How much does a school activity trip cost?

 How much does a school activity trip cost?

It's an important question, and one that you, as a teacher, need to know when arranging an outdoor adventure trip for your class. I hope to answer your question here in this article.

The exact price genuinely depends on what your goals are, and ultimately, your idea of the perfect adventure trip. Hopefully I will be able to answer more of your questions below and give a clear idea of what you'll be paying. 

 How does the price of Talkin Adventures compare with other providers?

The cost across the outdoors industry varies massively, and even our own packages range in price. When we look at the packages that school groups have booked for 2023, the average cost per child is £25.02+vat per child. (not that we're precise!). We believe that your group will have a fantastic experience with superb value for money.

For a full day of adventure, with all the bells and whistles, you could be paying up to around £45+vat per child with us, yet we do have some options to reduce your cost to £6 per child with more support from you and your team.

We've done some research and our competitors are very cagey about price. Some charge depending on the day of the week, or month of the year. We don't believe that you should pay more for the sunshine! For a full day of adventure at one of our quality competitors, you'll be paying over £36 per child in 2023.

When you look at our brochure, you'll see lots of examples of packages on offer for schools at Talkin Tarn. I guarantee that all of the packages you see will have been adjusted at some point to suit a particular school. Lots of the bigger activity providers cater for so many groups at once that their schedules are set in stone. As a small activity centre, Talkin Adventures have the flexibility to make last minute changes to almost any aspect of your day.

• Held up at school and going to be late?
  We can adjust all of your timings, maybe get onto the activities quicker after lunch?
• Fancy an ice cream at lunch time?
  We'll speak with the tea room, take a pre-order, and maybe even adjust your timings with you to fit this in. We've even been known to pay the bill and invoice your school so that you as a teacher won't be out of pocket.

New child started at school?
No problem, we recognise that group sizes need to change. As long as our safety ratios are maintained, in most cases, all we'll need is a personal information form. Guess what! - your price per head has just gone down!

 How do outdoor activity centres structure their pricing?

The outdoor activity industry is vast, ranging from large chains of residential centres, to individuals, working alone with minimal overheads to take your group outdoors. We discuss how to make the right choice for your group, for your goals and also legally, in our article, here.

Many activity centres for school children will have a set menu of packages and, as they say, "the price is the price". To avoid the big scary numbers, lots of centres will advertise a price per child. Some smaller providers will have a simple day rate, whatever you are doing with them.

At Talkin Adventures, our prices are "per group". A typical group consists of 8-10 children. There is some flexibility in this but we find that with this group size, the experience for your children, with us, will be superb. The main reason that we structure our pricing like this is that the cost for us to provide a fantastic experience for 7 children is almost exactly the same as the cost for us to provide the same fantastic experience for a group of 9!

Once we know what you are looking for in an activity day, and the total number of children visiting us, we'll be able to recommend the ideal number of groups and itinerary to suit you. Most of the teachers visiting us make the most of the many years of experience and training that our team members possess. Teachers love that from the moment our team greet them on the bus, to the moment we wave goodbye, the children are in safe hands. They are free to enjoy their day, seeing their pupils shine in a new environment, taking part in the activities. The change in group dynamics from a classroom to outdoor learning space is incredible and you will see a new side to many of your cohort.

Structured around the number of groups, Talkin Adventures activity days vary in length.

• Does your trip need to fit into a school day? Will the children need to be back at school for the bell?
• Can the coaches only fit in around their regular school contracts?
• Are you looking for a full day of adventure activities?
• Is this a short trip to meet a specific curriculum need, e.g. Orienteering?

The length of your day is a major factor for Talkin Adventures when putting together a quote for you. Your activity day may consist of a single activity, ranging up to a 4 activity day beyond 4pm. There's more to making your decision than the price, and the longer day might bring more value for money, especially if you're bringing a large group.

 What to check with pricing

When comparing outdoor activity providers, there is so much to consider. There are certain elements of due diligence to carry out, in order to ensure the safety of your children, and also aspects of quality to consider. Here at Talkin Adventures we know and are really proud that you will receive an excellent standard of service, with friendly, professional instructors, using premium quality equipment, in beautiful surroundings.

• Is the provider VAT registered, and is this clear on their quote?

As a school, you should be able to claim this back.

• How much public liability insurance do they hold?

The industry norm is £5 million, Talkin Adventures hold £10 million

• Does the provider hold a suitable licence for their activities?

As a provider of certain activities, providers MUST hold an AALA licence. You can check ours on the HSE government website, Talkin Adventures provider R2398. For activities such as watersports, with very few exceptions, if the provider doesn't hold this, they, and you, will be breaking the law by taking your class out on the water.

• Do they invest in their team?

Many companies provide mainly "in-house" training for lots of their activities. Our team gain nationally recognised qualifications and their professional development beyond the minimum required level is hugely important to us. You'll often find our team out and about gaining more experience and loving the outdoors, and some of the team train leaders and instructors to British Canoeing standards when they aren't running introductory sessions for your group! Talkin Adventures also pay our team a fair rate for their professional skills, experience, and instruction, meaning that we retain a regular team of superb instructors who really embrace our company values and provide a fantastic experience for you.

• Is the equipment up to scratch?

As in every walk of life, you get what you pay for. Every activity provider will purchase equipment that meets the recognised standards here in the UK. Sometimes though, the equipment will become tired and worn out. The quality of our equipment is very important to us. At Talkin Adventures, we pay a bit more for certain items, and aim to use British suppliers and manufactures on the whole. Our Buoyancy Aids are made by Peak Paddlesports, our canoe fleet is mainly from Hou Canoes in Cheshire, and our kayaks are from WaveSport in East Sussex. We recognise that we'll pay a bit more for this equipment, but by investing in the equipment, we believe that your experience will be improved. Our equipment is regularly inspected and each year our buoyancy aids are tested to ensure that they provide the specified level of floatation. We do this, but it isn't a requirement, so lots of companies don't. We even pay for our boats to be inspected by a marine surveyor each year, in line with our hire licence for Carlisle City Council.

• What facilities are included?

As a standard, your group will have access to warm showers and changing rooms. Most of our packages also include the hire of the education cabin at Talkin Tarn as a private base for your group. We have various outdoor spaces and covers to suit your group.

 A professional team

Our team is a happy mix of experienced coaches with 15+ years of experience and new instructors in the initial stages of their career. We aren't interested in employing people looking to fill a few months having a jolly in a gap year. Most of our team come to us already having years of leadership experience in the industry, and it shows. When we bring on trainees, we work closely with them to help them gain experience, and also to create a bespoke training path for them as individuals. Our team will only work with your group once they have the right level of experience and training to do so.

 How much does it cost?

It's a tricky question, and I hope that I have been able to answer it in this article. Our School Activity Brochure has specific examples, and I would love to send it to you. As the price varies so much depending on your needs, I really hope that you will reach out and give us the opportunity to create an activity day to suit you. If you think we might be the right fit for your school activity day, please get in touch today.