Two million school children go on residential school trips every year and 40 per cent of trips are specifically organised to engage hard to reach pupils. A recent study reported that 52% of children do not tell their parents about a trip due to money concerns.
We realised that there are schools who book residential trips to UKSA who have no choice but to leave some children behind in the classroom because their parents are unable to afford the cost of the trip. No child should miss out on life changing experiences due to their financial situation. UKSA’s ‘Leave No Child Behind’ fund enables children to access the same opportunities as their peers.
Empowering children to reach their potential
Through our ‘Leave No Child Behind’ fund, UKSA give thousands of children each year the chance to visit our unique waterfront campus in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight for a residential stay where they can participate in sailing and watersports, many for the first time.
We have a variety of facilities and fleet to ensure that our students have the very best learning experience and learn valuable communication and team building skills.
“The funding has been incredible and has enabled our young people that might not have had the opportunity to come away on a trip like this to realise their dream and to take part in an amazing experience at UKSA.”
Assistant Principal, Mary Rose Academy
Lessons you can’t learn in the classroom
Our ‘theory of change’ explains how a residential trip at UKSA influences cognitive change in children and young people, including skills such as attention, memory, learning, problem-solving, and reasoning. The theory considers the ecological systems approach to development and learning. Our residential trips offer a new environment outside of the classroom where our students can develop life skills. We have first-hand evidence that outdoor activity centres like UKSA help to improve mental health and confidence, build resilience, and instil life skills – all of which are essential attributes for our young people. Data is collected from beneficiaries before and after attending a residential trip.
Below are the results reported from the last three months that highlight staggering increases across all development elements, these findings demonstrate that our programmes improve self-confidence, personal growth, and ability to recognise capabilities.
Oceans of opportunity for those that need it most
Working closely with organisers, we create flexible packages tailored to your learning objectives, specific needs and budget. All ages and abilities are catered for at UKSA and we take great pride in the long-term relationships we build with the people that return to us year after year.
We assess these financial needs on a case-by-case basis. If you are a school teacher or youth group leader looking to book a group of students with some parents in receipt of financial support from the government (free school meals, pupil premium, universal credit) and or you live in an area of high deprivation (Check your postcode here) then your school or group may be able to benefit from our financial support.
E-mail our Schools & Groups team on [email protected] or call (01983) 203045.
Case study
Badr Ahmed – Sea.Change Foundation 2023 Participant
“School is not the place for me; they don’t teach us values to come into the real world.”
In August 2022, Adame was introduced to the water through UKSA’s Sea.Change programme. He had no idea about the opportunities in maritime but quickly realised it’s what he wanted to pursue. Adame then joined our NCFE Programme; a 2-year programme designed to gain the relevant skills required to start a career in the maritime industry. Since being inspired by his instructors, Adame completed additional qualifications to become and instructor himself, working for UKSA this summer. Adame aims to continue working towards the Cadetship programme at UKSA next year to become a superyacht captain.
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