Why a Standard for School Travel?
For years, trip leaders relied on general risk frameworks like ISO 31000 (risk management guidelines), ISO 31030 (business travel), or country-specific documents such as BS 8848 (UK-based expedition standards). While useful, none were designed with students in mind.
That matters. Young travelers have unique vulnerabilities—developmental, legal, medical, and social—that make adult-centric standards a poor fit. Schools have long shouldered a heavy duty of care, but without a standard designed around school-specific realities, it was hard to know what “good enough” looked like.
ISO 31031 changes that. Released in October 2024, it’s the first international guidance built for trips involving minors and young adults (under 25). It’s wide in scope—applying to everything from half-day museum visits to three-month overseas expeditions—and designed for schools, youth organizations, trip providers, and NGOs alike.
What ISO 31031 Covers
The standard spans the full trip lifecycle and addresses risk not just as something to mitigate, but as something to plan for intentionally. Here’s what it tackles:
- Leadership & Accountability – Top management remains ultimately accountable. Clear roles, documented responsibilities, and proactive engagement with stakeholders are central to the standard’s intent.
- Risk Assessment – Risk is treated as a dynamic entity. Planners are encouraged to conduct real-time adjustments and factor in participant profiles, trip environments, and logistics, rather than relying solely on fixed templates.
- Supervision Models – Direct, indirect, and remote supervision options are outlined, with guidance for when each is appropriate. Ratios are context-sensitive, not one-size-fits-all.
- Medical & Safeguarding – From individual care plans and medication management to safeguarding policies and leader background checks, the standard emphasizes preparation for both physical and emotional safety.
- Emergency Response & Contingency Planning – Detailed escalation protocols, communication trees, and repatriation planning are required, not just suggested.
- Third-Party Providers – ISO 31031 includes specific clauses for selecting, evaluating, and monitoring activity vendors, accommodations, and transport providers.
- Communication & Consent – Informed consent is more than a form; it’s about active engagement with students, families, and staff around known risks, expectations, and mitigation strategies.
Practical Impacts for Trip Planners
For schools, ISO 31031 offers clarity—but also a raised bar. Here are some of the biggest changes it brings to trip planning:
- Clearer Definitions of “Safe Enough”
No more vague language. Decisions around risk exposure must be documented and aligned with your school’s specific risk criteria.
- Dynamic Oversight
Leadership teams are expected to monitor and adjust risks as trips evolve. The old “set-and-forget” model is out.
- Elevated Role of Participants
Students aren’t just passive recipients—they’re expected to understand, contribute to, and reflect on the safety processes in place.
- Integrated Learning
Trips should align with developmental goals. ISO 31031 actively supports experiential education as a core purpose, not just a happy byproduct.
ISO 31031 vs. Traditional Trip Risk Management
| Aspect | Traditional Practices | ISO 31031 Approach |
| Risk Assessments | Generic, static checklists | Dynamic, tailored to group, place, and timing |
| Supervision | Fixed staff-to-student ratios | Context-sensitive, maturity and activity-based |
| Emergency Planning | Limited or ad hoc | Detailed, proactive, multi-stakeholder |
| Safeguarding | Often addressed at the school level | Embedded at the trip level with defined procedures |
| Learning Integration | Rarely linked to safety | Safety planning enhances learning outcomes |
This isn’t just about being compliant—it’s about being prepared and purposeful.
How ETI360 Helps Schools Bring ISO 31031 to Life
Many schools don’t have the time, staff, or systems to interpret and apply a 47-page global standard. That’s where ETI360 comes in. From our TripRisk360 platform to our collaborative planning process, we help schools implement ISO 31031 in a way that is structured, scalable, and sustainable.
1. Structured Risk Documentation with TripRisk360
ISO 31031 outlines what should be documented—ETI360 builds the tools to do it. Our platform generates dynamic, real-time RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statements) that evolve as trip plans are adjusted. Each risk profile is tied to location-specific data, participant needs, and activity types, ensuring schools are meeting expectations on risk assessment and tailored risk treatment.
2. Embedded Safeguarding and Supervision Planning
ETI360 templates don’t just ask for supervision ratios—they prompt you to define how participants will be supervised (directly, indirectly, or remotely), with clear handovers and safeguarding roles. Need gender-balanced teams for overnight stays? Covered. Need background checks and documentation? Standardized.
3. Training for All Roles
From teachers to trip leaders to students, ETI360 provides training modules aligned with ISO expectations. These are role-specific and include pre-departure briefings, incident role-play, and risk-awareness education, meeting expectations around competence and role clarity.
4. Evaluating Providers Against ISO Criteria
Choosing vendors is not guesswork. ETI360 evaluates transport, accommodation, and activity providers using ISO 31031-aligned checklists. Our vetting process includes insurance verification, emergency plan reviews, and prior incident history.
5. Emergency Action Plans, Simplified
Every ETI360 trip includes a fully customised Emergency Action Plan (EAP) linked to real-time data, escalation trees, and country-specific protocols. Our templates and systems ensure full compliance with requirements related to incident response, repatriation, and medical coverage.
6. Post-Trip Reviews and Continuous Improvement
ISO 31031 requires reflection. We facilitate this through structured debriefs, digital feedback collection, and update logs, helping you track progress and institutionalize learning.
ETI360: More Than Compliance
Let’s be clear: aligning with ISO 31031 is not just about ticking boxes. It’s about running better trips—safer, clearer, and more educationally powerful. Schools already do tremendous work in caring for students. What ETI360 offers is a framework to systematize that care, reduce the administrative burden, and make safety and learning work together.
Our mission is to make high-quality educational travel accessible to more schools, not just those with the resources to establish internal risk departments. Whether you run one trip a year or a dozen, we help you do it better with documentation, technology, and expertise grounded in the latest international standards.
Your Next Step: Evaluate Your Program
Curious how your current trip planning compares to ISO 31031? ETI360 offers low-lift, high-impact audits that review your documentation, supervision models, and emergency planning—all benchmarked against the standard.
You’ll come away with a clear summary of strengths, gaps, and steps forward—plus templates and training resources to help you close the loop.
Contact ETI360 to Schedule Your ISO 31031 Program Audit
