so enjoying the practical activities. However certain children really enjoyed having a focus for this part of the trip and the adults on hand helped them link the correct sheet to the correct part of the museum. It was wonderfully safe and gave the children a chance to spend time in the areas they preferred.

Since coming back, again the children have continued their fossil research. Our science this term is rocks- this includes fossils. I find we have already covered a large part of the curriculum and the children had retained a large amount of what was told to them. We have a science specialist in some afternoons and she was highly impressed hearing everything they had learnt. They refer back to the trip constantly to backup their answers. It has really bought what otherwise would be a topic hard to bring alive... Alive in a very large way!

The beach was fantastic. A perfect opportunity to be able to run around and get fresh air, as well as putting into practice everything that they have learnt. Their enthusiasm for collecting things was beautiful and we brought back some treasured rocks form the island.... Much to the delight of the parents!

Amy 5

KS2 Teacher

Staff were extremely helpful and the visit was a success.

Pauline 5

Head of PSHE & Citizenship

Great - nice to have welcome, AV and tour by staff.

Luke 5

KS2 Teacher

Staff were extremely helpful and the visit was a success.

Pauline 5

Head of PSHE & Citizenship

It was delightful to have contact with the education destination team on the Island as it made myself as group leader feel there was that added safety element to the whole trip and that there was a name and a face to support if there were any problems (which of course there weren’t). Education Destination have gathered so much information saving the school endless extra hours. It was great that schedules could be accessed online including all of the school information and activities for the places we were visiting. The website was brilliant for this.

Wendy 5

Head Teacher

The boat trip was a great experience for all students and allowed them to experience many geographic features up close. The staff were friendly and answered many student questions. It was a little shorter than expected but the students loved being on the boat.

Roxanne 5

Head of Travel & Tourism

Just a quick message to say a huge thank you on behalf of Year 5 at Brighstone Primary. We all had such a fantastic day and were very lucky with the weather. We are now busy for the next two weeks in English as the children have decided to produce information leaflets about tree climbing for future schools visiting!

Jenna 5

KS2 Teacher

This was many pupils' favourite part of thr trip. They really enjoyed exploring the house and grounds. The tour guides in different parts of the house were brilliant with the children.

Joanne 5

KS2 Teacher

We all thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the children were so excited on returning to school to share their experience with their parents. We were so impressed with the Donkey Sanctuary and all the activities they provided today. The children were so engaged and were able to retain and apply their learnt information between the different tasks.

Sophie 5

KS1 Teacher

Fantastic - Oliver was brilliant - the children were fully engaged and he was able to explain things in a way that all the children could understand. He gave thought to safety as well as to allowing children access to the beach.

Luke 5

KS2 Teacher

We had a great day from the moment we got on the bus to getting home. I have a class who are already fascinated by dinosaurs, and knew a bit, but Trevor was great with them. They loved holding the fossils, and all the activities in the museum. Wax rubbings and the robot dinosaurs were their favourites. I had a rucksack full [of fossils] to carry back for our class display. We have filled 2 boards with photos and drawings. I can't think of a way to improve it - parents said they all went home buzzing with talk about their day!

Claire 5

KS1 Teacher

The model village is a good attraction but aimed at younger children. Students completed the quiz and with some encouragement to create competition in the group completed this well. However, the owner of the model village really engaged with students and gave a detailed interview at the end about running and operating the attraction.

Roxanne 5

Head of Travel & Tourism

Excellent service! We were shown an area for our group, someone came and told us when to disembark and on the return jouney after a very hot day, one member of staff supplied us with cups of water for all 79 children.

Joanne 5

KS2 Teacher

The children's favourite day!

Wendy 5

Head Teacher

The donkey sanctuary was an excellent hands on experience for students, they were given tasks to collect customer research and take care of some of the animals. This gave them a responsibility which they were proud of. They were able to experience how customer feedback was collected by completing it on behalf of the donkey sanctuary. This was an excellent part of the trip and very useful for their coursework. Staff were fantastic and very open with students, this was appreciated.

Roxanne 5

Head of Travel & Tourism

A great place to be, lots on offer - the girls enjoyed exploring

Karen 5

Housemistress

A fantastic experience which I think the children (and the staff) will remember for a long time to come. Paul and his team were such a friendly and helpful group who again pitched things just right for our children. It was quite hard work for the staff team - I am not sure we were aware of quite how challenging it would be for them and I wonder what we would have done if we hadn't had as many staff willing to climb, but those who did climb said that it was worth it. It was amazing to see our most nervous pupil climbing higher than anyone, and the fact that several of our children who we thought might not climb at all managed to get into the harness and at least swing at the foot of the tree quite happily. It was irresistable!

Lorraine 5

KS2 SEND Teacher

Oliver was brilliant with the girls and they loved looking on the beach for fossils. The girls enjoyed the dinosaur farm, the carousel of activities was pitched just right.

Karen 5

Housemistress

Superb fun for the children. This was a huge hit.

