As a child, I had no idea of the cost of school trips. I don’t think I ever considered the strain it doubtless put on my parents’ purse. But as a headteacher, at a time of unprecedented funding constraints, I am now always thinking about the cost of a day or longer out of school.

It’s sad that it has come to penny counting but, along with every other school I’m sure, we are now very careful about what trips we plan and how much they cost. We can’t afford to subsidise them and I am acutely aware that we can’t keep expecting parents to cough up cash.

But this has not meant the end of school trips, just that we have adopted a slightly different approach. Here is my guide to running school trips on a tight budget.

Transport

The biggest cost for any trip is transport and it is hard to bring the cost of coach travel down. Coach companies have minimum overheads to cover, which means that it can cost as much to take a group into the city centre as it does to take them 150 miles to Cardiff and back. Block bookings don’t really work unless it is a regular trip, so getting competitive quotes is essential: don’t always use the same company as a matter of course.

Another thing to consider is the timing of the trip. We recently had two quotes for an outing to Bristol that differed by £200. One price was for if we departed before the school run and returned after it; the other was for if we arranged the day so that the coach company could still complete its before- and after-school runs elsewhere. For the former, the company had to lay on an extra coach and driver, increasing the cost. For the latter, the same coach and driver could do it all.

Rural schools are at a transport disadvantage, especially if they aren’t big. I have taught in two small rural schools and we sometimes joined together with neighbouring schools on trips to lower costs and make the trips viable.

Be selective

If the trip is going to incur costs, make sure it counts. That means ensuring that it complements work done in school and that the benefits are clear to those footing the bill (ie, the parents). If the case is not compelling in terms of its benefits, save the money for one that is.

That said, some trips are one-off experiences not linked to topic work but which are too good an opportunity to miss. A few years ago, we took all our key stage 2 children to London to see the Tutankhamun exhibition at the O2 Arena. It was a unique and amazing visit. In my experience, parents are usually happy to pay for trips that fall into either of the above categories.

Avoid unnecessary international travel

I’ve never been a fan of continental trips, particularly at primary school. They can be very costly and the children will get just as much out of a trip away that is closer to home. I’ve visited many wonderful places with children over the years, such as the Eden Project, the Big Pit National Coal Museum and the D-Day Museum. There are lots of things that can be done that won’t break the bank and will ease the burden on parents.

Embrace what is free

We’re always on the lookout for trips that will add value to the children’s experience but also ones that are free. This involves asking parents for a contribution to transport costs only. Cracking free attractions include anything run by English Heritage (or Cadw in Wales): they are fabulous resources. Doing free stuff such as this helps to keep our costs down on our Year 4 residential to the Isle of Wight, which includes visits to Carisbrooke Castle and Osborne House. Venues such as the Science Museum in London are also free and there are many local museums that do not charge.

Simply getting out and about in the local area is just as valuable. We are lucky enough to be able to use local woods as a learning resource and will try to go on walks in order to experience the local environment as much as possible. Local churches are a wonderful historical resource, as well as offering opportunities for tie-ins in subjects such as art and maths. Schools near the centre of towns and cities have an advantage in that they might be able to walk to venues or to do urban trails, and there are opportunities for doing fieldwork, such as shop or tourist surveys, or treasure hunt-type activities.

My son still talks to this day about his Year 1 visit to Weston-super-Mare. It was a typical English summer’s day in that it hosed it down. Nevertheless, the staff tried to do all the sandcastle activities, and marched the children up and down the seafront in a gale before retreating to the shelters for their lunches and a sing-song. “It was only water, Dad,” he told me that evening. Often these “free” visits are the most memorable.

Long may school trips reign but, in current climes, we may simply have to be more inventive.

Richard Bullard is headteacher at Combe Down primary school near Bath