heart of heartlands lessons

School trips are a staple part of secondary schools in the UK. London schools are particularly fortunate having free travel via TfL thus having a range of educational opportunities within easy access. At Heartlands, we are proud to have seven drop down days a year, where staff are encouraged to take pupils on trips, usually within their subject area. Staff are also encouraged to run national and international trips during term time, where the educational value can be proved.

But how can we maximise the impact of trips, so that they leave a lasting educational impression on students, rather than just something looked back on fondly? With Key Stage 4 trips, the History department has been particularly deliberate in ensuring the trips support the curriculum. With the increased content to get through for the GCSEs, such trips can reinforce and support the specification, rather than just be a bolt on.

We've worked with organisations like the National Archives, who put on fantastic GCSE related workshops. They design them with the specification in mind, while also wanting to bring the history to life. My students when doing a workshop on Elizabeth I, were amazed at how they were allowed to handle - without gloves - original documents handwritten by Elizabeth herself. The workshop leader though was sure to link back the learning to some of the big themes of the GCSE.

If not doing a workshop, then pre-trip visits to the museums are advisable. We do a visit to the Imperial War Museum exhibition on the Cold War, as this is another GCSE topic. We designed a booklet, ensuring the questions and the content we drew out from the exhibtioon linked to the course content. Having something tangible like a booklet, which students had to fill out and kept after, helped ensure more impactful learning. Students need this kind of direction: going through an exhibition is a skill that requires self-control. Unless there is some kind of scaffolding, students will not get the most out of it.

We run an international trip to the trenches in Belgium for Key Stage 3, as this links with the World War One topic. With there being less concern about the specification, when designing this trip I'm influenced by the work of Chip and Dan Heath and their book The Power of Moments. They argue that moments should be more explicitly and deliberately designed, for them to be transformational. The historical memory ingrained in villages and fields around Ypres are the ideal forum to create memories that can last a lifetime for students.

Whatever the trip, in the design and implementation, it is worth being deliberate with what students do and what they will get out of it. This will ensure the most learning takes place, which ultimately is the primary goal of trips.

Heartlands High School, Station Road, Wood Green, London, N22 7ST

Contact: Mari Williams, mari.williams@heartlands.haringey.sch.uk | www.heartlands.haringey.sch.uk