Luke 5

KS2 Teacher

The steam railway was lovely. It was like showing them history. Like going back into time. I'm not sure how much they really got out of the talk at the start but with that particular class they often surprise me by their ability to take in information aimed perhaps a little to high for them. It was nice to have a chance to watch the film and take in their surroundings. I think as the whole trip was pretty fast paced those moments of calm and chances to sit were genuinely much appreciated by all.

All of the volunteers were so genuine and kind. It was nice to see the passion the slightly older men had with the trains. They enjoyed the train ride. They seemed to really inspire some hard work!!! The children seemed to take the steam train activities quite seriously and enjoyed the tour around the train museum. I think if I did this agin with year. 3 I would direct the children to the different worksheets more. I would specifically choose one for ON the train and then talk them through the sheets before the museum.

The bonus of the bird display kept them happy as well! Great! The lunch area was perfect and so was the playpark. They probably would have liked me to give them more time on the playpark!! Fantastic value considering the length of time the ride was etc.

Amy 5

KS2 Teacher

This was beautiful. A perfect safe environment and perfect for their age. The activity sheet was probably theirs and my favourite. Many of the boys especially took it very seriously and insisted on doing every single question. We came back to school on the Friday after the trip for our school design technology day and we designed and created our own model village. They were all highly motivated and inspired and it was wonderful to have the excuse to recreate it so soon after we had left. We spent a good hour and a half in the model village and then most children were really done. People were so kind to us and the ladies at the model village came out and asked whether our class would like a hot chocolate. We were incredibly grateful and piled back in. The children were all provided with big mugs of hot chocolate- and adults. It was perfect...

Amy 5

KS2 Teacher

What a kind therapeutic place. Excellent price. If this was in Canterbury I think the school would sign up as members instantly. A beautiful place teaching the children about so much more than just donkeys. Caring, gentleness, volunteering your time etc. We have looked at donkeys in our science lessons of living things. Some of the children were trying to sketch the donkeys as we had been doing still life in art before the trip. The activities led by the adults were very similar to the activities on your website which meant the children were very naturally achieving everything. The sanctuary had clearly put time and effort into liking the resources with the chosen activities.

I loved the grooming and the walking- I was surprised that nearly every child's favourite part of the morning was the tagging machine. They were fascinated and told the school about it in great detail. The more competitive children liked the treasure hunt. They all enjoyed the treasure hunt as time to run off independently and without an adult. It was a lovely lovely place.

Amy 5

KS2 Teacher

Very high quality resources. Clearly a great deal of time has been spent on producing these. The students found these easy to use. The layout was clear and attractive, particularly the quality of the photographs, on the resources which we were using.

I was impressed with the variety of the different resources available. We were able to quite easily construct a focus for the day around the available resources and tailor these to suit our needs/ desired learning outcomes.

The pupils really enjoyed their crossing on the ferry. It was a great opportunity for them to look closely at their surrounding environment, rather than spending the hour doing nothing and probably looking down at their phone/ iPod. The resources/ activities planned for the ferry made the best use of the time and it meant that pupil learning began before we had even reached the island. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and I feel that the pupils gained a lot from their experience. It was a great opportunity to introduce them to some geographical fieldwork skills, which will particularly benefit those who go on to study geography at GCSE.

David 5

KS3 Teacher

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

We enjoy exceeding expectations, but there's nothing better than receiving positive feedback after a trip we've arranged!

We would definitely recommend the workshop downstairs ‘Waiting on hand and foot’ with Miss Pilkington. This was brilliant! The guardians of the house were friendly to our school party and shared in the information about the house.

The students all had a fabulous time and recommended to our years five and six the trip who have now booked up to go. We produced some great display work and poems as well as improving our knowledge of the IOW fossil scene.

Sooooo enjoyable - by all staff and children! Boat staff were also very patient with a particularly nervous pupil who decided not to travel in the end but they waited nearly 15minutes and tried to persuade him. The guide was informative with appropriate information for the children.

This was WONDERFUL. The children enjoyed it so much.... as did the adults. It was perfectly organised and each activity just the right length of time for our children. The pitch was just right too.

Worked really well having the trip to Yarmouth - saw more of the island and got more of a sense of the geography - I have done the trip before but returned to Alum Bay, it seemed a little short whereas the trip to Yarmouth was perfect.

I think the best thing about the trip was that it was different and exciting to be on a boat and the children didn't realise they were learning!!

The ferry crossing was efficient and the staff friendly and patient with school parties of children. The ferry was spotlessly clean.

Lots of fun and a great way to wear out the children!

Oliver was brilliant with the children he had a good balance of information sharing, exciting facts and beach combing for fossils. At the museum the activities were pitched well for age 11 pupils.

What a great way to end the week the girls had a lovely time and the staff were well organised and very helpful

Osborne was great and all enjoyed it. We had some difficulties with our wheelchair user in the gardens.

Was fantastic - perfect for rainy day

The disco was perfect.. just the right amount of fun and music for their age.

Nice enough hotel - food was great and packed lunch was suitable for all the children.

