EVC Magazine Autumn 2025_digital - Flipbook - Page 25
SCHOOL STORY
Q How do you manage visits across the Trust?
have a central policy, but each school manages
A We
its own visits, logging in to a central EVOLVE system.
Q What are the biggest challenges?
schools are spread over quite a wide area of
A Our
north-west England, but we have Teams and can
They have their own budgets and manage their own
approvals, other than residential visits and adventure
activities. Training is also done at a local level – schools
have autonomy to choose from Local Authority-delivered
training or independent providers like EVOLVE Advice.
meet online. Budget cuts are a challenge for everyone,
in every aspect of school life.
Q What are the benefits of that system?
allows schools to work effectively within their own
A Itcontexts.
We know they're safe, because of EVOLVE
and the central policy. But schools are free to come up
with clever ways to manage budgets, support staff and
pupils and arrange visits to places that suit their own
curriculum and children.
Q What is your role in educational visits?
the safeguarding lead for the Trust, and also the
A I'm
inclusion lead. I'm available to support schools in
risk-assessment and making sure that children can access
visits. Before we moved to EVOLVE Advice, I used to
complete the final approval when needed. I also do
occasional drop-ins on visit records on EVOLVE and look
at the feedback provided.
do you find rewarding about
Q What
your role?
people; not just the teaching staff,
A Helping
but the children and parents as well.
advice would you give to staff in Trusts
Q What
to help them manage their educational visits?
sure you have the right training. And if you
A Make
aren't sure, get support from your Educational Visits
Adviser. Don't leave yourself vulnerable. Since I started
using EVOLVE Advice, I have a lot more confidence that
things are safe and processes are sensible and not
overly complicated.
what has been your most
Q Finally,
memorable school visit as a Trust?
one school, where I was Deputy Head, we used
A Atto take
the whole school to Scarborough. Twelve
buses, 400 children, going down the A64. It was brilliant,
as some of the inner-city Bradford children had never
seen the sea – or even the countryside.
But I also have to mention the visits to Farms for City
Children, which are exceptional. To see children with a
range of needs meeting new friends and working together
with animals is really beautiful.
Image: Farms for
City Children
ANDREW’S TOP TIPS FOR TRUSTS
1
Be a central point of information – for example, if a school has been to London, we
can share those resources with other schools to support planning and reduce work.
2 Create opportunities for cross-Trust experiences.
really organised! Plan well in advance so there is time to adapt and tweak until
3 Be
everyone is comfortable with the arrangements. Last-minute scrambles cause stress.
4 Encourage and support your team to engage with the right training.
THE EVC MAGAZINE – AUTUMN/WINTER 2025-26
25
