Trips and Excursions Policy
Perth and Kinross Council · 16 September 2026
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 16 September 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Learning and Families Committee Date of Meeting: 16 September 2026 Report Title: Trips and Excursions Policy Report Number: 26/249 Report Author: Karen Robertson, Service Manager (Business Services) (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to set out the policy which Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) schools and other staff working with children and young people should follow when planning, managing and delivering trips and excursions. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact and Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendation It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Approves the updated Trips and Excursions Policy (Appendix 1). 3. Background/Context 3.1 Well organised trips and excursions undertaken by schools and other staff working with children and young people are a vital part of the learning and social environment, both of which are important in developing the whole child. Children and young people can derive a great deal of educational benefit from
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taking part in excursions organised under the auspices of their local authority. In particular, they have the opportunity to undergo experiences not available in the classroom or other learning environments. Trips and excursions can help to develop a participant’s investigative skills, confidence and self-esteem and longer visits, in particular, encourage greater independence. 3.2 The safety and welfare of children, young people and staff must always be the most important consideration in organising any trip or excursion. In organising such trips and excursions, there needs to be a balance provided between safety and initiative, allowing staff organising these to achieve a wide range of curricular and social development aims. Consistency in practice can only be achieved where there is a clear framework and guidance for staff to follow and implement. 3.3 Historically, there was advice provided for headteachers within Tayside Regional Council relating to ratios for adults to children and young people but there was no operational guidance on planning excursions. This had raised issues in terms of consistency with risk assessments, insurance, foreign travel and ratios of adults to children and young people. 3.4 The Department for Education and Employment issued the “Health and Safety of Pupils on Education Visits” booklet in 1998, indicating the need for local authorities to address the issue of guidance for managing excursions. 3.5 In 2001, a working group was established to produce updated guidance which would assist in the management of excursions within the then recently amalgamated PKC Education and Children’s Services. Updated guidance was produced to ensure standardised guidance and forms across the Council and this was approved by the then Education and Children’s Services Committee on 2 October 2002 (Report No. 02/595 refers). The Managing Excursions Guidance was then issued to schools and establishments working with children and young people. 3.6 The then Scottish Executive issued Health & Safety on Educational Excursions guidance in 2004. Whilst this was not intended to replace local guidance, it offered supplementary national guidance reflecting existing good practice to support the safe management of educational excursions. 3.7 Refreshed guidance was developed by the Outdoor Corporate Advisory Group (OCAG) which was designed to help all those involved in organising educational excursions ensure that those taking part stay safe and healthy. It acknowledged that all excursions and activities require to be, where practicable and in accordance with any reasonable adjustments which can be made, available and accessible to all who wish to participate, irrespective of additional support or medical needs, ethnic origin, sex, religion or belief. It was directed mainly towards staff in schools, those leading community learning and development groups, sports development staff, music tuition staff and similar activity co-ordinators. The Council’s Planning, Managing and Evaluating Your Excursion has been published and in use since 2010.
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3.8 The Scottish Government’s Going Out There – Scottish Framework for Safe Practice in Off-site Visits aims to increase opportunities for all Scotland’s children and young people to access learning through off-site visits and the outdoors, improving learning outcomes for all. This framework provides the over-arching strategy and national guidance in respect of the Council’s Planning, Managing and Evaluating Your Excursion guidance. 4. Main Issues 4.1 Since 2015, the Council has been using EVOLVE which is an online educational visit planning, monitoring, approval and reporting system which is used by all schools and services who are organising trips and excursions for children and young people, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. EVOLVE assists staff who are planning visits and excursion to consider all relevant factors using a dynamic online form which adapts to reflect the specifics of the activity being planned and removes the requirement for any paper-based systems and forms. It is a cloud-based system which can be accessed on any device by staff at any time should it be necessary to access any excursion details out of hours. 4.2 Since 2010, aspects of the Council’s Planning, Managing and Evaluating Your Excursion document have been updated. This relates specifically to the Operating Procedures for Adventure Activities which was updated in 2021. This was updated to support the Council’s ongoing licensing requirements with the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA). 4.3 The Council holds a valid AALA license which is renewed bi-annually with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004. The aim of the adventure activities licensing scheme is to give assurance that good safety management practice is being followed so that young people can have opportunities to experience exciting and stimulating activities outdoors while not being exposed to avoidable risks. The health and safety of trips and operational procedures for staff organising trips and excursions are scrutinised by the HSE as part of the license application every 2 years. 4.4 There have been further developments in terms of the recently approved Cost of the School Day Policy (Report No. 26/140 refers) and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 and Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020, both of which require to be considered in the planning and delivery of trips and excursions. 4.5 The Council’s Adventurous Activities Advisory Group (AAAG) has developed the updated Trips and Excursions Policy. This incorporates the changes listed above and reflects current good practice across the Council and promotes inclusive access for all participants. 4.6 The draft policy has been considered by the Council’s Strategic Health and Safety Committee and the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teachers (JNCT) and their feedback has been incorporated into the policy.
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5. Proposals 5.1 This updated policy will assist the planning and delivery of safe trips and excursions undertaken by schools and other staff working with children and young people reflecting the most up to date legislation and national guidance. 5.2 The policy provides simplified and streamlined guidance for all staff covering all trips and excursions from the lowest risk visits local to schools, to the highest risk adventurous trips abroad. 5.3 There are no changes proposed to the roles and responsibilities of visit leaders or managers, and there are no changes proposed to the trip categories or supervision ratios. 5.4 The implementation and use of this policy is monitored by the AAAG which consists of representatives from; PKC Education and Learning, Finance and Business Support, and Children, Families and Justice services; Live Active Leisure (LAL); and primary and secondary school representatives. 6. Conclusion 6.1 This updated policy incorporates all the relevant legislative and corporate changes which have occurred since 2021 into one document providing simplified and streamlined guidance for all staff involved in the planning and delivery of safe trips and excursions. 6.2 This policy supports all staff involved in organising educational excursions to ensure participant safely and wellbeing whilst recognising the importance of equity for all. 7. Impact and Value Assessment 7.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a further full Impact and Value Assessment. However, this policy does have a positive impact on child rights and wellbeing. 7.2 Although this report does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment, Legal Services advice is to complete an Equality and Fairness Impact Assessment (EFIA) as this policy has been updated. The Equality and Fairness Impact Assessment (EFIA) undertaken in relation to this report can be viewed in the Equality and Fairness Impact Assessments area of the Perth and Kinross Council website. 8. Appendices 8.1 Appendix 1 - Trips and Excursions Policy