Reflections on a Simple Past | 10. The School Trip
Some 30 years on, the memories of our school trips live on, and in looking back, we find ourselves so easily transported back to a simpler time. How lucky we were to have had those experiences.
Welcome to Rediscover · Reconnect · Re-Emerge. If you find the fleeting changes of modern life wearisome, maybe even overwhelming, join me on a journey, a path well-trodden, as I share heartfelt and often nostalgic reflections on living slowly, simply, and in tune with the seasons.
In this series, I look back at some of the people, places and things which have so richly influenced and inspired my love of all things simple.
Given the amount of our childhood spent in school, it is, perhaps, the time spent outside of school, on school trips, which we remember most. School trips seemed to offer us all, children and adults, an opportunity to see each other in a different light. Even the most severe of teacher seemed to let their guard down when not constrained to the school premises. Our school trips, in the 1990s seemed, by modern comparison, simple. They nearly always aligned with a topic we were studying, and whilst educational, were always a fun; an often memorable day out, away from the limits of school building.
School trips these days seem to be far more complicated affairs if the snake of hi-vis-clad children often passing the front of our house is anything to go by. Children too seem to go on far more exotic school trips, often abroad these days, something which would never have crossed our mind back then. Switzerland, Iceland and New York all feature fairly regularly. I’m sure they are all wonderful experiences, but goodness knows what it all costs! When I was at school, in 1991, the Local Education Authority introduced rules which meant schools were no longer able to charge for school trips, but parents were welcome to make a voluntary contribution of £4.75. I’m sure times have changed, but then the whole educational landscape has changed, the school trips with it.
Some of the earliest school trips I remember were simply going out into the local area, exploring its geography and its history, often clipboard in hand. It’s only in retrospect that I realise how formative these trips were in inspiring my interests and hobbies now. Our first ‘big’ trip was, by coincidence, to the Big Pit at Blaenavon in South Wales, in October 1991. To align with our topic work on ‘light and colour’, I recorded the following in my exercise book:
‘On Wednesday, we went to the Big Pit at Blaenavon. We went on a coach. When we got there we put on helmets and heavy belts. We went down in the pit cage. It was like a lift. The big wheel at the surface pulls it up and down on a chain. A miner showed us around. It would have been very dark without lights on our helmets. The roof was so low, that Mrs Wells kept banging her head. We went past the old stables where the old pit ponies were kept. We went past a conveyor belt which used to carry coal from the coal face. When we came up in the pit cage, I was glad to see daylight again. When we came up in the pit cage we turned our lights off and sang. It was pitch dark.
This trip feels quite adventurous, and would have been a good two-hour coach journey from school. It was quite an experience for a group of 7-8 year olds!
School trips seemed to often have been remembered for the things which went wrong, often related to the weather. In April 1992, we went to the Black Country Museum; it rained all day and we were absolutely soaked, as all the photos show. We didn’t always travel far though, and in June 1993, we went to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester and to the Roman Villa at Chedworth. In many respects, they were simple outings by modern standards, free of technology, and again, the foundation of so many of my interests today. How lucky we were to have experienced these things!
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Many of the school trips were to places which supported our work on history, and so often, it was these visits, simple as they were, which brought what we were learning on the page to life. In November 1993, we went to The Commandery at Worcester in relation to our work on the Civil War. Perhaps today, museums such as this seem dull, with no computer or electronic presentation in sight? They were exciting to us.
At secondary school, we tended to venture further afield. In February 1997, we embarked on an epic outing to London, to visit the Natural History Museum in the morning, and the Tower of London in the afternoon. We were very delayed on the way home, and the coach didn’t return until well into the night (in the days, of course, before mobile telephones). At the Tower of London, we admired the giant life-size teddy bear beefeater, but sadly, Mrs Wynn said we couldn’t take him home. She got told off for trying to go through the Crown Jewels exhibition twice, something obviously not permitted!
In the latter years, we tended to go on more theatre trips. In November 1999, we went to the Bristol Hippodrome to see a stage production of The Hobbit, though my chief memory seems to have been having the most uncomfortable seats in the theatre! In March 2000, we saw Macbeth at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, an odd production in which broom handles featured heavily! Later in the year, we went to see The Tempest at Bristol Zoo, the production accompanied by authentic animal sounds.
Somehow, our school trips reflected the times we lived in. In September 2000, we were due to go a National Youth Theatre Performance in Hammersmith, which was cancelled due to the fuel crisis which gripped the country at that time. After it was over, once again did a double visit to the Natural History Museum and Kew Gardens.
I wonder if school trips now are as memorable? Perhaps they are, for different reasons? I suspect that technology features more heavily, and I’m sure they cost more than £4.75! We were, looking back, incredibly lucky to have those experiences, to be able to visit these historical and cultural sites where often, we were allowed to roam free with a strict instruction to be back at the coach by a particular time. I think our school trips also reflected the types of activities we enjoyed doing at the weekend and in the school holidays; simple outings at a minimal cost, deeply rooted in time and place. Some 30 years later, the memories live on, and in looking back, we find ourselves so easily transported back to a simpler time.
I wonder what memories you have of your own school trips and outings?
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That was lovely to read David, it evoked some memories of my school trips back in the 70’s. One that stands out the most was a trip to Aberglaslyn Hall in Wales, an outdoor activity centre. I remember visiting a farm that had llama’s and a trip on the Ffestiniog railway.
I enjoyed reading this David. It took me back to my school days, our school trips were always to the same place - the local National Trust park. The announcement of a day out was met with huffs and eye rolls by Year 6. The highlight was not having to wear school uniform, it felt strange seeing everyone in their regular clothes 😂