School trips are part and parcel of British life. Many years later, the fun, bonding, and mischief are still engrained into the minds of millions. In a new poll commissioned by Hyundai, British parents have shared their favourite memories of their school trips, and below, we look at what they felt they could reveal.
The Data
Hyundai commissioned the survey for its Great British School Trip programme and provided some interesting insights. The data reveals that two-thirds (66%) of modern parents have fond memories of school trips of their youth, yet 64% have struggled to pay for their child to attend a school outing in recent years, with the average annual expense for a trip now reaching a staggering £203 per child!
It also revealed that 63% of parents believe school outings and trips away positively impact their children’s mental well-being, according to the poll of 2,000 parents with school-aged children.
Looking back at their own fond memories, scoffing a packed lunch on the bus (20%), sharing a Walkman earphone with a friend (20%), sing-alongs (31%), and giggling because the teachers were in casual clothes (30%) came high in the list.
Other things parents think back to with a smile include sitting next to a crush (13%), getting a clipboard and a pen (12%), grumpy coach drivers (13%), and making faces at other cars out of the coach window (19%) – as well as stopping for service station sweets (19%) and playing games of Top Trumps (8%)
So, it’s no surprise that two-thirds (67%) of mums and dads feel guilty when their child misses out due to financial constraints, while 60% believe that financial struggles place their children at a clear disadvantage.
With these ongoing financial challenges weighing heavily on families, Hyundai, now in its third year of the ‘Great British School Trip’ programme, discovered that nearly half of parents (49%) are concerned about the long-term impact that missing out on these experiences may have on their child.
Ashley Andrew, President of Hyundai Motor & Genesis UK, commented, “These findings highlight the financial challenges many families are facing, making it harder to access school trips. While parents are eager to provide these opportunities, rising costs are increasingly putting them out of reach.
“Through our Great British School Trip programme, we’ve already supported 146,882 children, and in response to these findings, we’re reopening bursary applications to help even more families. This reaffirms our commitment to ensuring as many children as possible can benefit from the invaluable experience of school trips, regardless of financial circumstances.”
Parents acknowledge that school excursions are now more frequent than when they were younger but also recognise a significant rise in costs. In fact, 57% of parents believe that school trip costs have increased dramatically.
As a result, 33% of parents feel that schools should scale back on trips to ensure that every child, regardless of their family’s financial situation, has the opportunity to participate.
Hyundai’s Great British School Trip has thus far supported 146,882 children over three years of the programme and is reopening its bursary applications. To learn more about the programme and how you can get involved, please visit https://greatbritishschooltrip.com.
Fondest School Trip Memories
- Back of the bus antics (mucking around): 53%
- Leaving on the coach at the crack of dawn: 43%
- Buying souvenirs like key rings or fridge magnets: 38%
- Everyone singing along: 31%
- Giggling because your teachers were in casual clothes: 30%
- Having a small purse of “spending money”: 29%
- Visiting the gift shop: 28%
- The teacher sitting at the front of the bus: 21%
- Sharing a Walkman earphone with a friend: 20%
- Scoffing your packed lunch: 20%
- Stopping at the services and buying sweets: 19%
- Making faces at the cars behind you: 19%
- Fighting for the back seat: 18%
- Sitting next to your crush: 13%
- A bag of chips at the seaside: 13%
- Grumpy coach drivers: 13%
- Being given a clipboard and pen: 12%
- Playing top trumps: 8%
- Swapping panini cards: 7%
- Plastic wallets: 7%
Hyundai commissioned Perspectus Global to conduct this research on parents of school-aged children in December 2024.
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