Digital school trip consent connects a parent's response to the correct pupil, visit and version of the school's form. A useful process shows who has been invited, who has responded and what is outstanding, while retaining the information parents were asked to review. The school decides what consent it needs for each visit.
Do schools need written consent for every trip in England?
No. DfE guidance for England requires written consent for nursery-age children. For older pupils, most curriculum visits do not need written consent; it is usually needed for visits outside normal school hours or requiring a higher level of risk assessment. Parents should still receive visit information and an opportunity to withdraw their child.
Check your school's visits policy and existing consent arrangements before choosing a form. This England-specific guidance should not be applied automatically to schools in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Read next: DfE guidance on when to seek parental consent (England)
Does every Trip Manager visit require parent consent?
No. Trip Manager supports consent required, information only and internal parent-involvement choices. An information-only visit gives families published details without requiring a consent form, while an internal activity stays in the staff workflow.
Choose the mode in line with the school's policy. School approval and parent involvement are separate settings: removing a consent form does not by itself exempt a visit from school approval.
What makes a school trip consent request clear?
A clear request explains the visit before asking for an answer. Parents should be able to identify their child, the trip, its dates and the information the school wants them to read without searching through earlier messages.
Use short, specific questions and distinguish required answers from optional ones. Keep participation and photo permissions visibly separate where your form asks for both. Explain how parents can contact the school if information is wrong or circumstances change.
What is the difference between sent, opened and complete?
Sent and opened describe invitation progress; complete means a response has actually been submitted. These states help staff choose the right follow-up instead of assuming that every family who opened an email has finished the form.
| State | Useful next check |
|---|---|
| Not invited | Check the trip is ready and the correct contact is linked |
| Sent, not opened | Check the contact route and whether the family needs help |
| Opened, not submitted | Check for unanswered questions or an incomplete response |
| Complete | Review answers that need school action |
| Updated response | Check what changed and whether staff need to know |
How should schools follow up outstanding responses?
Follow up from the current outstanding list, with a clear deadline and help route. Separate a missing response from a family that has responded with an issue requiring attention.
In Trip Manager, staff can review per-pupil invitation and consent status, send reminders to outstanding families and configure automatic reminders. Reminders stop once consent is submitted and are not sent after departure. Sending a reminder does not establish that the parent received or understood it.
What happens when a form or answer changes?
Changes need a traceable record so the school can understand which question a parent answered. Avoid silently replacing published wording and treating the old response as if it applied to a new question.
Trip Manager keeps published consent forms immutable; editing creates a new draft version. Parents can submit updated responses, with submission history retained. Before changing a live form, agree how the school will review existing responses and tell families what they need to do next.
What should you test in a consent software demonstration?
Test the parent journey and the school's tracking view together. Ask to see an invitation, a partly completed form, a submitted response and the corresponding pupil status in the staff workspace.
- Confirm how parents are linked to pupils and how incorrect contact records are resolved.
- Check the mobile form is readable and the final submission is unambiguous.
- See where staff find photo permissions and updated answers.
- Agree a supported alternative for families unable to use the digital route.
Trip Manager includes browser access and a companion iPhone and iPad app. Schools purchase the platform and provide accounts; installing the app alone does not set up a school or create access to a pupil.
Sources and further reading
Primary sources supporting the guidance in this article.
- Department for Education: health and safety on educational visits
England-specific guidance on visit planning, parental consent, emergency arrangements and educational visits co-ordinators.