Experience Education shares our passion for giving every child the opportunity to learn, grow and be inspired beyond the classroom. As a Lead Sponsor of this year’s National Conference, they’re helping to champion the life-changing impact of meaningful educational experiences.
We spoke to the team about why learning beyond the classroom matters, what inspires their work, and why they’re proud to support the CLOtC community.
Q: You’ve helped thousands of young people access meaningful educational experiences. What is it about learning beyond the classroom that makes such a lasting impression on children and young people?
We believe the most powerful learning happens beyond the classroom. Students remember what they do, not just what they’re told – a moment on a mountainside, exploring a foreign city or making new friendships on a UK residential. Learning through experience shapes children in a way reading from a textbook cannot, building confidence and resilience through shared experiences.
We support students and teachers through every learning experience. With curriculum tours through Travelbound, ski trips with SkiBound, sports tours through Masterclass and Edwin Doran, global expeditions with World Challenge and UK residentials at our JCA properties, we know that different experiences build different lasting impressions.
Q: Not every child has the same opportunities to explore new places or experiences. Why is it so important that schools continue to provide learning beyond the classroom for all pupils?
Unfortunately, not every family can afford or are able to arrange these experiences independently, so school trips can often be a child’s only route to travel, adventure or cultural exposure. Learning outside the classroom supports far more than just understanding a topic; it supports confidence, resilience and engagement with learning. As advocates for experiential learning, we support schools in removing barriers for students to take part in school trips – from offering a wide range of price points to supporting first-time trip leaders in creating accessible itineraries for students with additional needs.
Q: Planning educational experiences can feel daunting for schools. How does Experience Education work with teachers to make high-quality learning outside the classroom accessible, engaging and impactful?
Planning a trip can be daunting, especially for first-time trip leaders. Experience Education offers end-to-end planning assistance, logistics, risk assessment support and safety guidance, as well as dedicated support before, during and after the trip.
Financial protection and personal safety are the foundations of everything we do. Book with confidence thanks to our ABTA and ATOL protected packages, with 2,000+ in-country safety audits completed by our team every year.
Whether you’re looking to take your Year 6 class on an adventure at one of JCA’s UK residentials, or you’re hoping to teach your History students about the sacrifices of WW1 in Ypres with Travelbound, our team is on hand to build a trip that works for you. Experience Education’s brands also hold the LOtC Quality Badge and have been trusted by thousands of schools, collages and universities to host over 85,000 school trips, so you can rest assured that we’ve got everything covered.
Q: You’ve worked with schools across a wide range of educational settings. What trends are you seeing in the kinds of experiences schools are looking for, and how are those experiences changing to meet the needs of today’s learners?
With pressure on parents and teachers from rising day-to-day costs, today’s schools are seeking clear educational value more than ever before. It’s no longer about planning a fun school trip – it’s about planning meaningful, transformative experiences that truly change students’ lives.
Teachers and parents are looking for trips with true curriculum value as well as experiences that build measurable life skills like confidence, resilience and language use.
Schools aren’t just booking days out, they’re using trips to give students access to something genuinely rare in their day-to-day life. Parents are looking for a chance to give their children an opportunity they wouldn’t otherwise get – from skiing the slopes with friends in Les Menuires to exploring turtle conservation in Borneo, these high-value trips offer students the chance to step into an experience they wouldn’t get on a family holiday or in the classroom.
This influences every itinerary we build. As the experts in school travel, we know what destinations and excursions are worth a school’s time and budget, and we build all of our trips around the most immersive, transformative options. Our trips ensure that parents see the value and students see their learning come to life.
Q: Experience Education is a Lead Sponsor of this year’s CLOtC National Conference. What inspired you to support the conference, and why is partnering with the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom important to you?
CLOtC exists to champion learning outside the classroom, which is exactly what Experience Education was built on. Sponsoring the CLOtC National Conference is a natural extension of what we already do, and offers an opportunity for Experience Education’s brands to connect with and hear from teachers who truly recognise the importance of experiential learning.
By sponsoring the National Conference, we’re pleased to support CLOtC’s role in removing financial barriers for teachers and students. From engaging students through new experiences to enriching the curriculum beyond the classroom walls, we’re true champions of everything the CLOtC stands for.
Q: What’s one educational experience that you believe every child should have before they leave school, and why?
Whilst every educational experience away from the classroom will be beneficial, an overnight trip away from home is something that can truly impact a child’s confidence, independence and sense of adventure.
The first time a child sleeps somewhere other than their own bed without a parent down the hall may sound small, but it rarely feels small to the child going through it.
There’s a particular kind of ‘growing up’ that happens on an overnight trip – a twelve-year-old who’s never had to make a decision bigger than what to have for dinner suddenly has to pack their own bag, manage their own time, sort out a disagreement with a friend or push through a wobble of homesickness on the first night. And whilst these experiences may be daunting, we see students coming out the other side with a sense of maturity they didn’t have before time-and-time again. It’s not something that can be taught in a classroom; it’s something that needs to be lived.
It might be three nights at JCA’s Condover Hall in Shropshire, or it might be a week at Travelbound’s Chateau du Molay in Normandy – the location matters less than the independence. What stays with children isn’t just the itinerary, it’s the moment they realise they can cope without the safety net they’re used to.
Every child deserves that moment no matter their background or what their family can afford to organise alone. An overnight school trip gives every child a chance to grow.
In this short video, John Upton, Managing Director of Experience Education, explains why they believe in the importance of learning outside the classroom and why they are supporting the conference.
Find out more
Experience Education has enriched 1.5 million young lives in 100 countries over 50 years. Their six brands offer unique school travel experiences: JCA (UK activity residentials), World Challenge (expeditions), Edwin Doran Sports Tours (sports tours), Travelbound (curriculum tours), and SkiBound (school ski trips).
Join us at the CLOtC National Conference 2026 on Thursday 12th November where you can meet staff from Experience Education and chat to them about their educational offer.
