ABSTRACT
The educational value of offering all children and young people the opportunity of residential experience is now widely recognized. Living and working together offers opportunities for social development for children of all abilities, including those with special needs, which are not normally available in day schools. There are, in addition, all sorts of practical reasons why a particular course or aspect of the curriculum may require pupils to spend some time away from home and school: from field studies trips for GCSE and A level examinations to intensive sports, ‘adventure activity’, and music or creative writing weeks or weekends. Leaders always need to be clear in their own minds about the main curricular purpose of the visit, but should at the same time be aware of the unique opportunities inherent in any residential visit for learning experiences which cannot be provided in school, such as camping and cooking, and simply coping away from parents and friends and the normal, often urban, environment.
