Have you ever been pond dipping? Can you spot a newt? When did you first think about protecting your environment?

It is very likely your first meaningful contact with nature was as a child, playing in a rock pool or examining the ants crawling over your picnic…

School trips, for example via our Guardianship scheme, have the power to convert these personal discoveries into real learning experiences. They help children understand the environment and highlight their role in protecting our fragile world.

Over the last few years, we have commissioned unique research into what long-term benefits children gain as a result of taking part in the Guardianship scheme.

This research is now complete, and is being published under the title 'Changing Minds – the lasting impact of school trips'.

As the researcher, Dr Alan Peacock, says:

‘We looked at whether school children’s learning about their local environment would influence the way they treat it. We found that not only was this the case, but high quality, out-of-classroom learning also influenced how children behave and the lifestyle choices they make. It shows the potential for schools trips not just to change individual lives, but the lives of whole communities.’

Some of the points brought out by the research are that:

• School trips influence lives, improve children’s learning and are vital for them to connect with nature

• Community spirit is developed from school trips

• School trips help bond families

Download the full, fascinating report
(PDF / 166KB)