A practical guide to insurance for school trips abroad: civil liability, medical cover, repatriation, cancellation and the checks to make before departure.
Civil liability cover for school trips
Civil liability – third-party cover – protects the group if someone in your care accidentally causes injury to another person or damage to property. On a trip abroad, where the cost of a claim can be substantial, this is the foundation on which the rest of your protection is built. No serious programme should leave without it.
Confirm that the cover extends to the full duration of the trip, includes the activities on your itinerary, and lists adequate limits. A policy with a generous ceiling is far better than discovering a low cap after an incident. This matters most on active programmes such as ski trips, where the pace and the terrain raise the stakes.
Medical care and repatriation abroad
Medical cover is the clause families care about most. Treatment abroad can be expensive, and repatriation – bringing someone home for care, with a medical escort if needed – can run into very large sums indeed. Both must be included without restrictive limits, whatever the destination.
Read the exclusions carefully. Many standard travel policies cap medical cover low or exclude winter sports and adventure activities, so match the policy to the real itinerary rather than assuming a general plan will be enough. A gentle seaside class and a high-altitude ski week carry very different risk profiles, and the cover should reflect that.
- Emergency treatment and hospital costs in the destination country.
- Repatriation home with medical assistance where required.
- Cover for the specific activities on your programme.
- A 24-hour assistance line in a language your staff can use.
Cancellation cover for school trips
Plans change. Illness, family emergencies or wider disruption can force a pupil – or the whole group – to withdraw, sometimes at short notice. Cancellation cover protects the money already committed to deposits and bookings when that happens, which can amount to a great deal on a residential trip.
Check exactly which reasons are accepted, what proof is required, and how quickly a claim is paid. Clear, fair cancellation terms spare families a financial blow at an already difficult moment – and they spare you the task of explaining a refund policy you did not write.
The EHIC and GHIC card explained
Within Europe, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – and the UK’s equivalent GHIC – gives access to state-provided healthcare on the same terms as a local resident. It is a valuable safety net, but it is not a substitute for travel insurance, and it is important that staff understand the difference.
The card does not cover private treatment, repatriation, or any country outside its scheme, and it can involve up-front payments and paperwork. Treat it as a useful complement to a full policy, never as a replacement for one. It is most relevant on European programmes such as our green classes, where groups stay within reach of national health systems.
Insurance checklist before departure
A few minutes of checking before you leave can prevent a great deal of difficulty later. Gather the essential documents, confirm the cover matches the trip and make sure your accompanying staff know how to use the policy if they need to. The time to learn how a policy works is never in the middle of an emergency.
Run through this short list with the whole supervising team so that, if something does go wrong, everyone knows the first step to take. The same discipline that keeps a trip safe is what gives parents confidence in the programme – one of the reasons schools choose to travel with us, as our why us page sets out in full.
- Policy numbers and the 24-hour assistance line saved on every staff phone.
- Confirmation that all planned activities are covered.
- Valid EHIC or GHIC cards collected for travel within Europe.
- Medical and consent information gathered and stored securely.
- A clear procedure agreed for who acts, and how, in an emergency.
On the move's all-in school trip cover
Piecing together the right protection clause by clause is exactly the kind of work that keeps teachers awake at night. That is why every On the move school trip comes with comprehensive all-in cover built specifically for groups travelling abroad – no gaps to spot, no exclusions to chase.
Civil liability, medical care, repatriation and cancellation are wrapped into one policy, backed by a 24-hour assistance line and a team that knows your itinerary. You concentrate on the pupils and the experience; we make sure the protection behind it is solid. If you want to talk a specific trip through, get in touch and we will check every clause against your plans.