School trips are an important experience for all children. It is worth considering the following advice in advance.
Day school trips
- School to draw up risk assessment and plan with pupil’s vision impairment in mind.
- Is additional support needed for safety reasons?
- Is additional support needed for educational reasons so that the pupil can fully access the learning objective?
- 1:1 support to be provided if necessary.
- If appropriate, parents to meet school staff going on trip and discuss individual needs.
- School to contact venue to check accessibility and availability of large print material or guides for a vision impaired pupil.
- Vision impaired pupil to be at front of group when staff giving instructions or demonstrations being given.
Theatre visits
- Contact theatre to ensure school group (or smaller group with vision impaired child) are allocated seats at front of theatre, cinema or auditorium.
- School to consider attending an audio described performance.
- School to consider asking for touch tour.
- Large print guides are available for museums or theatre performances.
- Consider use of binoculars at theatre if no other consideration made.
- Staff member to help interpret performance as appropriate.
Residential school trips
- School to draw up risk assessment and plan with pupil’s vision impairment in mind.
- Is additional support needed for safety reasons?
- Is additional support needed for educational reasons so that the pupil can fully access the learning objective?
- Ask for a detailed itinerary of school trip
- Consider writing notes for staff on the trip giving specific information on your child’s sight and explaining when and where sight issues may arise for your child
- Meet with staff going on schools trip if appropriate to discuss the trip itinerary and its impact with regards to sight
- For older children check arrangements for ‘free time’ on school trips