EVC Spring 2026_magazine_AWdigital - Flipbook - Page 29
Teacher visits
Alana (left) with EVC
Julie Petitt in an
artefact discovery
session at NST’s
Château d’Ebblinghem,
Normandy
ASK THE
EXPERT
Profile: Alana
Britton – History
Subject Expert
Equity x EVOLVE Advice
Normandy Showcase
12 years working
with NST
History teacher
Best part of the role
Spending all day talking about
history to inquisitive young
people and watching the awe
on their faces when they stand
where history happened and
ask incredible questions.
Favourite destination
Berlin – offering a complete
journey through 20th-century
German history within one of
Europe’s most vibrant cities.
Teachers on an Immersive EVC Training Visit to Normandy discuss a lost child scenario in St Omer
BEYOND THE ITINERARY
Teacher visits have another
dimension – they can offer
valuable professional development
opportunities. On two recent
Immersive EVC Training Visits with
school tour operators Equity and
NST, the participants combined
classroom learning with training in
real environments, which allowed
teachers to work through realistic
scenarios in the environments where
decisions would actually get made.
Teacher Richard Pallant
highlighted the value of
“living and breathing a
residential visit abroad with
a range of experienced EVCs”.
These visits are also a great way
to see the kind of support you get
from providers. They’ll take care of
coordinating logistics, liaising with
venues and providing knowledgeable
guides, allowing you to focus on
student wellbeing and learning
outcomes. You’ll also witness how
they handle unexpected delays or
last-minute changes.
CONNECTING CLASSROOM AND
OFF-SITE LEARNING
When you experience a destination
yourself, curriculum links often
become clearer and more
meaningful. Locations like the
battlefield at Ypres transform
classroom study into powerful,
tangible learning.
Seeing historic sites at first hand
helps you to prepare students
more effectively and enables richer
discussion and reflection when
you return.
Some providers offer subject experts
to accompany your visit. Teachers on
our Immersive EVC Training Visit with
NST were joined by history teacher
Alana Britton, who showed the added
value that subject experts bring to an
educational visit (see box, right).
Teacher visits provide reassurance,
inspiration and practical planning
support. You'll return equipped with
confidence, stronger curriculum links
and a clear vision of how to deliver
unforgettable learning beyond
the classroom.
THE EVC MAGAZINE – SPRING 2026
What does a subject expert do?
Subject experts deal with the
logistics of excursions and
activities, allowing teachers to
focus on supporting students.
They bring detailed knowledge
of locations and understand
academic and examination
requirements, helping tailor
visits to individual school needs
while easing teacher workload.
How do subject experts
support learning?
Activities are directly linked to
educational outcomes and the
national curriculum syllabus.
For example, students studying
GCSE Medicine Through Time
visit locations used by the Royal
Army Medical Corps, where they
analyse historical sources and
evaluate their reliability.
Subject experts also help to
create emotional engagement
through artefact sessions,
allowing students to handle
genuine historical items and
deepen their understanding
beyond textbooks.
29
