Among those who went on trips
• Fewer than one in ten( 9 %) children visited a place of worship( e. g. synagogue, church, mosque) with their school in the last year
• Only one in five( 20 %) children visited a musical or performing arts event with their school in the past year
• Less than a quarter( 23 %) of children visited a residential outdoor centre with their school in the past year
• School trips are almost twice as likely to go to a theme park or amusement park than they are to a place of worship( 16 % vs. 9 %)
Demographic splits
• Fewer than one in five( 19 %) teenagers aged 16 to 18 have had a school trip to a university or college campus in the past 12 months
• Independent school pupils are more than twice as likely to have been on a sports tour in the past 12 months, compared to state school pupils( 15 % vs. 7 %)
• Almost half( 49 %) of children aged 4 to 5 have been to a zoo, aquarium or wildlife centre with school in the past 12 months
• Less than a quarter( 24 %) of children from the poorest households have been to a historical site – such as a castle or monument – in the past 12 months, compared to 34 % of children from the richest households
• More than eight in ten( 82 %) overseas trips headed to Europe, with a third of all foreign school trips heading to France
Image: istock. com / Image Source
38 THE NATIONAL PARENT SURVEY 2026