About

Established in 2002, the School Travel Forum is a not-for-profit organisation run by its members for its members.

We work with and are supported by leading stakeholder bodies including the Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel, and the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom.

Our members span study, sports and cultural tours, and we are proud to be the awarding body for the LOtC Quality Badge for this sector. Our standards are the benchmark for all companies operating in the educational travel sector, and the requirements of the LOtC Quality Badge are part of our Code of Practice and Safety Management Standards.

All our members are audited by independent experts each year to ensure they are complying with our safety management systems, financial protection requirements and fair trading policies. Find a member for your next school trip.

We also lobby and campaign for children and young people to have the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from the opportunities that school trips offer.

Our members are united in a common interest - to ensure pupils experience the most rewarding learning outside the classroom opportunities possible and want schools to have complete confidence when taking their groups overseas. We are here to make this happen. Find out more about the protection offered by our members.

School Travel Forum Committee

Our members are supported by an elected committee and a chief executive. The committee is responsible for the day-to-day running and operation of the affairs of the Association and for furthering the objectives of the School Travel Forum.

Gill Harvey

STF External Affairs/Membership Director

I joined the School Travel Forum in 2015 to take up the reins as CEO, responsible for strategy planning, health and safety standards and brand management, to ensure the continued success and growth of the membership.

Prior to joining the School Travel Forum, I worked for over 20 years within the travel sector, holding several senior and Board Level positions including Commercial Director Page and Moy Ltd and Managing Director Solo’s Holidays Ltd.

Since joining the STF, I have been excited to see and appreciate the opportunities and benefits a high standard of Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) can deliver to young people, helping to build resilient, healthy and culturally aware individuals.

Geraint Denison-Kurg

STF Chair

I am passionate about the importance of school trips, and an outspoken advocate for their capacity to improve educational outcomes and to facilitate greater social mobility in future life. Increasing pupils’ cultural capital is at the heart of what we do at Schools Into Europe, and as longstanding members of the School Travel Forum, we are committed to the core values of safety and quality which underpin their rigorous requirements. Although my academic background is in History and Literature, I greatly enjoy working on tours for a wide variety of subject specialisms and find the diversity which is intrinsic to our industry enduringly stimulating and rewarding.

John Hincliff

STF Safety Management Director

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Kelly Wigley

I caught the travel bug on a school Art and Language trip to Barcelona as a fresh-faced 12 year old. The excitement and buzz of a 24 hour coach journey, being away from home completely immersed in a culture that seemed so foreign to me is something that I will never forget. Having now worked in the school travel industry for some fifteen years, and being a keen worldwide traveller, I couldn’t see myself working in any other industry!

In my current role as Head of Operations and Customer Relations at Rayburn Tours, I oversee all aspects of STF compliance and Safety Management, a responsibility that has become ever more important as the nature of travel has changed in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was motivated to join the STF committee having seen the challenges and complex issues the school travel industry faces in its recovery and to be a part of safeguarding school trips for future generations.

Steve Craven

I have worked in the school travel industry for the last 15 years, gaining a broad operational knowledge of both the travel business and the educational landscape having liaised with DfE on several initiatives.

I would like our customers’ experiences and concerns to be reflected in the work of the STF and firmly believe in the objectives of the organization, to expand horizons for young people.

NST are committed to ensuring that school travel remains a core part of every child’s education, now more than ever, and that every school’s experience is safe, enjoyable and provides a quality learning opportunity.

Maria Whiteman

I took over as MD of Next Generation Travel in October 2020 after 30 years in mainstream travel, including roles as MD of Saga Holidays, Directline Holidays, Hayes & Jarvis and Travel 2 Travel 4.
I am passionate about providing the best possible educational tours and events for school children as I know from personal experience what a great impact they can have on enhancing learning as well as on influencing future hobbies and even career choices.
I'm passionate about helping the STF to continue to increase its relevance to members and to ensure it provides the best possible service and value across the membership profile.
I am keen to support Gill and the committee in ensuring that the key issues impacting our sector are given the priority focus they deserve and that we raise the profile of student travel within the wider travel industry.

Dewi Jones

Prior to entering the educational travel sector I was an MFL teacher for 5 years, teaching in UK state schools. I have now worked in the sector for 5 years in various roles and across a number of products and have first-hand experience through resort management and escorting trips to understand the concerns and challenges faced by trip leaders. At the same I truly appreciate the positive benefits educational trips bring to young lives and believe by shaping their horizons our future is secure. The STF performs an important role in this and in ensuring the provision of good quality educational trips in a changing landscape. As a committee member I am motivated to be part of its immediate future, help chart a route through ever-increasing concerns over climate change by being part of the solution not the problem, and engage our students to be equal to the challenge.

Ian Davis

Having worked in operations, commercial and marketing within the groups &

mainstream travel sectors for many years I have in depth knowledge and experience that I would use to further the success and value of the STF to its members.

John Gardiner

STF Treasurer

Having worked in the industry, in a variety of roles, for over twenty years I believe that I have acquired wide-ranging knowledge and experience that will allow me to be a useful member of the Committee. The fundamental aspect of what every member does is to provide young people with experiences and memories that will last a lifetime, and this should be at the core of how we approach our work.

Additionally, I believe that a key benefit of STF membership is to allow open discussion between members on non-competitive topics, which is something that I will continue to foster.