Each Learning Away school partnership had an overall objective to explore together – for example, ‘involving families’ or ‘student leadership’. However, over the course of Learning Away, some partnerships found they were able to make substantial changes to the cost of their school residentials.

The benefits of a lower-cost model are extensive and not simply related to lower costs for families and schools. The Learning Away partnership schools that developed lower-cost models reported a range of benefits – many of which were sustained long after each residential ended.

There are many ways to make the most of learning away from school; lower-cost models needn’t be sparse or limit young people’s experiences. Explore how five school partnerships shaped exciting, stimulating residentials without creating a financial burden on family or school budgets.

Planning an alternative to a traditional residential experience for young people may seem daunting at first. However, the benefits make it worth the additional investment of time, with the extra effort upfront resulting in a clear strategy, smooth planning systems, confident staff and a raft of volunteers willing to help out at future lower-cost residentials.

The Learning Away team at Hanover Primary created a Top Tips document to help planners of future residential experiences avoid and learn from the pitfalls they encountered.

The Learning Away school partnerships discovered a huge amount about devising, delivering and evaluating low cost residentials.