The EVC Magazine Autumn/Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 19
shoulder season
Our benchmarking survey showed that you may
be able to significantly cut the cost of your year 6
residential if you’re prepared to consider changing
the time of year you visit.
What about providers?
Providers want schools to come and enjoy their
facilities all year round, especially if it means
being able to support children that would
otherwise struggle to come at all.
Consistently busy centres also help build a
healthier business that enables greater investment
in facilities and staff, which is good for everyone.
Talk to providers about funding schemes and ask
about 'shoulder season' to help keep costs down.
It’s time for a rethink!
Schools choose to travel in the spring/summer
term for a range of different reasons – for some,
they have always scheduled a residential for that
time of year, but often it’s because the weather is
better!
More tips for booking
your residential
→ Look for providers with the
LOtC Quality Badge
→ Be flexible about when you
visit to get the best deals
→ Ask about current
promotions
→ If you have been loyal to a
particular provider, ask for a
loyalty discount!
→ Bear in mind, if you travel in
the main peak season, you are
unlikely to get any deals
In all my years of leading educational
multi-activity experiences I never once
heard a child complain it was raining when
we were on session, or that their wellies
were muddy. Even if all I wanted was a hot
drink and a warm fire, it never dampened
their spirit for adventure.
Residentials are also excellent for building
relationships – and when better than the
start of the academic year?
WHY SEPTEMBER
RESIDENTIALS MAKE SENSE:
☑
Cut the cost of your visit and you
can pass this on to families.
☑ Build strong peer to peer
relationships early on.
☑ Establish student - teacher
relationships from the start.
Post residential, 70% of key stage
2 students felt they knew their
teachers better and 71% felt they
got on better with their peers
as a result of their residential
experiences1.
For all the reasons above, and knowing how tough
it is for schools and families at the moment, I
would challenge schools to think differently –
don’t give 'off-season' the cold shoulder!
Jake Wiid is Director at
EVOLVE Advice
Limitations: This was a limited study, intended to give indicative costs and enable us to offer general recommendations. It does not
guarantee that all school groups will save money when booking during ‘shoulder season’. The cost of your visit will be influenced by your
specific group and activity requirements. Eight national, multi-centre providers were invited to submit a quote, our findings are based on the
four responses received. They are all LOtC Quality Badge holders.
[1] https://learningaway.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Learning-Away-Interim-Evaluation-Summary-2-_September-2014.pdf
19
