The Excelsior Trust

What will students see and do?

Searching for school trip ideas that will improve students’ personal development and boost self-esteem? Book a school residential trip with Excelsior Trust to take your class on an unforgettable sailing experience.

Step aboard the Excelsior, a sailing ship built in Lowestoft in 1921, which has been named one of the country’s most important historical vessels.

The sailing vessel, which still races in the internationally renowned Tall Ships Race, is owned by the Excelsior Trust, a charity that aims to improve the lives of young and disadvantaged people by teaching them how to build confidence and self-esteem through sailing.

During educational visits and voyages at sea, children will learn to sail while also picking up key personal development skills.

Team-building exercises and outdoor learning activities seek to build up low self-confidence and improve self-reliance. For instance, students will be given an on-board scenario and then relate the lessons learned to a similar scenario within their family, school or society.

Excelsior’s charters and sail training activities can also involve trips into villages and towns as well as surveys of natural habitats. The only guarantee with Excelsior Trust is that every trip will be different, and the unpredictable nature of the experience is part of the exciting adventure. Visit the website to read more about previous groups’ experiences.

How does the trip link to the curriculum?

An educational trip with Excelsior Trust is a fantastic way to ensure your students have confidence in their abilities and achieve high self-esteem.

Excelsior’s sailing courses teach pupils essential life skills, such as planning, organising and conflict resolution, as well as the basics of life at sea, including learning the parts of a sail and the different areas of a ship.

What’s more, children will be challenged to unlock their talents by exploring how to overcome fear and understanding the driving factors behind the desire to explore.

All students on board will also help out with typical ship operation tasks, including cooking and cleaning. The benefits of outdoor learning at Excelsior extend beyond personal development too, with key activities aimed at improving physical fitness, such as climbing the mast of a wooden ship.

Excelsior Trust is qualified by Learning Outside the Classroom. Contact the team to plan a journey of discovery for your students.

Subjects covered

Details of risk assessment

Call for details of Excelsior Trust’s school trip risk assessment.

Excelsior Trust recommends that an adequate travel insurance policy is taken out for all voyages. The policy should cover sailing on traditional boats/tall ships in territorial or international waters as appropriate.

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