With school budgets being stretched further each year, train operator Northern has suggested that schools should “Give up the coach and try us instead” when arranging school trips.

Northern’s call comes after the new secretary of state for education, Bridget Phillipson MP spoke about the value of school trips at the Embassy Education Conference last month.

Northern has compared the cost of travelling by coach to that by train for some of the most popular school trips across its network.

Its findings show schools could arrange many more days out for their students each year by switching from coach transport to the train.

Some typical figures and their savings include:

• Doncaster to Meadowhall in South Yorkshire – £118.50 instead of £750.00, a saving of £631.50
  
• Heworth to Newcastle in Tyne & Wear – £84.00 instead of £500.00, a saving of £416.00
  
• Hull to Beverley in East Yorkshire – £130.50 instead of £335.00, a saving of £204.50
  
• Kendal to Windermere in Cumbria – £102.00 instead of £301.00, a saving of £199.00
  
• Knaresborough to Harrogate in North Yorkshire – £60.00 instead of £340.00, a saving of £280.00
  
• Knutsford to Chester in Cheshire – £153.00 instead of £667.00, a saving of £514.00
  
• Littleborough to Todmorden in West Yorkshire – £76.50 instead of £250.00, a saving of £173.50
  
• Newton-le-Willows to Liverpool in Merseyside – £93.00 instead of £420.00, a saving of £327.00
  
• Preston to Blackpool in Lancashire – £139.50 instead of £400.00, a saving of £260.50
  
• Saltaire to Bradford in West Yorkshire – £58.50 instead of £450.00, a saving of £391.50
  
• Stockport to Manchester in Greater Manchester – £85.50 instead of £403.00, a saving of £317.50
  
• Sunderland to Newcastle in Tyne & Wear – £88.50 instead of £590.00, a saving of £501.50
  

The revelation comes just as Northern is launching a sale for group bookings that attracts a discount of 75% off the cost of a standard ticket.

The group bookings sale runs from tomorrow, Tuesday, 1st October until Thursday, 31st October for journeys made between Sunday, 6th October and Tuesday, 31st December 2024.

Further information about group travel and the discounts available is online at northernrailway.co.uk/tickets/group-travel

Earlier this month Northern ran a special offer that gave a 50% discount on the cost of season tickets for students attending educational establishments in the north of England, and in June, carers were eligible for a 25% discount on the price of Advance Purchase tickets on its train services.

“Coaches are synonymous with school trips – but times change and there are significant savings that teachers can make if they will give the railway a go.
“Of course, there will be some visitor attractions that, because of their location, require a private transfer – but for those in town and city centres, rail would be a much cheaper option.
“Taking the train can also be an additional learning experience for students that don’t use public transport to get to school.”
Powles added: “The discounts we offer to group bookings are significant – and teachers could organise many more days out for their students if they give up the coach and try us instead.”

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern,