EVC Magazine Autumn 2025_digital - Flipbook - Page 10
ABOVE AND BEYOND
EVC Craig Evason explains how he and his team run an
exceptional programme of visits for their students, and
how those visits can change everything from student
confidence to school attendance
t the Royal Liberty
School, a small
boys’ comprehensive
in Romford, Essex,
Craig Evason has put
educational visits at the top of the
agenda. Throughout his career, Craig
has seen how taking students outside
the classroom helps them to feel free
to be themselves, revealing parts of
their personality that teachers rarely
see in class. The students also learn
life skills, such as learning to read a
map or handling money. "Even small
things like working out what they
can afford to buy in the gift shop can
build their confidence, independence
and resilience," he says.
A
"If a student enjoys
those visits and sees a
life beyond the school
curriculum, they are more
likely to come to school"
Quality and quantity
As the school’s EVC, Craig helps to
organise, approve and risk-assess more
than 100 visits a year – well above the
average number. The variety offered is
exceptional, ranging from an English
and Maths Adventure and Revision
weekend to a New York residential and
a day at the Williams Formula 1 HQ.
At the end of each year, the school
runs an enrichment week, combining
in-school activities with off-site
visits, including a theatre trip for the
whole of Key Stage 3. "It’s a tiring but
fantastic week for everyone," says
Craig, "and the relationships built up
during bus and train journeys as well
as at the venues are really valuable."
Making it happen
On a glacier walk in Iceland
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"Staff can get nervous when they see
how much has to be done in advance
of a visit and, inevitably, some visits
won’t get through the planning
process," says Craig. "This is where
EVC support can be really valuable."
