School Trip Consent Form: What It Must Include (with a Template)
The sections every school trip consent form needs — trip details, medical information, emergency contacts, permissions and the parent's signature — plus a simple template.
18 October 2026 · 3 min read
A consent form does two jobs: it tells parents exactly what they are agreeing to, and it gives teachers the information they need if something goes wrong. Below are the sections that matter, and a simple template you can adapt. Your school's management or legal adviser should approve the final wording — rules and expectations differ by school, board and state.
What the form must include
- Trip details: destination, dates, departure and return times, travel mode, where students will stay, and the cost.
- The student's details: full name, class, section, age.
- Medical information: conditions, allergies, current medicines, dietary needs — and whether the student can take common medicines like paracetamol if needed.
- Emergency contacts: at least two numbers that will be answered during the trip.
- Permissions: to join the trip and listed activities (e.g. boating, a safari, an easy trek), and for teachers and the trip leader to arrange first aid or medical help if needed.
- Photo consent: whether the school may use photos of the student (keep this as a separate tick box).
- Code of conduct acknowledgement: phone rules, staying with the group, and what happens if rules are broken.
- The parent or guardian's name, relationship, signature and date.
A simple template
I, [parent / guardian name], parent / guardian of [student name], Class [ ] Section [ ], give permission for my child to join the school trip to [destination] from [date] to [date], travelling by [mode] and staying at [stay type]. I have shared my child's medical conditions, allergies, medicines and dietary needs below. In an emergency, I authorise the teachers in charge and the trip leader to arrange first aid and medical treatment, and I will be informed as soon as possible. I have read the trip plan and the code of conduct and have explained them to my child. Emergency contacts: [name, relation, phone] / [name, relation, phone]. Photo consent: Yes / No. Signature, date.
Paper or online?
Paper forms are easy to hand out and easy to lose. An online form lets parents fill it on their phone, and lets the coordinator see in one place who has not submitted yet. When we run a school trip, each group gets one link for parents and a private link for the teacher in charge to track who's done — see school trips.
Keep the data safe
Medical and contact details are sensitive. Share them only with the teachers and trip leader who need them, don't post them in group chats, and delete them when the trip is over.
