While the pace to cover the syllabus is accelerating as exam time approaches, a school trip might prove to be a welcome break for students.

The fact that schoolchildren benefit from school trips is no breaking news. Less than two years ago, the British government urged teachers to organise school trips after the National Trust published research on the benefits of school trips.

The year-long research, Changing Minds: The Lasting Impact Of School Trips, conducted by the National Trust, concluded: "We looked at whether schoolchildren's learning about their local environment would influence the way they treat it. We found that not only was this the case, but high quality out-of- classroom learning also influenced how children behave and the lifestyle choices they make. It shows the potential for school trips not just to change children's lives, but the lives of whole communities."

A few months later, British Education Secretary Alan Johnson appealed to teachers to increase school trips as "learning outside the classroom is to be at the heart of every school's curriculum".

"Children can gain valuable learning experiences, from going on cultural visits overseas to teachers simply using their school grounds imaginatively.

"Educational visits and out-of-school teaching can bring learning to life by deepening young people's understanding of the environment, history and culture and improving their personal development."

Philip Bonello, education officer on health and safety within the Education Division, said in an interview that trips should be encouraged because the benefits add on to what the children learn in class.

"School trips can serve as complement to what children learn in class. Whereas they can read about museums and cultural places in books, actually visiting the places adds to the multisensory experience. Children are able to supplement what they would have read in books or heard about in class or at home with real experiences of such places. Educational trips also help children interact together."

In Malta, the most common destinations are historical sites and museums which have an educational significance.

"Although it is up to the schools to decide on the destination of trips, these should be educational," Mr Bonello said. "However, there needs to be a recreational element too.

Children are humans after all, and need their free time to eat and play together."

Yet, while children love getting out of the classroom, some teachers may still be wary of taking the kids out, for fear that they can get into trouble.

"One advice I offer teachers is to play safe," Mr Bonello said. "Teachers are encouraged to visit the chosen school trip destination beforehand, especially if they have not been there for some time or never at all. This can avoid potential risks which would emerge on the day of the outing. However, sites like museums have their own safety policies.

"Teachers should also plan out the day and make the necessary logistical arrangements. Careful planning would make sure that both children and their teachers make the most of their school trip."

A checklist for teachers before planning a school trip compiled by Philip Bonello, education officer on health and safety.

• What is the purpose of the trip or visit? Is it linked to the curriculum?

• Where are you going and for how long?

• How big a group do you want to take? Who do you want to take?

• Do you know all the pupils you will be taking out of school? Who has special needs? Who suffers from travel sickness? Who can take responsibility? Who has special skills (for example, first aid skills)?

• Who are the leader and the deputy leader of the trip? Are they competent people?

• Do you need to make a preliminary visit? Have you been before? Do you know anyone else who has been to the same place?

• What activity/activities will be involved? Make a list.

• Have you done a risk assessment for all the activities? What are the significant hazards and risks? Have you planned to avoid them? Can you avoid them? Do you need professional advice?

• What are the travel arrangements? Have you done a risk assessment for them? Have you planned food and rest stops?

• What supervision levels (staff:pupil ratio) do you need and why? Have you recorded all details of your decision with regard to this?

• Have you got parental consent for each child? Have you given parents all the essential information? What, if anything, do you need to know from the parents?

• Is your communication network in place (now and for the duration of the trip)? Who will keep copies of all the details? Where will they be kept?

• Are the financial arrangements in order? Do you need advice?

• What is the first aid provision? Is the first aid kit in good working order? Who will look after the first aid kit? Is there a first aid trained adult on the trip?

• Do any of the pupils require medication? Who will look after it? Who will administer it? Take advice.

• What are the emergency procedures if anything should go wrong? Does everyone know them? Have they been understood and practised?

• Is the programme for the trip now agreed by all relevant parties?

• How will you evaluate the trip? What is the follow-up work?