As a fully inclusive college, around one quarter of our students have ECHP’s. Many of our students are neurodiverse, and one of our most important goals is to ensure that everything we offer is suitable for our diverse range of students.

At the end of the Spring term, our GCSE students were rewarded by their hard work in their mock exams by two special day trips. These trips were carefully planned to ensure that they would be fully inclusive. When planning school trips for a diverse student body, it is important to bear the following in mind.

Those planning a trip should put themselves in the shoes of a neurodiverse student. If an adult has a confident and extroverted character, it can be difficult to imagine why some students may feel apprehensive about the prospect of a school trip. After all, surely everyone can see that it would be great fun to have an adventure somewhere new, accompanied by a large group of fellow students, further away from home than the usual school day takes you?

Well, not for everyone. 

Neurodiverse students may become worried by many aspects of a trip. Taking public transport, trying new foods, being in a large group of overexcited students and being far away from home can all cause anxieties. Who will I sit next to on the train? Will there be anything I can eat? What if I get lost? What if I feel totally overwhelmed by all of the noise and movement and have no way to escape?? These are very real fears for some children.

Therefore, trips need to be planned very carefully. Here are some suggestions for anyone looking to plan a trip for a neurodiverse group of students:

• Seek student input into the trip. Our students were very excited by being able to help select the trip activities. Two very different trips were organised, one to Thorpe Park and the other to the Imperial War Museum so that there was something which appealed to everyone
• Be prepared to talk through the logistics of the trip in a detailed way with students who are anxious. For example, one of our students wanted to talk through what they should bring in their bag. These things are not “common sense” to everyone
• Ensuring that a member of staff is always present at an agreed location which is easy to find. This enables the students to come and sit with the staff member if they need some time out, and they know where to go if they get lost
• Remember that seemingly small events can be huge challenges for some students. For example, some of our students need to be accompanied to the till when they want to buy something as they feel too nervous to speak to the shop assistant on their own. Never assume that something will be easy for everyone just because it is easy for most children
• Many neurodiverse students become very worried about unstructured time, for example when the students are able to mix freely at lunch. Some students worry that they will have no one to sit with, so we always say to them that they can sit with staff if they would like to. Likewise, when going around the Imperial War Museum, one student preferred to walk around with a staff member
• Food is a trigger for anxiety for many neurodiverse students. We selected a nearby food market for the trip to the War Museum, and this made sure that everyone could find food that they enjoyed, although some students did choose to bring a packed lunch instead
• Transport is another anxiety trigger. Some neurodiverse students may prefer to sit with staff. Some may feel anxious if they are unable to sit, as standing on a busy train or bus can lead to lots of jostling. Some of these students will be entitled to sit in one of the allocated seats for people with disabilities
• Some students may need an earlier exit point, as a whole day may be overwhelming. In this case, a parent can perhaps pick up the student at lunchtime. It is better for them to be able to try to attend the trip and know that they have an exit point rather than for them to become so anxious that they feel unable to try at all
• The vast majority of our students attended both trips and had a wonderful time. Do encourage everyone to attend but, if someone really doesn’t want to, then consider carefully whether it is wise to push them. Being pushed out of your comfort zone before you are ready can lead to a bad experience which can prevent future attempts to branch out. It is surely much better for children to be allowed to experience things when they feel ready so they can enjoy themselves, leading to positive memories when they are next considering whether to try something new.