The children loved this! A lovely mix of enjoyment with the attractions and learning about the erosion displays and viewpoints. It worked really well having a time slot for the water ride.

The learning at Carisbrooke Castle..war and weapons ... was pitched perfectly with games and activities to stimulate their thinking.

Osborne House provided them with an insight into life downstairs through "waiting on hand and foot" which they thoroughly enjoyed and then we went to Swiss Cottage and the beach, ate ice creams and paddled in the water - a perfect day!

Staff were extremely helpful and the visit was a success.

Great - nice to have welcome, AV and tour by staff.

Staff were extremely helpful and the visit was a success.

The boat trip was a great experience for all students and allowed them to experience many geographic features up close. The staff were friendly and answered many student questions. It was a little shorter than expected but the students loved being on the boat.

This was many pupils' favourite part of thr trip. They really enjoyed exploring the house and grounds. The tour guides in different parts of the house were brilliant with the children.

Fantastic - Oliver was brilliant - the children were fully engaged and he was able to explain things in a way that all the children could understand. He gave thought to safety as well as to allowing children access to the beach.

Excellent service! We were shown an area for our group, someone came and told us when to disembark and on the return jouney after a very hot day, one member of staff supplied us with cups of water for all 79 children.

The children's favourite day!

A great place to be, lots on offer - the girls enjoyed exploring

Oliver was brilliant with the girls and they loved looking on the beach for fossils. The girls enjoyed the dinosaur farm, the carousel of activities was pitched just right.

Superb fun for the children. This was a huge hit.

We'd love to add your comments to our growing list!

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School Trip Area Choices

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

We enjoy exceeding expectations, but there's nothing better than receiving positive feedback after a trip we've arranged!

We would definitely recommend the workshop downstairs ‘Waiting on hand and foot’ with Miss Pilkington. This was brilliant! The guardians of the house were friendly to our school party and shared in the information about the house.

The students all had a fabulous time and recommended to our years five and six the trip who have now booked up to go. We produced some great display work and poems as well as improving our knowledge of the IOW fossil scene.

Sooooo enjoyable - by all staff and children! Boat staff were also very patient with a particularly nervous pupil who decided not to travel in the end but they waited nearly 15minutes and tried to persuade him. The guide was informative with appropriate information for the children.

This was WONDERFUL. The children enjoyed it so much.... as did the adults. It was perfectly organised and each activity just the right length of time for our children. The pitch was just right too.

Worked really well having the trip to Yarmouth - saw more of the island and got more of a sense of the geography - I have done the trip before but returned to Alum Bay, it seemed a little short whereas the trip to Yarmouth was perfect.

I think the best thing about the trip was that it was different and exciting to be on a boat and the children didn't realise they were learning!!

The ferry crossing was efficient and the staff friendly and patient with school parties of children. The ferry was spotlessly clean.

Lots of fun and a great way to wear out the children!

Oliver was brilliant with the children he had a good balance of information sharing, exciting facts and beach combing for fossils. At the museum the activities were pitched well for age 11 pupils.

What a great way to end the week the girls had a lovely time and the staff were well organised and very helpful

Osborne was great and all enjoyed it. We had some difficulties with our wheelchair user in the gardens.

Was fantastic - perfect for rainy day

The disco was perfect.. just the right amount of fun and music for their age.

Nice enough hotel - food was great and packed lunch was suitable for all the children.

The children loved this! A lovely mix of enjoyment with the attractions and learning about the erosion displays and viewpoints. It worked really well having a time slot for the water ride.

The learning at Carisbrooke Castle..war and weapons ... was pitched perfectly with games and activities to stimulate their thinking.

Osborne House provided them with an insight into life downstairs through "waiting on hand and foot" which they thoroughly enjoyed and then we went to Swiss Cottage and the beach, ate ice creams and paddled in the water - a perfect day!

Staff were extremely helpful and the visit was a success.

Great - nice to have welcome, AV and tour by staff.

Staff were extremely helpful and the visit was a success.

The boat trip was a great experience for all students and allowed them to experience many geographic features up close. The staff were friendly and answered many student questions. It was a little shorter than expected but the students loved being on the boat.

This was many pupils' favourite part of thr trip. They really enjoyed exploring the house and grounds. The tour guides in different parts of the house were brilliant with the children.

Fantastic - Oliver was brilliant - the children were fully engaged and he was able to explain things in a way that all the children could understand. He gave thought to safety as well as to allowing children access to the beach.

Excellent service! We were shown an area for our group, someone came and told us when to disembark and on the return jouney after a very hot day, one member of staff supplied us with cups of water for all 79 children.

The children's favourite day!

A great place to be, lots on offer - the girls enjoyed exploring

Oliver was brilliant with the girls and they loved looking on the beach for fossils. The girls enjoyed the dinosaur farm, the carousel of activities was pitched just right.

Superb fun for the children. This was a huge hit.

We'd love to add your comments to our growing list!

It only takes a minute to request a quote...