What is the school trip proposal form template?
Before a school trip can be advertised, someone has to approve it, usually a head teacher, principal or educational visits coordinator. They need to see why the trip is worth doing, who's going, how many adults, what it costs and who pays, how everyone gets there, and what could go wrong. Proposals sent as emails tend to miss half of that.
This school trip proposal template asks it in order. The trip leader sets out the destination, type of trip, dates, times and learning aims, with preparation and follow-up. The students and staffing page covers the group, numbers, selection, staff and volunteers, needs and cover. Costs and transport follow, with funding and support for students who can't pay. The risk page lists hazards, key controls, a risk assessment upload, the emergency contact and how parent consent will be collected, and the leader signs.
Each proposal is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault, giving the school a record of every trip approved and the plan behind it.
- Best for
- Schools, academies, districts and educational visits coordinators
- Filled in by
- Teachers and trip leaders
- Time to complete
- About 20 minutes
- Includes
- Destination, trip type, dates and times, learning aims, students and selection, staff and volunteers, needs, cover, costs, funding, transport, hazards, risk controls, consent, signature
Who uses a school trip proposal form?
- A science teacher proposing a day at a natural history museum
- A history department planning a residential trip to battlefields
- A primary class walking to a local library
- A languages team planning an overseas exchange
- A visits coordinator standardising trip approvals across a trust or district
- A sports coach proposing an away tournament
Questions on this school trip proposal form
38 questions over 4 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 Trip & learning aims
- Trip leader*
- Email*
- Trip leader's mobile during the trip*
- Department or year team*
- Destination*
- Venue contact
- Type of trip* Day trip · Half-day or local visit · Residential (overnight) · Overseas
- Departure date*
- Return date (overnight trips)
- Leave school at*
- Back at school by*
- Learning aims*
- Preparation and follow-up in class
2 Students & staffing
- Year group or class*
- Number of students*
- Who can go?* Whole class or year group · Selected students · Open to volunteers
- How students will be selected asked only when it applies
- Staff attending*
- Parent or other volunteers
- Staff and volunteers*
- Students with medical, mobility or learning needs and how they'll be supported
- Will classes need cover while staff are away?*
3 Costs & transport
- Cost per student*
- Total trip cost*
- Costs include Transport · Entry or activity fees · Accommodation · Meals · Insurance · Guide or instructor
- Funding* Voluntary parent contributions · School budget · Grant or sponsor · Fundraising
- How students who can't pay will be supported
- Transport* Coach or bus hire · School minibus · Public transport · Walking · Train · Flight
- Transport operator
- Seatbelts on all seats?
4 Risk & approval
- Main hazards Roads and traffic · Water · Crowds or getting lost · Weather · Physical activities · Food allergies · Overnight supervision · Travel abroad
- Key risk controls*
- Risk assessment and itinerary
- Has the venue provided its own risk assessment or safety information?
- School emergency contact during the trip*
- Parent consent* Consent form for this trip · Covered by annual local-visits consent
- Trip leader signature*
- Date submitted*
The school trip proposal form, page by page
1 Trip & learning aims
The trip leader gives their name, email, mobile for the trip and department, the destination and venue contact, and the type of trip, from a local visit to residential or overseas. Departure date, return date for overnight trips, and leaving and return times follow, then the learning aims and preparation and follow-up in class.
2 Students & staffing
The leader records the year group, number of students and who can go, explaining selection if students are chosen. Staff and volunteer numbers, a reminder to check ratios, names and roles, students with medical, mobility or learning needs and whether classes need cover complete the page.
3 Costs & transport
Cost per student and total cost are followed by what the costs include, how the trip is funded and how students who can't pay will be supported. The leader chooses the transport, names the operator and confirms whether every seat has a seatbelt.
4 Risk & approval
A checklist of hazards, from roads and water to allergies and overnight supervision, is followed by the key risk controls, an upload for the risk assessment and itinerary, whether the venue has provided safety information, the school's emergency contact and how parent consent will be collected. The trip leader signs and dates the proposal.
Make the template yours
- Add your own ratio requirements to the note on the staffing page
- Add an approver signature section if the head signs within the form
- Change the funding options to match your charging and remissions policy
- Link the risk assessment template your school uses in the help text
- Add the visits coordinator and finance office to the notification list
Tips for a better school trip proposal form
- Submit the proposal before telling students; approval may come with changes
- Write learning aims that a parent would understand
- List named staff, not just numbers, so cover and checks can be arranged
- Upload the venue's own risk information when it's offered
- Keep the approved PDF with consent forms and the final itinerary
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each proposal is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with the risk assessment and itinerary attached. The visits coordinator is notified, and the trip leader receives a copy.
The Responses table gives an overview of proposed trips by date and department, useful for spotting clashes and planning cover.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
School trip proposal form: frequently asked questions
Is this school trip proposal template free?
Yes. It's one of the FileIt Forms starter templates on every account.
Does it replace a full risk assessment?
No. It summarises hazards and controls and lets you upload your full risk assessment.
What staff ratio should we use?
That depends on your school, district or national guidance. The form reminds the leader to check.
Can it collect parent consent too?
Not in this form. Use a separate consent form, such as the parental consent template, once the trip is approved.
Can the approver sign inside the form?
The template has the leader's signature. You can add an approval section with a second signature in the designer.
Do staff need a FileIt account?
No. They can submit proposals from the link.