School trip safeguarding: what every teacher should ask before booking 

When you’re choosing a provider for your next school trip or residential, safeguarding shouldn’t be a tick-box exercise on a checklist you scan once and forget. It should be the foundation everything else is built on.

If you’re a teacher, educational visits coordinator (EVC), or school leader responsible for signing off a residential trip, you already know that safeguarding is usually the first question raised by senior leadership, governors, and parents alike. So before you book anywhere, it’s worth asking: what does “safeguarding” actually look like in practice at this provider?

At The Bushcraft Company, it’s our top priority and we want to show you exactly what that means day to day at camp, not just what it says in a policy document.

Why safeguarding should shape your choice of school residential provider

Every outdoor education provider will tell you they take safeguarding seriously. The real difference is whether it’s genuinely embedded into daily operations, or whether it only surfaces when a form needs signing.

Here’s what we believe schools should expect as standard and what we deliver at every single one of our camps.

• A trained Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) on site at all times

Every one of our camps has a qualified Designated Safeguarding Lead on hand throughout your visit. Our DSLs are re-trained every two years and complete an annual refresher course in between, so their knowledge stays current with best practice and any changes in statutory guidance.

For teachers, this means there’s always a clear, competent point of contact on-site if any concern needs to be raised, not someone working from out-of-date training.

• Enhanced DBS checks for every member of staff

Every member of staff undergoes an enhanced DBS check before they ever work with us. We don’t treat this as an exceptional extra, it’s the baseline. Robust background screening isn’t a bonus at The Bushcraft Company; it’s essential.

• Weekly staff meetings that keep safeguarding front of mind

Safeguarding isn’t something we revisit once a year during an INSET-style session and then file away. It’s built into our weekly staff meetings, so it stays part of the everyday culture on-site and remains at the forefront of our team’s daily work, not just an annual formality.

• In-person safeguarding training for every camp leader

It’s not only our DSLs who are trained. Every camp leader receives in-person safeguarding training too, so the whole team, not just one designated individual, understands their responsibilities and knows how to spot and respond to concerns confidently.

• Low-level reporting used to model healthy relationships

We use low-level reporting as a teaching tool, not just a compliance mechanism. It helps our staff actively demonstrate what healthy, professional relationships and boundaries look like around young people, so the right standards are visible and modelled every day, not just written into a policy.

• CPOMS for fast, secure information-sharing with your school

We use CPOMS (Child Protection Online Monitoring System) – the same system many UK schools already use internally. This means any concerns raised on-site can be logged and shared with your school’s safeguarding team quickly, securely, and in a format they’ll already be familiar with. No awkward translation between systems, no delays.

Here’s a helpful guide on questions to ask any outdoor education provider before you book…

If you’re comparing providers for your next school trip, it’s worth asking each one:

– Is there a trained DSL on-site for the full duration of the visit?

– How often is safeguarding training refreshed, and is it in-person?

– What background checks are carried out on all staff, not just leaders?

– How is safeguarding kept “live” throughout the year, not just at induction?

– What system is used to log and share concerns with our school, and how quickly?

If a provider can’t answer these clearly, that’s worth knowing before you book, not after!

With The Bushcraft Company, you can book with confidence

We know changing your school’s residential provider is a big decision, and safeguarding is usually the first question on every teacher’s mind. We’re always glad to share our full safeguarding policy and talk it through with you in detail, so you can book your school trip with complete confidence.

Contact The Bushcraft Company today to request our safeguarding policy or speak to our team about your next school residential.