The EVC Magazine Spring 2026 - Magazine - Page 27
LOtC
RESIDENTIALS:
why educational
intent matters
The Council for Learning Outside the
Classroom (CLOtC) is the UK charity
champion for all learning that
happens beyond the classroom.
CLOtC’s Anne Hunt explains
why it is important to make
residentials an integral part
of your LOtC curriculum
L
earning outside the classroom
(LOtC) is a powerful tool that can
enrich and extend the curriculum,
ensuring that all learning experiences
are broad, balanced and relevant.
Residential visits are a vital part of
any visit programme and, like other
forms of LOtC, they have the biggest
impact when they are organised
with clear educational intent – from
adventurous activities that build
resilience and teamwork to nonadventurous stays that reinforce
subject understanding. They enhance
knowledge retention and engagement
and develop transferable skills
when experiences are meaningfully
connected to curriculum goals.
Evidence from a recent CLOtC
report 'Different Journeys: Regional
variations in English school
residential visits' confirms that
residential educational visits are
routinely used to support both
subject learning and personal
development across key stages, and
that schools tailor residentials to
different educational priorities as
pupils progress.
For more information go to
→lotc.org.uk
When planning visits, three key principles are worth bearing in mind:
1 Align your visit with your curriculum and enrichment goals
Make sure you know the aim of the visit and how it will help meet your
priorities and objectives. Residentials at different stages often serve different
purposes – the recent report confirmed that these shift from personal and
social development at lower key stages to subject-linked learning at the later
key stages.
2 Prepare children and young people before, during and after visits
Advance preparation, such as introducing key vocabulary, enquiry tasks
and virtual tours, helps pupils to engage in learning rather than logistics.
Follow-up activities and reflection help to consolidate understanding and
link the experiences back to the curriculum.
3 Promote equity of access
The 'Different Journeys' analysis highlights regional differences in
opportunities that appear to be linked to socio-economic factors. Planning well
in advance and working closely with the provider and families can help ensure
everyone’s needs are met.
When educational visits are intentional, inclusive
and well-integrated, they become an integral part
of a school’s curriculum delivery, deepening
understanding and enriching learning for all.
The report also highlights that there
are differences in participation in
residentials across England: students
in schools in regions in the south of
England are more likely to take part
than those in the north.
THE EVC MAGAZINE – SPRING 2026
'Different Journeys' was based
on EVOLVE data from more than
25,000 educational settings.
It was published by CLOtC in
partnership with eduFOCUS,
providers of EVOLVE. Scan the
QR code to download your copy.
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