School trips for the new school year

With students fresh from holidays and the new school year upon us, this is the perfect time for parents and teachers to start thinking about school trips abroad for the next academic year.

For students studying a language there can be no better opportunity to bring the language to life than speaking it in the country where it’s spoken. A language trip abroad is a valuable chance to put into practice all those years of language learning, outside the confines of the traditional classroom, and give real purpose to the language they have learnt so far. Students will receive instant reward and gratification as they make themselves understood and have real-life conversations in their target language, something that can only encourage and motivate further.

As for student performance, this can only reap the benefit of a school trip abroad. Practising the language with locals, listening to the language all around you, even making mistakes, will all take you much further than any text book. I personally remember studying Spanish for several years before venturing to South America and finding myself, to my shock, completely tongue-tied – my written and spoken Spanish was good, thanks to a good grounding of grammar and vocabulary at school, but never had I had to get out there and use the language in real-life situations. It was a world away from answering questions in the classroom. Being in-country was the best way to solve the problem though – not only do you have no choice, but you actually want to learn the language and get past the language barrier.

So, from a student’s point of view, a study trip abroad to consolidate and improve a skill such as a foreign language is an effective and fun way to see results. As such it makes for a perfect revision and confidence boost before those all-important GCSEs and AS or A Levels.

Equally, from a teacher’s point of view, the chance to take your students abroad and interact with them in a social as well as academic environment can often have the positive knock-on effect of enhancing your rapport with them, something that will last well past the trip itself.

What does a school trip abroad entail?

Cactus School Groups Abroad runs school trips worldwide in French (France and Canada), Spanish (Spain and Latin America), German (Germany), Italian (Italy) and English (UK).

You can choose a fixed itinerary package, for your own group, or tailor-make a language study and activity package to suit you. The following elements are usually included:

• 15 or 20 language lessons per week, at a local and fully-approved language school
• Return transfers from the nearest airport
• Full-board accommodation in a host family or student residence
• 24-hour supervision
• Full health and safety related information and form-filling help
• Complimentary familiarisation trip prior to departure (excluding travel costs)
• Free briefing sessions for pupils / parents at your school or college
• Free group leader places where possible
• Price comparisons and quick quotes

For more information please visit www.schoolgroupsabroad.com or email .