English school trip ideas for primary schools
Educational visits linked to the National Curriculum for English
We are fortunate to live in a country with an outstanding list of writers, both past and present, who have contributed so much to both literature and the English language. From Shakespeare and Dickens to Beatrix Potter and J.K. Rowling, we enjoy a wealth of stories, folklore, plays, poems and films which make us laugh and cry, frighten, entertain and teach us.
The benefit of an English school trip for primary pupils is that they can see and experience for themselves what they’ve been learning about in the classroom. The places and characters they’ve read about in a book become real, and the pages of their books spring into life.
English at primary school is, of course, of paramount importance – if a child struggles with basic literacy, communication and comprehension, they will find it difficult to express themselves in other subjects too. But amongst the phonemes and graphemes, homophones, morphology, etymology and fronted adverbials, how do we truly spark creativity, imagination and a love of reading and writing?
This practical application inspires them and fires their imaginations, while helping them retain knowledge and learn more deeply. Educational visits also provide a different way of learning that some pupils will respond to more effectively than writing at their desks..
For educational English primary school trip ideas near you, simply select your region and choose the class trip that suits your needs.
Recently added english primary school trips
Tudor World
Tudor World
Skern Lodge
Skern Lodge
The Silverstone Experience
The Silverstone Experience
London Eye
London Eye
Fairytale Farm
Fairytale Farm
Animal Education Centre, East Park
Animal Education Centre, East Park
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester
Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
The Beatles Story
The Beatles Story
Go Ape, Normanby Hall – Lincolnshire
Go Ape, Normanby Hall – Lincolnshire
Wicked the Musical
Wicked the Musical
Oxford Castle & Prison
Oxford Castle & Prison
Parliament Education Centre
Parliament Education Centre
National Waterfront Museum
National Waterfront Museum
National Justice Museum – North West
National Justice Museum – North West
Shrek’s Adventure
Shrek’s Adventure
Mousetrap Theatre Projects
Mousetrap Theatre Projects
Fairy Forest School
Fairy Forest School
JORVIK DIG
JORVIK DIG
Bronte Parsonage Museum
Bronte Parsonage Museum
Leighton Hall
Leighton Hall
Roman Baths
Roman Baths
The Emmerdale Studio Experience
The Emmerdale Studio Experience
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
Elan Valley
Elan Valley
National Justice Museum – Nottingham
National Justice Museum – Nottingham
KidZania London
KidZania London
What does the National Curriculum say?
English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate with others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. (Yes, that’s the practical outcome of quality English teaching – but it’s about more than that. It’s about your pupils’ creativity thriving, their imaginations running wild, and developing a joy in reading.)
Literature especially plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. (It doesn’t stop there. Reading enables empathy and helps pupils to understand different perspectives. Discussing or acting out scenes from books also helps build pupils’ skills and confidence in speaking and listening.)
Key Stage 1 – Pupils should be taught
Spoken language
• Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
• Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
• Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• Give well-structured descriptions
• Speak audibly and fluently
• Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates
Reading – word reading
• Apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words
• Read accurately by blending sounds in unfamiliar words
• Read aloud accurately
• Re-read these books to build up their fluency and confidence
Reading – comprehension
• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by
• Understand both the books they can already read accurately and fluently and those they listen to
Writing – transcription
• Spell words containing phonemes and common exception words
• Name the letters of the alphabet
• Add prefixes and suffixes
• Apply simple spelling rules and guidance
Handwriting
• Sit correctly, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly
• Begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction
• Form capital letters
• Form digits 0-9
Writing – composition
• Write in sentences
• Write narratives about personal experiences and those of others
• Write about real events
• Write poetry
• Consider what they are going to write before beginning
• Make simple additions, revisions and corrections to their writing
Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
• Begin to punctuate sentences using a capital letter, full stop, question and exclamation marks
• Use a capital letter for names of people, places, and days of the week
• Use sentences with different forms: statement, question, exclamation, command
• Use expanded noun phrases to describe and specify
• Use the present and past tenses correctly
Key Stage 2 – Pupils should be taught
Reading – word reading
• Apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes
• Read further exception words
• Apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes
Reading – comprehension
• Listen to and discuss fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books
• Read books that are structured in different ways
• Use a dictionary
• Prepare poems and play scripts to read aloud and perform
• Understand what they read, in books they can read independently
• Maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read
Writing – transcription
• Spell words that are often misspelt
• Place the possessive apostrophe accurately
• Spell words with ‘silent’ letters
• Use a thesaurus
• Write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed
Handwriting
• Use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters
• Increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting
Writing – composition
• Plan their writing
• Draft and write by building a rich vocabulary, organising paragraphs, and creating settings, characters and plot
• Evaluate and edit by proposing changes, proof-reading and reading aloud
Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
• Choose nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition
• Use conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
• Use fronted adverbials
• Using and punctuate direct speech
• Recognise vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing
• Use expanded noun phrases, modal verbs and relative clauses
• Use commas, hyphens, brackets, dashes, semi-colons and colons